Are backyard chickens safe to keep and are they hard to care for?

Hello. Chickens can get upper respiratory infections. Like us, most of these are viruses, so no great treatments. There is no reason to start any antibiotics. Make sure your hens are as stress free as possible, has access to plenty of fresh water, good feed, special treats & if you need to isolate some, do so. If you plan on adding anymore birds, make sure they have been vaccinated for Marek's. This will only add a few dollars to the cost of each chick. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. So much depends on where the wound is, how deep it is & how easy it is to handle the bird. Some wounds will heal very nicely on their own & it is surprising how quickly they can heal. I have treated & sewn up some of my own hens that survived raccoon attacks, some survive & others that appear less severely injured died. If the bird will allow you to clean the wound, use a skin cleanser like Hibiclens ( available at all pharmacies ). Then, depending on how bad the wound is, you can use a triple antibiotic or even a wound spray like Catron which will also keep the flies off. All you can do is try, especially if there are no veterinarians in your area that will see birds ( call around, you might be surprised to find a vet that likes chickens ). Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

They can eat chicken feed, cracked corn, oats, groats, greens, oyster shells (crushed), mealworms, nightcrawlers, crickets, berries and carrots just to list a few items. This is by no means an all inclusive list. You can find more acceptable foods at www.backyardchickens.com.

Hello. It is very important that you always wash your hands after handling any reptile & before handling your birds or any materials belonging to the birds. I do not think you need to keep the gecko in a separate room, just use common sense care & everyone will stay safe & healthy. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Without knowing more about the signs that your birds are showing, it is difficult to say what is going on with them. There is a lot of overlap with infectious diseases in chickens, so many of them can look alike. The treatments for them, however, can vary, and need to be initiated by a veterinarian. I would recommend that you contact a veterinarian in your area so that s/he can do a physical exam on at least one of your birds. I was unable to find where you were located based on your zip code, as it did not give any results for the US. There are some regions which have avian diagnostic labs, and many times they have a chicken veterinarian on staff. This may be an option for you depending on your location. At home, you can try supportive care for the birds. Ensuring they have a warm place to go is crucial, so they don’t have to work as hard to keep warm (chicken body temperatures are about 102-104 F). Also make sure they have fresh water and food easily available to them, and monitor to ensure they are eating. To do this, you can feel along the bottom of their necks - this is where the crop is, and it is a pocket in their esophagus where good is stored when they eat. If you feel good in it, that is good as it indicates they are eating. If it is empty, they are not. Please do not give any human medications to your birds, as many of them can be harmful to chickens. I hope that gives you a place to start, and good luck.

This sign could be compatible with an upper respiratory tract inflammation/infection or eventually to a chronic rhinitis (inflammatory, allergic, infective). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Thanks for reaching out about Hens. The basic thing is to establish a routine and keep to it, make all movements slow and deliberate, other distractions need to be kept minimized. Give it a few days. Good luck.