The Digestive System of a Chicken
In this article, you will learn about the different parts of a chicken’s digestive system. There are also tips on what to expect from your chickens during normal feeding and digestion.
Health > Digestive System
This category contains information about the digestive system and the parasites and diseases that affect our poultry. Examples are problems with the crop, such as impaction (blockage), diarrhoea and internal parasites such as worms.
Including drugs often used for treatment and health products that can keep your birds digestive system in good shape.
Articles are grouped as follows:
General information and disorders within the digestive system of our poultry.
In this article, you will learn about the different parts of a chicken’s digestive system. There are also tips on what to expect from your chickens during normal feeding and digestion.
Alongside respiratory disease- diarrhoea is one of the most common conditions to affect chickens kept on smallholdings or in domestic situations such as the back
Chickens are the most likely candidates to become overweight. Birds that are caged, kept in a small run or are fed the incorrect diet are
The crop is part of the oesophagus (food pipe) at the base of the neck and is the first stage of digestion for a chicken,
You can feel a chicken’s crop on the lower part of her neck when it’s full after eating. It will empty overnight, but if it becomes blocked, a condition called pendulous crop can occur.
A fungal yeast causes sour crop in chickens. It is identified by a putrid smell coming up from the crop and out of the chicken’s mouth. Treatment of sour crop is necessary to prevent serious illness.
Internal parasites that cause problems in the digestive system of our poultry. For Gapeworm (which infects the respiratory tract), see the Respiratory Problems Category.
Coccidiosis in chickens is fairly common, so when we find our birds with loose droppings and a depressed appearance, the first disease that springs to mind is coccidiosis, but what exactly is coccidiosis and how does it affect our birds?
Cecal Worms or Heterakis Gallinarum are very common. They don’t actually do much damage, however blackhead organisms can live in the worm’s eggs for many months
Hairworms or Capillara are incredibly thin, almost as thin as hair which is where they get their name from. They are 1 to 2cm long and
Chicken Roundworms are 5 to 8cm long and live in the middle part of a bird’s intestine. Bad infestations usually occur when birds are kept in intensive conditions on dirty litter or in runs that have been used for many years.
Gizzard Worm or Amidostomum Anseris are thin worms about 2cm long that predominantly affect geese. Infestations occur directly by birds eating eggs passed out in droppings,
Many different tapeworm species affect poultry, although they are not often found, and thankfully, most of them are completely harmless.
Over the past few years, awareness of roundworms and gapeworms in backyard poultry has increased dramatically with owners either routinely worming with Flubenvet, or using
Blackhead is an ancient poultry disease caused by a tiny single-celled parasite called Histomonas meleagridis. It is usually carried by the harmless caecal worm ‘Heterakis
Information about treating internal parasites. The advice used to be to routinely worm birds, these days, with drug resistance, it is advisable to test for worms and only treat when necessary. If we are regularly testing, we can also take a holistic approach with products such as Verm-X and check our birds are worm-free!
This in-depth guide will tell you everything you need to know about worming chickens. Most of the general information also applies to other poultry.
Ducks can carry worms, just like other poultry. Worming ducks (or de-worming, as some people say) is not difficult using a suitable worming product, but whether you need to worm ducks is often a question that comes up.
If you don’t want to use a wormer indiscriminately or need reassurance that a herbal product is working, then a Worm Egg Count Kit could be the answer!
If you would like a good reference book on poultry health, these are the books I would recommend.
During the spring, poultry worms start to increase in numbers as the temperature holds above 10°C. It is a good idea to have a plan for springtime worming.
Coxoid is a medication that vets will sometimes suggest to control coccidiosis in chickens. It is a relatively common disease, and Coxoid has been used by vets ‘off label’ because it isn’t licensed for use in food-producing animals.
The backyard poultry market is growing rapidly but many novice poultry owners are unaware of simple preventative health routines that can significantly improve the health
Flubenvet 2.5% poultry wormer is a medicated feed supplement commonly used to worm chickens, turkeys and geese. It is not licensed for use with ducks
Prevention is always better than cure, so good husbandry, maintaining good biosecurity, and quarantining new birds you bring in to your flock should be your aim. Using the correct (dust free) bedding material and keeping your chickens healthy can also help.
Jeremy Hobson, the author of Success With Chickens, tries to uncover the truth behind some long-held chicken health myths and potions used as natural remedies.
I have been giving Apple Cider Vinegar to my chickens for many years, and combined with good husbandry, I have seen a positive difference in my flock’s health.
In this article, you will learn about the purposes of the two different types of poultry grit and how you can feed these together as
In European countries where they consume large amounts of garlic in their diets, they have a lower risk of cancer and are less likely to suffer from heart disease, but what about garlic for chickens?
How good is Verm-X for chickens? Verm-X comes in a liquid or pelleted formulation and I tried it out over 6 months, but how can you be sure it’s working?
Water is so important for the correct digestion and the overall health of chickens and other poultry so really shouldn’t be over-looked. Water is THE
Feathers, beak, skin, scales, spurs, eyes, comb, nails, legs and wings. Problems such as lameness, feather loss, external parasite infestation, frostbite, blindness, cuts and wounds.
Respiratory problems including Avian Influenza, Aspergillosis, Gapeworm, Infectious Bronchitis and Mycoplasma.
Typical digestive system problems include internal parasites, loss of appetite, swollen crop, bad or sweet-smelling breath, diarrhoea, or messy bottoms.
Reproductive system problems include egg-laying problems (but not egg problems) in chickens and other poultry.
Common quality problems with eggs, such as soft or missing eggshells, wrinkled or misshaped eggs, watery whites, double yolks or blood spots.
Skeletal, muscular and nervous system problems.
Diseases such as Marek’s or Toxoplasmosis.
Diseases and disorders relating to major organs or the cardiovascular system include acute heart failure and Avian Leukosis.
Every effort has been made to provide accurate information about poultry diseases and illnesses, and it is provided in good faith; however, content on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for veterinary advice. Reliance on any information provided on this website is solely at your own risk.