Meleagris, the common guinea fowl comes from Greek mythology. Meleager, prince of Macedon, was killed by his mother after murdering his uncles. Meleager's sisters, weeping in grief, are turned into guinea fowl and their tears form the pearl-shaped markings found on guinea's feathers.
It is important to learn how to inspect a chicken properly to assess it for good health. Not only is this important when buying chickens that you are purchasing good, healthy stock but good husbandary involves checking your birds regularly for the first signs of problems so that they can be nipped in the bud.
Experienced poultry keepers develop a sixth sense for problems and a quick glance at the way their birds are behaving can tell them a lot but nothing beats a good inspection and examining every bird in the flock individually is the best way to keep on top of numerous problems. The following diagram gives a few pointers of what to look out for:
General Chickens Health
Caution - Buying At Auction
Buying chickens at poultry auctions can be fraught with problems as many sellers can remain anonymous, passing off birds that are not fit and healthy. Always inspect a bird for good health visually and if you can, physically.
Healthy birds, whatever breed should look alert. Most of the time birds will be standing, they will sit down from time to time, especially in hot weather in the shade but expect healthy birds to be content, alert and not hunched up or fluffed up in any way. A chicken that sits in a corner or appears to be drowsy should be treated suspiciously. A bird that is unwell is usually lethargic, hunched up with it's head close to its body and is sitting away from the rest of the flock.
Combs
Combs are a great indication to the heath of birds. A bright rich red comb in a hen usually indicates good health and in hens that she is in lay. A pink looking comb indicates she is not but still healthy. A comb with a bluish tinge indicates poor blood circulation and should be treated with caution. Combs that are excessively scabbed probably mean a bird has been fighting. Cockerels kept in adjacent runs will still fight against the wire, injuring themselves but if you are looking to buy a bird to add to your flock, buying a bird that has been picked on, or fights can mean bad news. You may also wish to assess the temperament of a cockerel before you buy him.
Feathers and Vent
Inspect under feathers for parasites, especially under wings and around the vent. The most likely problems are lice (between the feathers) and scaley leg mites (in the scales of the legs making the scales protrude out). The Birds that are dirty, scruffy or have an excess of muck on their feathers around the vent area can be a sign of problems. Some of the more fluffy breeds will get some muck on their feathers but in general should keep themselves fairly clean.
Eyes, nose, beak and toes.
Have a look into the eyes of your birds. They should be clear, clean and bright. Bubbles or fluid around the corners of the eyes and / or fluid around the nostrils can indicate respiratory infections. Resperitory problems are common in chickens and a quick listen to your birds breathing and inspection inside the beak can soon tell you if there are problems in the upper respiratory tract. Listen for rattles or wheezing during breathing. The upper and lower beak should meet in the middle and should not be crossed over. Toes should be straight. Bent toes are a deformity that is usually inherited and whilst birds with these are good pet birds, you should not breed from birds with such deformities.
Keeping Chickens 
