Work through each hen in the same order every week, handling her calmly and briefly, ideally as the flock settles in the evening when hens are easier to catch and crops are full. Feathers hide a great deal, so this check is done by hand and by feel as much as by eye. A hen that is checked weekly in a familiar routine stays calmer, and you learn each bird's normal weight, comb, and behaviour, which is what makes a change stand out.
Head, Comb, and Breathing First
Start with the head. Eyes should be bright, round, and clear, with no bubbles, swelling, or discharge, and nostrils should be clean and dry. The comb and wattles should carry their usual colour and texture for that hen: a laying hen typically has a fuller, brighter comb, while a pale, shrunken, purple-tipped, or scabbed comb deserves a note and a closer look. Listen to breathing at rest for rattling, wheezing, or sneezing fits, and watch for a hen that breathes with an open beak while the rest of the flock breathes easily. Note any hen that keeps one eye closed or shakes her head repeatedly.
Crop, Keel, and Body Condition by Feel
Feel the crop, the pouch at the base of the neck, in the evening: it should feel full after a day of eating, and by morning, before feeding, it should feel empty and flat. A crop that stays full and doughy or sour-smelling in the morning, or one that feels hard and impacted, needs attention and veterinary advice if it persists. Run your fingers along the keel, the breastbone between the feathers, and judge the muscle on either side: a keel that sticks out sharply with little muscle beside it signals weight loss that feathers were hiding. Compare each hen with her own feel from previous weeks, not only with her flock mates.
Vent, Feathers, Legs, and Feet
Lift the tail and check the vent: it should look clean and, in a laying hen, moist and supple rather than dry, prolapsed, encrusted, or smeared with droppings. Part the feathers around the vent and under the wings to look for lice and clusters of eggs at the feather bases, and check the skin for redness or scabs. Look at droppings under the perch for worms, blood, or a run of watery stools from one bird. Examine legs and feet for raised, crusty scales, cuts, swelling on the sole that can point to a foot infection a vet should assess, and overgrown or broken nails. Watch each hen walk a few steps, because a limp can be invisible while she stands still.
Laying Records and Flock Patterns
A hen that stops laying is not automatically ill, since age, season, moult, and broodiness all pause laying, but a pause paired with weight loss, a swollen abdomen, standing hunched with a penguin-like posture, or repeated straining deserves prompt veterinary advice. Track which hens lay where you can, using leg bands or known nesting habits, and note soft, thin, or misshapen shells, which can reflect age, diet, or illness that a vet can help sort. Look at the flock pattern too: several hens changing together points toward feed, water, heat, or something shared, while one hen declining alone points toward that individual bird.
Acting on What Your Hands Find
Separate a hen that is being pecked at, cannot reach feed, or looks dull and hunched, and give her easy access to feed and water while you arrange advice. Weigh a hen you are worried about on kitchen scales and repeat that weight weekly, because a number settles arguments that memory cannot. Take clear photographs of combs, feet, or droppings to show a poultry-aware vet. Keeping each hen's weekly crop, keel, vent, and laying notes in KinsLe's Pet Passport gives that vet a dated flock record instead of a guess about when things changed.