Chickens Get Stressed Out, Too

Stress is normal in every chicken’s life. Most chickens are able to adapt, even to times of peak stress. Natural times of peak stress include hatching out of an egg, arriving at sexual maturity, and molting. Weather and other environmental factors exert external stresses, as do routine management procedures. Some factors cause chickens to get more stressed out than others.

Chickens, like humans and all other living creatures, have a limited energy reserve with which to cope with day-to-day life. And, like all creatures, they have just enough left-over energy with which to adjust to minor unusual events or adapt to small changes.

Excess stress happens when events or changes become too intense or too numerous. The chicken rapidly uses up its energy reserve, leaving too little to fulfill normal daily needs. As a result, a hen may stop laying, or any chicken may become more susceptible to disease. Here are 35 of the most common stressors in a typical chicken’s life, and their degree of severity.

Mild Stressors

• Brief delay in watering or feeding newly hatched chicks.
• Nutritional deficiency in chicks because of inadequate breeder flock rations.
• The brooder or coop floor is cold and damp.
• Handling chicks or chickens roughly.
• Low-grade infection in chicks or chickens.
• Spoiled or moldy rations.
• Unusual or sudden loud noises.
• Unusual or sudden movements.
• Hens are of an extremely high egg-producing breed.

Moderate Stressors

• Chicks are slightly chilled or overheated during their first weeks of life.
• Chicks experience extremely rapid growth.
• Transporting chickens to a new location.
• Moving chickens to different housing.
• Chickens get chilled or overheated during a move.
• Extreme or sudden changes in the weather or temperature.
• Litter, drinkers, or feeders are unsanitary.
• Infestation with internal or external parasites.
• Brooder or coop ventilation is inadequate.
• Brooder or coop conditions are drafty.
• Vaccination of any kind.
• Increased competition between sexes or individuals.
• Disruption to the pecking order.

Moderate to Serious Stressors

• Medication — severity depends on the type of drug used.
• Injury — severity depends on the degree of injury.
• Exhibition — severity depends on travel and show conditions.

Serious Stressors

• Overcrowding in the brooder or coop.
• Extremely hot conditions in the brooder or coop.
• Nutritionally imbalanced rations.

Severe Stressors

• Combining chickens from various sources.
• Piling by frightened or cold birds.
• Too few feeders or drinkers.
• Birds go for lengthy periods without water.
• Birds go for lengthy periods without feed.
• Prolonged periods of excessive heat or excessive cold.
• Onset of any disease.

Stress Reduction

Stress management involves, first, recognizing situations when chickens are likely to get stressed out. And, second, minimizing those stress situations as much as possible.

A key stress-reduction measure is gentle handling. Treating chickens gently makes them calmer and easier to handle. They also experience less stress during any procedure requiring handling. Further, gently handled chickens are more resistant to infections than chickens that are treated roughly or are basically ignored.

Another stress-reduction measure is to avoid handling birds at critical times. Such critical times include when pullets are just starting to lay, when a flock has recently been moved or vaccinated, or when the weather is extremely hot or cold.

Conditioning is another stress-reduction technique. When making any type of change, do it gradually. That way each step will be relatively minor. As an example, when chicks in a brooder outgrow their feeder and drinker, leave the smaller ones in place until most of the chicks are using the new larger ones.

By being aware of potential stress situations, and by mitigating those situations as much as possible, you will increase the ability of your chickens to cope. In doing so, you will decrease the impact of situations that might otherwise cause your chickens to get stressed out.