Anyone who’s been keeping chickens for a while knows that chicken injuries and illnesses are pretty much inevitable. Sure, we can reduce their frequency and do our best to prevent them. However, there are so many factors beyond our control. Therefore, it’s vital to keep a chicken first aid kit on hand. Again, I’m not a veterinarian. However, since many vets won’t even see chickens, it’s important we treat certain issues ourselves. Again, I’m not a veterinarian and this shouldn’t be taken as medical advice. However, I hope it points you in the right direction. This post contains affiliate links which may lead to a commission if purchased. Thanks for your support! Today, I’m listing what I believe to be the most important chicken first aid kit essentials to have before disaster strikes. These items all apply to a broad, common scope of issues. These can help with common ailments such as…
- Pasty butt
- Some scrapes & lacerations
- Bleeding feathers, toenails, and beak
- Mites
- Dehydration
- Bumble foot
- Sour Crop
- …and more
Of course, specific chicken owners will encounter issues with more specific fixes, such as wry neck, splay foot, etc.. I’m not including fixes for those issues in my first aid kit, since they’re not especially imminent, and they require specific equipment. Today, I’m going over the most useful equipment for a wide variety of chicken issues, which will almost certainly come in handy sooner or later.
The good news is that you may have many of these chicken first aid kit essentials on-hand already! You can access the whole list right here on Amazon, to order the whole thing with ease. But I’ve also linked each individual item for you below, as well, if you just want to pick & choose, or fill the gaps regarding what you have already on-hand.
Here we go!
Small Disposable Bowls
These are great for soaking chicks with pasty butt. Trust me, you’ll want to just throw away whatever you use, instead of using your own dishes. For most young chicks, I find these to be the perfect size.
Kwik Stop Powder
Kwik Stop Powder is absolutely essential for stopping bleeding toenails, bleeding pin feathers, and even broken beaks. They will bleed and bleed seemingly forever, without it. Many chicken owners use this to stop the bleed if they accidentally trim nails or feathers too short, or for broken beak. I had to use it the first time I trimmed our cross beak chicken’s beak, and I’m so glad I had it. The bleeding did not stop without it. The use of this stuff on birds/beaks isn’t necessarily studied/recommended, so if that makes you anxious, you can use the next item as an alternative.
Cornstarch
I’ve never used cornstarch to stop bleeding before, but some people say it can have a similar effect as the styptic powder. Some people prefer this instead, since it’s food-grade. I can’t attest to its effectiveness, but I’d recommend doing some research, and keeping one or the other on-hand in case you need it, if the cornstarch doesn’t end up working all that well.
Sav-A-Chick
This electrolyte powder for chicks is especially useful for rehydrating them when you first bring them home. However, it’s also useful later on, if you end up with a sick chick. The electrolytes help keep them hydrated and fighting through whatever illness they may be battling too.
Nutri-Drench
If you have a sick or injured adult chicken, Nutri-Drench is a great addition to their diet. It adds valuable electrolytes, vitamins, minerals, and more, to give sick chickens the extra boost they need. Many chicken keepers swear by this stuff, and say that it can make a huge difference in even a day or less.
Oral Syringes
I had to use these when I treated chickens for sour crop administer garlic water. However, depending on what you’re treating, it can be used to administer all kinds of treatments. I found this size to be just right.
Prozap Poultry Dust
Prozap is great for preventing and controlling mites and lice in chicken flocks. (They get to almost every flock, sooner or later.) We get lots of messages about how to treat mites and lice, and this stuff is one great option. If you’re looking for a food-grade alternative, the next item is an option, too.
Diatomaceous Earth
Food-grade diatomaceous earth is another good option for preventing insect infestations in the chicken coop. While it can be used to treat, it works best as a preventative. Do make sure to read instructions and wear the proper PPE, as well as knowing the risks of using DE in the coop. It’s not harmless, so use discretion and do your research before using it.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Speaking of natural preventatives, ACV is probably one of the most popular chicken first aid kit essentials that many recommend. Like I’ve said before, we stopped using ACV when we had 2 cases of sour crop in a short period of time. However, we recently had our first bout with worms in the flock, so we may reintroduce it as a worm preventative. There are lots of health and first aid uses for ACV, so I definitely recommend keeping some on hand.
Pet Nail Clippers
It’s important to keep pet nail clippers on-hand for anyone who keeps a flock of chickens. Typically, free ranging chickens won’t need nails clipped, since they get to do lots of scratching on their own. However, chickens who are kept enclosed or in a run may need nails clipped — as well as beaks trimmed — since they can’t wear them down on their own.
Nail Grinder/Trimmer
We’ve also used this Dremel Nail Grinder and Trimmer to take care of our chickens — specifically our cross beak chicken named Reptar. Since she couldn’t trim her own beak by pecking, we had to do it for her. I was too nervous to use the nail clippers on her beak, so I used this nail grinder instead. It’s not necessarily recommended by the manufacturer (I don’t believe they’ve tested their product on chickens), so I can’t blatantly recommend doing the same. However, it worked well for our needs.
Disposable Gloves
Often overlooked, disposable gloves are an absolute necessity for any chicken first aid kit essentials. You don’t want to be treating a bloodied hen or an oozing infection and realize that you don’t have any protective barrier for yourself. Stock up on plenty of these, now.
Vetericyn Poultry Care Spray
Speaking of treating chicken wounds, Vetericyn Poultry Care Spray can be a great all-around treatment for chicken wounds. Whether the problem is pecking injuries, vent prolapse, bumblefoot, or other wounds, this stuff could be a good go-to. There are lots of warnings against using Neosporin on chicken forums because of the ingredients. This is an alternative.
Glass Food Storage Jars
Thanks to backyardchickens.com, there are many recipes for natural chicken ailment treatments that can be made from simple household ingredients. Like I mentioned before, I’ve used garlic water to treat sour crop on more than one occasion. I find it useful to have a set of dishes used only for these “chicken treatment recipes”, and these glass jars are perfect.
Petroleum Jelly
If you live somewhere that it gets below freezing (like we do), you’ll want some petroleum jelly on-hand to help protect chicken combs from frostbite. Like many of the items on this chicken first aid kit essentials list, it can also be used to treat other chicken injuries, as well.
Epsom Salt
Epsom salt is another one of those chicken first aid kit essentials that can be used for a plethora of chicken injuries. Specifically, this one is popular for treating a prolapsed vent. While you may have epsom salt in your house, I highly recommend keeping a few bags of chicken-only epsom salt in your chicken first aid kit essentials, to keep everything sanitary.
Scissors
Keep at least one pair of sharp scissors in your chicken first aid kit. While I used to use scissors to trim our chickens’ wings when we lived in a fenced-in backyard, you’re bound to find other uses for them here and there, too.
Disposable Puppy Pads
Chickens poop. Chickens especially poop when they’re afraid. If you’re treating a chicken for illness or injury, there’s a good chance there is going to be poop involved. (As well as potentially other bodily substances, as well.) It’s a good idea to put a few puppy pads down that you can throw away when you’re finished, to keep everything more sanitary.
Work Light
You’d be surprised how many emergency chicken treatments need to happen in the middle of the night. Whether it’s in the middle of night or not, having a nice bright work light to see what you’re treating is a major plus when it comes to chicken injuries.
Medicine Dropper
Another one of the chicken first aid kit essentials to keep on hand is a medicine dropper. These little birds sometimes need the tiniest of dosages. If you need to administer only a drop or two, you’ll be glad you had this in your poultry first aid kit.
Bath Towels
Have you ever tried to catch or hold a chicken who doesn’t want to be held? Yeah, those wings are powerful, aren’t they!? Unsurprisingly, chickens aren’t always the most eager to cooperate during first-aid treatment, and those wings are usually the first thing to fly. A nice soft towel can be really useful for wrapping around and calming chickens during treatment. It can keep their wings by their side, keep their legs from kicking, and even calm them down, as well. Again, in the spirit of keeping things sanitary, I recommend keeping at least one on-hand that is designated for chickens-only.
Gauze
Gauze is not only an important human first-aid item, but it can be useful for many life-threatening chicken emergencies, as well. It’s one of those things you don’t think you’ll need, until you really wish you had it.
Bandage Wrap
Finally, bandage wrap is useful for keeping treatments in place. Chickens like to move, and they don’t usually stop moving just because you need them to keep a treatment in place.
Additional Chicken First Aid Equipment
In addition to the items above specifically for a chicken first aid kit, I also recommend keeping the following on-hand for chicken illnesses and injuries.
Dog Crate
Dog crates aren’t only useful for dogs and broody hens. If you have a sick chicken, you’ll most likely want to isolate him/her from the rest of the flock to prevent bullying and spread of illness. Don’t wait until you have a sick chicken to order one. Keep a dog crate on hand so you have somewhere to put a chicken who needs to be isolated, right away. This one even has a divider, so it could hold two chickens separately, if need-be.
Small Feeder/Waterer
Since we’re talking about isolating sick/injured chickens, of course, you’ll want a separate feeder and waterer for your isolated chicken, too. Most people will already have these little feeders/waterers on-hand from their chick-raising days. So don’t throw them out! Keep these in case you need them for an isolated chicken.
So, there you have it! This is my list of chicken first aid kit essentials to keep on-hand, before you find you need them. You may need to order very specific equipment for specific injuries, ailments, and treatments. But the items in this list can be used for a wide variety of issues. So I hope you find them useful!
Of course, we always try to reward any human handling with Grubterra treats as well, to leave a positive impression with them.
Zed says
What a fantastic list! Thank you so much for compiling it. My first chicks arrive in about 2 weeks so I’m preparing and have MUCH to learn. I’ve raised dogs and whelped a couple of litters of puppies so I know how valuable it is to be organized for emergencies (and for healthy pets in general). I appreciate the time and care it took to put this together. You are my most-trusted chick-raising source!
Rodney Price says
Thank you! We have had our chicks less than a week and already I wish I had read this sooner!
Ann Helle says
Thank you! I am new to this and have been watching your channel every chance I can. I appreciate the time and effort you put into this for all of
us.