Most backyard poultry keepers rarely give such damage and disease in poultry much thought. Kidney malfunction in poultry may show very few signs until the sudden and final stages when it is often too late to remedy.

Joan had died of an affliction I’d never heard of before but is the most common cause of death in laying hens: fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome (FLHS) or, in plain terms, being severely overweight.

Diseases that can affect multiple species are called zoonotic diseases, such as chicken diseases that affect humans. The risk of these diseases is why the CDC has recently asked backyard poultry owners not to snuggle or kiss their chickens.

While it’s easy to jump headfirst into herbal remedies for your flock, there are some things we need to understand about essential oils and poultry before we start treating “all the things.”

For years, people told me that there was no natural way to prevent or treat chicken mites and lice, but as an herbalist, I knew this just wasn’t true. I’ve put together a tried-and-true natural treatment that I’ve been using for years.