How to treat a chicken for different ailments

Anyone who has chickens will know that something is ‘always‘ wrong with at least one of them. I will cover five different problems that chickens can have and what to do about it. But before we start, you should know I am not a vet. I am only sharing how I’ve cared for my animals in the past.

1. Eggbound – this is a very common problem, but also very serious. The name is pretty much self-explanatory. Several of my hens have gone through this. Sometimes, it’s better to leave them alone but if something is very wrong, then it can be deadly. Never try to squeeze the egg out or else you might break the egg inside of her which can lead to a more serious problem. Don’t move fast around her or handle her a lot, this could make her more stressed out. What we have done in the past is removed her from the stressful coop. Try to keep her very calm. If you have a small dog or cat crate, lay down some hay or woodchips, lay a blanket or towel over the top, and set her inside in a dark and quiet barn or shed. Let her stay there overnight. If she isn’t any better in the morning and still looks very much in pain, then you can fill a small bucket with warm water and Epsom salt and set her in. (I know this sounds crazy but it works) This should relax her. Offer her apple cider vinegar mixed with water. If she isn’t better by now, you can try dripping an eyedropper full of warm olive oil into her vent. Do this very gently and try not to scare her. If none of these methods work within 2-5 hours, there may be something more seriously wrong with her.
2. Bumblefoot– yes, bumblefoot is a thing. Bumblefoot is when your chicken’s feet get cut somehow and dirt or manure gets into the cut. If the bottom of their feet looks like black or red sores, you know it’s bumblefoot. If you notice any of your chickens are limping, you might want to catch them and take a look. This has happened to a number of our chickens. The first thing we did was take the chicken inside and prepare a bin of Epsom salt warm water. Try to keep your chicken calm while she sits in the water, hopefully, she will eventually relax. Let her feet soak for about twenty minutes. Take her out and dry off her feet with an old rag. Then wrap her infected feet with disposable vet wrap, tight, but not too tight. If her feet are extremely infected, you may need to purchase a wound spray for her feet. Keep an eye on her feet and rewrap if needed.
3. Sinus infection– If you notice one of your chickens is breathing heavy, sneezing, coughing, or has a running, drippy nose, they may have a sinus infection. What we did was try to keep the chicken calm and we put it in a dog crate in our laundry room. We bought VetRx for the chicken which cured her and then put her back out there with the other chickens, keeping a close eye on her day to day.
4. Pasty butt– Yes, yes, I know this one sounds gross, and it is. Pasty butt happens when manure gets caught in the feathers near a chicken’s vent. I treat my chickens for this at least once or twice a year. It can be very bad- even deadly. The way I’ve always rid my chickens of it is not as easy as it sounds. First, gather your supplies: Disposable gloves (optional), a rag, a bucket of warm soapy water, scissers. Be sure to wear old clothes, cause this gets messy. If you make sure the water is warm, it makes it a whole lot easier. Get one of your chickens and set it on your knee. Make sure the bucket is right in front of you. Put on your gloves, and first try to gently pull out any of the dried manure near its vent. After you’ve gotten as much out as you can with your hands, dip the rag in the warm water and try to get as much manure out of the chicken’s feathers as possible. Warning: You will get very wet. If some of the manure is super dried and you are unable to get it out, you can cut it out with scissors. But be sure not to cut the chicken’s skin.
5. Injuries from predators- We have only had two chickens survive being attacked by predators. One of which was hardly injured at all. The other, who is often referred to as The Purple Hen, was severely injured from the animals that she was attacked by. The best way to treat injuries, depending on where they are, is to flush them out with warm salt water and a syringe, wrap the injuries, and use medicine. The medicine I recommend is called Blu-Kote. Warning: This treatment may result in a purple chicken. See my post, “The Purple hen” on the home page, for more information on injured chickens.

There you have it! Five illnesses chickens can get and how to treat them! I hope you enjoyed it! If you have any questions, comment below.