Quick Links

• The Basics
• Chick Care
• Feeding Your Birds
• Diseases
• Eggs
• Special Topics

Need poultry necropsy or testing services?

The California Animal Health and Food Safety laboratories provide necropsy and other testing services for poultry owners. Click here to view their necropsy submission guidelines or here to learn more about their other services.

The Basics

Here you can find introductory resources on husbandry, managing predators, and common issues you may encounter. 

• Backyard Chicken Behavior (UCD)

Beyond The Coop: Science-Backed Secrets For Healthy Backyard Chickens | SOP Ep. 116 – Dr. Maurice Pitesky, AKA “Dr. Cluck” (Speaking of Pets Podcast)

• Raising Flocks in Population-Dense Communities (Utah)
• Selecting Chickens (UCANR)
• Basics for Raising Backyard Chickens (Utah)
• Predator Management (eXtension)
• How to Protect Your Chickens from Predators  (CW-UCD)
• Processing Poultry Safely (CW-UCD)
• Backyard Poultry and Exposure to Toxic Chemicals (CW-UCD)

Chick Care 

Find information specifically for young birds and important topics like vaccination

• Poultry Vaccine Considerations (BYP-UCD)
• Proper Nutrition for Baby Chicks (BYP-UCD)

• Common Incubation Problems (UCANR)
• Egg Candling (UCANR)
• Hatching Chicks (UMaine)
• Handling Baby Poultry (Utah)
• Understanding Failure to Thrive in Baby Chicks (CW-UCD)
• Vaccinating Strategies for Chicks (CW-UCD)

Feeding Your Birds 

• FDA Veterinary Feed Directive (BYP-UCD)
• Modifying Your Eggs Based on Diet (BYP-UCD)
• Nutrition Do's & Don'ts (BYP-UCD)
• Feed Conversion (BYP-UCD)

• Feeding Small Flocks (Utah)
• Poultry Diets (ACES)
• Clean Water (CW-UCD)
• Dietary Calcium and Phosphorus in Laying Hens (CW-UCD)

Diseases

Basics 

• Common Avian Diseases
• Illness & Disease in Meat Birds (BYP-UCD)
• Biosecurity Resources
• Who to Contact
• Backyard Poultry Disease Prevention Basics (Root Simple)
• When is a Sneeze Just a Sneeze? (BYP-UCD)
• What Disease Could My Chicken Have? (BYP-UCD)

Avian Influenza

• Avian Influenza (BYP-UCD)
• Difference Between Low Path & High Path Avian Influenza (BYP-UCD)
• Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI): a biosecurity perspective for youth poultry producers

Newcastle Disease

• An Update on Virulent Newcastle Disease and Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza  (CW-UCD)
• Exotic Newcastle Disease (BYP-UCD)
• Virulent Newcastle Disease & the Current CA Outbreak (BYP-UCD)

Egg Associated

• How to Identify and Prevent Egg Bound Hens (CW-UCD)
• Prolapsed Vent, Vent Gleet & Egg Binding (BYP-UCD)

Fowl Pox

• Introduction to Fowl Pox (BYP-UCD)
• Fowl Pox (BYP-UCD)

Pests & Parasites

• Backyard Flock Pests (UCD)
• External Parasites (BYP-UCD)
• Internal Parasites/Worms (BYP-UCD)

Other Illnesses

• Salmonella (BYP-UCD)
• Coccidiosis (BYP-UCD)
• Marek's Disease (BYP-UCD)
• Mycoplasma (BYP-UCD)
• Coryza (bacteria) and Infectious Bronchitis (virus) (BYP-UCD)
• Heat Stress (BYP-UCD)

Eggs

• Washing and Refrigerating Eggs (BYP-UCD)
• Egg and Shell Abnormalities (BYP-UCD)
• Egg Abnormalities (BYP-UCD)
• Drug/Egg Withdrawal Times (BYP-UCD)
• Chemicals in the Environment & How They Affect Eggs (BYP-UCD)

• Egg Sanitation (UCANR)

Special Topics

Here are links on other topics like showing off your birds and designing a chicken coop

• Preparing Broilers for Show (Utah)
• Housing Backyard Chickens (Utah)
• Small Scale Poultry Housing (VA Tech)

• Coop Biosecurity (CDFA)

• Choosing the Right Bedding (BYP-UCD)

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