Most losses in country chickens can be prevented: look at your birds every day, vaccinate on time, keep the night shelter clean and dry, keep new or sick birds apart, and report sudden deaths at once. This page covers prevention and warning signs only. For a sick bird, call your vet or the toll-free animal helpline 1962.
Check your birds every day
Count your birds when you let them out in the morning and when you shut them in at night, and watch them at feeding time. A healthy bird:
- is alert, eats and drinks eagerly and keeps up with the flock;
- has bright eyes, clean nostrils and smooth feathers;
- passes firm droppings;
- walks without limping.
TANUVAS advises looking over the flock every day, removing droppings where the birds roost, and washing feeders and drinkers daily (TANUVAS, TANUVAS, TANUVAS). Tend young chicks first and older birds after, so that you don't carry disease to the chicks (TANUVAS). Write down eggs, feed and any deaths each day, with any change you notice (TANUVAS).
Warning signs
Call the vet the same day if you see any of these (TANUVAS, TANUVAS, Bird flu plan):
- birds sitting hunched with eyes closed and wings drooping, not eating or drinking;
- white, watery droppings, dragging legs or a twisted neck: signs of Ranikhet, which spreads from house to house across a village;
- blisters on the head, comb and eyelids: fowl pox, which kills chicks most;
- bloody droppings in chicks of 4–8 weeks: coccidiosis, which grows in wet litter;
- diarrhoea, thin birds and slow growth: worms;
- itching and falling feathers: lice;
- swelling around the eyes, head or neck, a runny nose, a comb, wattles or legs that change colour, or a sudden drop in eggs: possible bird flu (see below).
Move a sick bird away from the flock at once, with its own feed and water. TANUVAS warns that vaccination is the only protection against Ranikhet (TANUVAS).
Vaccination calendar
This is ICAR-DPR's schedule for backyard birds, the same as on our country chicken page (ICAR-DPR). Vaccinate as your vet advises:
| Disease | Age |
|---|---|
| Marek's disease | Day 1 |
| Ranikhet (Newcastle disease) | 5–7 days, 30 days and 9 weeks; then every 6 months |
| Gumboro (infectious bursal disease) | 14 days and 24 days |
| Fowl pox | 6 weeks; then every 6 months |
- Before summer and winter. Give the six-monthly Ranikhet and fowl pox vaccines before summer (February–March) and before winter (September–October) (ICAR-DPR).
- Healthy birds only. TANUVAS advises putting off vaccination while birds are sick (TANUVAS), and birds with heavy worm or coccidia loads are not protected even by a good vaccine (TNAU).
- The whole village together. ICAR-DPR advises vaccinating native birds along with improved birds (ICAR-DPR).
- Use the government service. Vaccine packs are made for 200–500 birds, so keepers of 20–50 birds rarely buy them (TANUVAS). Vaccinating at your veterinary dispensary or a camp is simpler.
Free vaccination days. Tamil Nadu's animal husbandry department runs a Pulse Ranikhet vaccination programme for backyard and commercial poultry (TN Animal Husbandry). Some districts hold a two-week Ranikhet camp in February: in Nagapattinam, the 2025 camp ran at all veterinary institutions from 1 to 14 February (Nagapattinam district). Some dispensaries vaccinate poultry every week; Salem lists Saturdays (Salem district). TANUVAS says the Ranikhet vaccine is free at government veterinary hospitals (TANUVAS): ask your dispensary whether it is free there, and when the next camp is. In Kerala, the state's own Ranikhet and fowl pox vaccines are free at government veterinary institutions (Kerala AHD).
Worms
- How birds get worms. Free-range birds pick up worm eggs from droppings on the ground, and from earthworms, snails, ants, beetles and flies (TANUVAS).
- How often. Deworm every 2–3 months, as your vet advises (ICAR-DPR). Official sources give different intervals, so follow your vet.
- Test the droppings. TANUVAS advises taking droppings to your veterinary dispensary, so that the vet can see which worms are present and choose what to give (TANUVAS).
- Keep worms down. Keep the shelter dry, and keep feeders, drinkers and the ground around them clean and dry (TANUVAS).
Lice and mites
- Signs. Itching, falling feathers, pale birds and fewer eggs; the lice can bother your family too (TANUVAS).
- Who suffers most. Young chicks and broody hens (TANUVAS).
- Clean their hiding places. Wooden and bamboo shelters give lice and mites a place to hide, so clean the night shelter regularly (ICAR-DPR).
- Ask the vet before you spray. Use any spray or powder only on your vet's advice, and keep farm chemicals out of feed and water (TANUVAS).
Keep disease out
- Keep other birds away. Keep your flock away from wild birds and your neighbours' birds, keep the yard clean, and bury or burn the waste (Bird flu plan).
- New birds apart for 30 days. See the first 30 days at home.
- Few visitors. Keep visitors away from the birds. Wash your hands, clothes and footwear before and after handling them, and clean any equipment you borrow from another farm (Bird flu plan).
- Ages apart. Don't keep chicks and older birds in the same house (TNAU).
- Clean feed, water and litter. Germs spread through dirty water and feed (TANUVAS), and coccidiosis grows in wet litter, so keep it dry (TANUVAS). See housing.
Sick and dead birds
- Separate sick birds at once, so that the disease does not spread (TANUVAS).
- Remove dead birds at once. Dead birds spread disease: burn them, or bury them in a deep pit (TNAU). The bird-flu plan's method is a deep pit covered with lime and at least 40 cm of soil, away from homes, wet ground, ponds and rivers (Bird flu plan).
- Never throw dead birds on the manure heap, in a field or a drain, or near a stream (TNAU, Bird flu plan).
Bird flu: report sudden deaths
If birds fall sick or die suddenly, or you find dead wild birds, report it at once, and within 24 hours at most, to the nearest veterinary hospital or government office, or call 1962 (Bird flu plan, PIB). In Tamil Nadu, the state's mobile veterinary service on 1962 is free (Dindigul district).
- Signs to watch for: swelling around the eyes, head and neck, a runny nose, a comb, wattles or legs that change colour, sudden weakness, drooping wings and a drop in eggs (Bird flu plan).
- Keep your birds in when bird flu is suspected near you: the plan says backyard birds should not scavenge in the open (Bird flu plan).
- Never hide birds from the officials: hidden birds found later are culled without compensation (Bird flu plan).
For the zones, culling and restocking rules, see Country chicken in South India: breeds, buying and care.
Common mistakes
- Waiting for an outbreak in the village before vaccinating.
- Vaccinating only the new birds and not the old country hens.
- Mixing new birds or chicks with the flock on the first day.
- Throwing dead birds on the manure heap or in a drain.
- Keeping no record of vaccination and deworming dates.
Frequently asked questions
At what age should chicks be vaccinated?
From the first day: Marek's disease on day 1, then Ranikhet from 5–7 days, Gumboro at 14 days and fowl pox at 6 weeks, as in ICAR-DPR's schedule above. Your vet may change it for your area.
Is Ranikhet vaccination free?
TANUVAS says the Ranikhet vaccine is free at government veterinary hospitals, and some Tamil Nadu districts hold a camp in February. Ask your dispensary whether it is free there, and when the next camp is. In Kerala, the government's vaccines are free.
What should I do if my chickens die suddenly?
Report it within 24 hours to the nearest veterinary hospital or government office, or call 1962. Burn the dead birds or bury them deep; never throw them in a drain or on open ground.
Next
A dry, clean shelter and good feed prevent many problems: read housing and feeding. For the first weeks of chicks, see brooding. Buying new birds? Check them before you pay: buying chicks.
