Backyard chickens with bubbly eyes, noisy breathing, poor body condition and a snick? In Episode 32, Dr. Blayne Mozisek hits the road to Bryan, Texas to visit Chris’ backyard flock and check on three sick hens. They discuss possible diagnoses including mycoplasma, infectious bronchitis, laryngotracheitis (LT), and Marek’s disease.

You’ll hear Dr. Mozisek explain how to feel a hen’s keel bone to check body condition and how to tell if she’s started laying by checking her pin bones. He explains where to look for external parasites such as northern fowl mites and depluming mites, and what “normal” molting and feather regrowth look like.

They also cover easy, practical ways for backyard chicken keepers to get answers, including drawing a small blood sample and sending it to a state veterinary diagnostic lab (like Texas A&M’s TVMDL) for Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) and Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) testing. 

If you’ve ever worried about random hen deaths, coughing or wheezing chickens, or mysterious feather loss, this visit will help you feel more confident caring for your backyard flock. Hit subscribe and stick around for more poultry health tips, field exams, and real conversations with chicken keepers just like you.