My Chicken's Emergency Health & Natural Remedy Quick Resource Guide

I had my first chickens as a kid in 1972; they were Leghorns - A rooster named Ernie and 2 hens, Ethel and Lucy. While that seems like a lifetime ago, I still remember mixing their feed from grains we grew or bought at the mill, and my grandmother giving me advice on their feeding and care. My coop was nothing more than a wooden box with a hinge, a door and a wood branch for a perch. We used straw for bedding.

The care and feeding of poultry even in in the 1970's was quite different than it is today.  Today's poultry enjoys better care, more balanced diets, better housing, even more choices for healthier bedding. We have many more ready made options for treating sick hens, a better understanding of their dietary needs, medical issues and treatments.

Today you can find all kinds of pre-made treatments for poultry and fowl at places like farm stores, grain mills, online and at local pet shops. Some recommendations I found curious. One such recommendation I read online for treating bumblefoot, the recommended product, I used on my horses for wound care. The label clearly states the product is "not for use on horses intended as food" so why would that product be recommended for chickens? Why would I want to put it on my hens? Afterall, I eat the eggs they produce. Like just about anything anymore, I prefer to use as many "natural" or "homeopathic" products whenever possible. This is especially true for animals that provide food for my family.

I spent hours reading labels of recommended products for different ailments and emergencies, looking up ingredients, possible side effects, and origins of products, after a while, everything just becomes jumbled - for me anyway.  I decided that I needed to have a quick resource guide with some kind of clear direction for emergencies and/or sick hens. The last thing I want to do is scan books and websites to look for the information when there is an emergency to deal with. Talk about added stress!

After doing a lot of research, I narrowed the guide to include emergencies, illnesses and diseases I felt were the most common or likely to happen when raising chickens for the quick reference emergency health guide. I typed it up, printed it off and laminated it to keep in my emergency first aid coop kit.  I am sure as time goes by, changes and corrections will be made to it but I think it's a good start.

I will be posting my Emergency First Aid Coop Kit I put together to help with any emergency situation or illness that could arise with the chickens.

I'd be happy to share this with you but I cannot figure out how I can add a PDF file for you to be able to print it off.  You'll need to send me an email at backtobasicsgal@gmail.com if you'd like a copy until I can figure it out - Please bare with me!  Please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

As always, thank you for all of your support and for stopping by!  God Bless.