diff --git a/chainreg/chainregistry.go b/chainreg/chainregistry.go
index 71e9c04a6c4..30a9082790c 100644
--- a/chainreg/chainregistry.go
+++ b/chainreg/chainregistry.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package chainreg
 
 import (
 	"encoding/hex"
-	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
@@ -452,52 +451,43 @@ func NewPartialChainControl(cfg *Config) (*PartialChainControl, func(), error) {
 				return nil, nil, err
 			}
 
-			// Fetch all active zmq notifications from the bitcoind client.
-			resp, err := chainConn.RawRequest("getzmqnotifications", nil)
+			// Fetch all active ZMQ notifications from bitcoind.
+			zmq, err := chainConn.GetZmqNotifications()
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, nil, err
 			}
 
-			zmq := []struct {
-				Type    string `json:"type"`
-				Address string `json:"address"`
-			}{}
-
-			if err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(resp), &zmq); err != nil {
-				return nil, nil, err
-			}
-
 			pubRawBlockActive := false
 			pubRawTxActive := false
 
 			for i := range zmq {
 				if zmq[i].Type == "pubrawblock" {
-					url, err := url.Parse(zmq[i].Address)
-					if err != nil {
-						return nil, nil, err
-					}
-					if url.Port() != zmqPubRawBlockURL.Port() {
-						log.Warnf(
-							"unable to subscribe to zmq block events on "+
-								"%s (bitcoind is running on %s)",
+					if zmq[i].Address.Port() !=
+						zmqPubRawBlockURL.Port() {
+
+						log.Warnf("zmq block port "+
+							"mismatch: lnd is "+
+							"using %s but "+
+							"bitcoind reports %s "+
+							"- ensure the port "+
+							"is correct",
 							zmqPubRawBlockURL.Host,
-							url.Host,
-						)
+							zmq[i].Address.Host)
 					}
 					pubRawBlockActive = true
 				}
 				if zmq[i].Type == "pubrawtx" {
-					url, err := url.Parse(zmq[i].Address)
-					if err != nil {
-						return nil, nil, err
-					}
-					if url.Port() != zmqPubRawTxURL.Port() {
-						log.Warnf(
-							"unable to subscribe to zmq tx events on "+
-								"%s (bitcoind is running on %s)",
+					if zmq[i].Address.Port() !=
+						zmqPubRawTxURL.Port() {
+
+						log.Warnf("zmq tx port "+
+							"mismatch: lnd is "+
+							"using %s but "+
+							"bitcoind reports %s "+
+							"- ensure the port "+
+							"is correct",
 							zmqPubRawTxURL.Host,
-							url.Host,
-						)
+							zmq[i].Address.Host)
 					}
 					pubRawTxActive = true
 				}
@@ -535,7 +525,7 @@ func NewPartialChainControl(cfg *Config) (*PartialChainControl, func(), error) {
 			// Make sure the bitcoind chain backend maintains a
 			// healthy connection to the network by checking the
 			// number of outbound peers.
-			return checkOutboundPeers(chainConn)
+			return checkOutboundPeersBitcoind(chainConn)
 		}
 
 	case "btcd":
@@ -802,19 +792,11 @@ func NewChainControl(walletConfig lnwallet.Config,
 // getblockchaininfo.
 func getBitcoindHealthCheckCmd(client *rpcclient.Client) (string, int64, error) {
 	// Query bitcoind to get our current version.
-	resp, err := client.RawRequest("getnetworkinfo", nil)
+	info, err := client.GetNetworkInfo()
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", 0, err
 	}
 
-	// Parse the response to retrieve bitcoind's version.
-	info := struct {
-		Version int64 `json:"version"`
-	}{}
-	if err := json.Unmarshal(resp, &info); err != nil {
-		return "", 0, err
-	}
-
 	// Bitcoind returns a single value representing the semantic version:
 	// 1000000 * CLIENT_VERSION_MAJOR + 10000 * CLIENT_VERSION_MINOR
 	// + 100 * CLIENT_VERSION_REVISION + 1 * CLIENT_VERSION_BUILD
@@ -822,10 +804,10 @@ func getBitcoindHealthCheckCmd(client *rpcclient.Client) (string, int64, error)
 	// The uptime call was added in version 0.15.0, so we return it for
 	// any version value >= 150000, as per the above calculation.
 	if info.Version >= 150000 {
-		return "uptime", info.Version, nil
+		return "uptime", int64(info.Version), nil
 	}
 
-	return "getblockchaininfo", info.Version, nil
+	return "getblockchaininfo", int64(info.Version), nil
 }
 
 var (
@@ -909,6 +891,24 @@ var (
 	}
 )
 
+// checkOutboundPeersBitcoind checks the number of outbound peers connected to
+// a bitcoind backend. If the number of outbound peers is below 6, a warning is
+// logged. This function is intended to ensure that the chain backend maintains
+// a healthy connection to the network.
+//
+// This helper is bitcoind-specific because btcd does not currently implement
+// getnetworkinfo.
+func checkOutboundPeersBitcoind(client *rpcclient.Client) error {
+	info, err := client.GetNetworkInfo()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	logOutboundPeerCount(int(info.ConnectionsOut))
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 // checkOutboundPeers checks the number of outbound peers connected to the
 // provided RPC client. If the number of outbound peers is below 6, a warning
 // is logged. This function is intended to ensure that the chain backend
@@ -926,6 +926,14 @@ func checkOutboundPeers(client *rpcclient.Client) error {
 		}
 	}
 
+	logOutboundPeerCount(outboundPeers)
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// logOutboundPeerCount logs a warning when the number of outbound peers is
+// below the minimum threshold.
+func logOutboundPeerCount(outboundPeers int) {
 	if outboundPeers < DefaultMinOutboundPeers {
 		log.Warnf("The chain backend has an insufficient number "+
 			"of connected outbound peers (%d connected, expected "+
@@ -933,6 +941,4 @@ func checkOutboundPeers(client *rpcclient.Client) error {
 			"Connect to more trusted nodes manually if necessary.",
 			outboundPeers, DefaultMinOutboundPeers)
 	}
-
-	return nil
 }
diff --git a/docs/release-notes/release-notes-0.21.0.md b/docs/release-notes/release-notes-0.21.0.md
index e59f4b61f03..30ba89f21c1 100644
--- a/docs/release-notes/release-notes-0.21.0.md
+++ b/docs/release-notes/release-notes-0.21.0.md
@@ -70,6 +70,11 @@
   the chain watch filter on restart. This was a pre-existing bug since
   private taproot channels were first introduced.
 
+* Bitcoind outbound peer health checks [now use](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/10686)
+  `getnetworkinfo.connections_out` instead of `getpeerinfo`. The same PR also
+  [clarifies](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/issues/10568) the ZMQ
+  port-mismatch warnings so they no longer suggest that the connection failed.
+
 # New Features
 
 - [Basic Support](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9868) for onion