The natural chicken keeper’s first aid kit will look different than the average poultry first aid kit. These natural chicken keeping first aid kit supplies can prove to be in-valuable to the modern homesteader. Instead of synthetic anti-biotics, chemical treatments, and processed supplements, there will be natural anti-biotics, plant-based remedies, and products that you would probably normally expect to find in someone’s kitchen rather than a chicken first aid kit. Plus, they are more sustainable, can save you money, and may even be more effective! Here are some of the natural supplies I keep stocked in my poultry first aid kit.

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External Applications

These first aid products are items that I buy from my local Tractor Supply or off of Amazon. They are natural alternatives that I always have on hand for treating external parasites, cuts, wounds, and other external ailments that my chickens get.

Vetericyn

Vetericyn wound spray is a natural-based treatment for minor cuts, wounds, scraps, and abrasions. It helps prevent infection and speeds up the healing process. I have had a single bottle of Vetericyn in my poultry first aid kit for many years. It’s actually even expired but still seems to work just as effectively.

Use Vetericyn for:

• cuts and scraps
• wounds from pecking or fighting
• predator attack injuries

You can spray Vetericyn right on the wound and apply it several times a day. While it’s a good idea to try and avoid getting it in the bird’s eye, it is okay if some of the spray gets into the eyes.

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Saline Solution

Saline solution is basically a salt water solution that can be used for a variety of ailments. You can buy pre-made saline solutions, but a more natural option would be to just make your own. You can do so by dissolving some sea salt in some warm water.

Use saline solution for:

• eye irritants
• cleaning around wounds (not on wounds though because it will sting)
• preventing infections

VetRx for Poultry

VetRx is a handy natural remedy that I keep stocked in my poultry first aid kit. While I don’t use it near as much as I probably should, it still comes in handy for those times when nothing else is working. VetRx is mainly used for treating and preventing respiratory issues. It contains all natural ingredients and is safe for both external and internal use. VetRx can also help with eye worm and scaly leg mites.

Use VetRx for:

• respiratory ailments
• coughing, gurgling, sneezing, wheezing
• signs of congestion
• rub on legs to help with scaly leg mites

Poultry Aid

Poultry Aid is another all natural product that I like to buy and have on hand. It is an all-natural wound treatment. While generally Vetericyn is my go-to wound treatment, occasionally I’ll use Poultry Aid as well. So for your first aid kit, I would say definitely have Vetericyn put Poultry Aid is optional.

Use Poultry Aid for:

• cuts and scraps
• open wounds
• abrasions

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Poultry Protector

Poultry Protector is an all-natural external parasite preventative. I have tried using it to treat northern fowl mites, and it doesn’t work. However, I still use it on a monthly basis as a preventative. When I do my monthly health check on my flock, I give them each a spray of poultry protector to help prevent any external parasites.

Use Poultry Protector for:

• preventing external parasites such as northern fowl mites, red mites, and lice
• warding off fleas, ticks, and flies

Elector PSP

Elector PSP has been a money-saver in my natural poultry first aid kit! Of all the supplies I list in this post, Elector PSP is probably the least natural, but it’s effectiveness and time-saving abilities are priceless. The main ingredient in Elector PSP is naturally derived, however, it is still an insecticide. Having a bottle of Elector PSP in my first aid kit is essential for dealing with external parasites. One application and they are gone!

Use Elector PSP for:

• treating northern fowl mites
• treating lice
• spraying on both the birds and their coop/enclosure

Garlic Juice

Garlic juice may sound like an interesting item to have on hand, but it is useful for preventing external parasites. I make up a diluted garlic juice solution to use as a preventative for external parasites. Under persistent usage, garlic juice spray can also be used to treat mild outbreaks of external parasites. I alternate my external parasite preventative applications between garlic juice spray and Poultry Protector.

Use garlic juice spray for:

• preventing external parasites
• treating very mild cases of external parasites

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Home Remedies

Home remedies are items that I always have on hand to use for my chickens. They may not be found right in my poultry aid kit because quite often they are kitchen items that I use for myself on a regular basis. These home remedies can be extremely useful for preventing disease or treating ailments in the homestead flock!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is a good home remedy to have on hand for aiding with digestion and helping maintain proper pH levels in a chicken’s body. When using apple cider vinegar with your chickens, remember that it also needs to be accompanied by an alkaline buffering supplement such as leafy greens or calcium supplements.

Use apple cider vinegar for:

• times when your flock’s diet is high in protein and grains
• encouraging a chicken to drink more
• sooth respiratory issues
• times of high stress to help maintain proper pH levels

Electrolytes

Chicken’s don’t sweat, so they don’t need electrolytes for the same reasons that we do. Electrolytes benefit chickens by helping them retain water and preventing dehydration. They also help balance the pH levels in a chicken’s body which can be helpful during the summer when excessive panting can lead to an imbalance in pH levels.

Use electrolytes for:

• when you see signs of heat stress
• ailing birds who aren’t drinking much
• give to birds who have excessive diarrhea

Colloidal Silver

Colloidal silver may seem like an interesting item to have in the poultry first aid kit, but it is actually very helpful for dealing with infections of the eye, skin, and respiratory tract. It can be used topically for wounds, dropped into the eyes to help with eye infections, or ingested to aid with respiratory issues. Since colloidal silver works as an anti-biotic, it would be a good idea to follow any treatments of silver with a probiotic to help restore good gut bacteria.

Use colloidal silver for:

• eye infections
• infected wounds
• respiratory issues

Colloidal silver can be administered twice a day for a maximum of 10 days.

Biochar

You may be thinking, what is biochar? Biochar is similar to charcoal, but is not the same. It is obtained by burning organic material with the absence of air. The main benefit of having biochar in your poultry first aid kit is to help de-toxify a chicken’s body and flush out bad toxins. This can be beneficial if your flock has accidentally eaten spoiled feed or for chickens who eat non-organic feed. Biochar works as a binder, that is why it can help remove toxins as well as it can aid with diarrhea.

Use biochar for:

• occasional de-toxification
• flushing out potentially toxic material that has been consumed
• dealing with excessive diarrhea

Epsom Salts

Epsom salts are a super valuable home remedy to have in the poultry first aid kit! It is useful for soaking bumblefoot cases in and can treat any sprains, swellings, or mysterious limping. Whenever one of my birds has a foot or leg injury, they get Epsom salt foot soaks!

Epsom salts can also be used as a laxative flush, meaning it can help treat poisoning, botulism, and other intestinal irritants. Laxative flushes will cause severe diarrhea, so make sure the chicken doesn’t suffer from dehydration afterwards.

Use Epsom salts for:

• treating birds with a mysterious limp
• swellings, lumps, and bruises
• bumblefoot
• scaly leg mites
• any foot or leg injury
• flush out toxins or other intestinal irritants

Blackstrap Molasses

Blackstrap molasses can be another tool in your first aid kit that can aid with flushing out toxins and cleansing the intestinal tract. Since cleansing does cause diarrhea, you will want to be cautious about the side-affects that excessive cleansing can cause. That being said, molasses is helpful for treating intestinal issues as well as helping with accidental poisoning.

It can be used to help flush out toxins as well as dead internal parasites or protozoa.

Use blackstrap molasses for:

• flushing out toxins or accidental poisoning
• following a worming regime to flush out dead worms

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Coconut Oil & Beeswax Cream

Having a mostly beeswax-based cream is essential for a northern chicken keeper’s first aid kit. It can help prevent frostbite on combs and wattles and is a great remedy for rough or dry skin. You can purchase a beeswax-coconut oil cream or you can make your own. The emphasis on beeswax is important because too much coconut oil can actually trap moisture next to the skin, enhancing the affects of frostbite. However, having a little bit of coconut oil in the cream will help it stay soft and spreadable.

A coconut oil-beeswax cream can also be used to smother scaly leg mites. The thick cream will kill the parasites and at the same time moisturize the scales and help the legs heal after being damaged by scaly leg mites.

Use a coconut oil-beeswax cream for:

• preventing frostbite
• treating dried/rough skin on combs, wattles, or healed wounds
• skin moisturizer
• scaly leg mites

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Tapioca Flour/Cornstarch

Having some sort of starch on hand is helpful for stopping excessive bleeding. While the most effective way to stop bleeding is to apply pressure, excessive bleeding may need to be stopped quickly using a little starch. The tapioca flour or cornstarch acts as a thickener in the blood and helps it clot. Repeated excessive bleeding may indicate a vitamin K deficiency.

Use tapioca flour or cornstarch for:

• stopping excessive bleeding

Honey

Who could not love having this sweet, sugary medicine in your first aid kit? Honey is a natural anti-septic that also has a multitude of other nutrients. Whenever a bird is starting to show symptoms of feeling ill, I give them a little bit of honey. The sugar stimulates the digestion and provides some instant energy. Plus, all the nutrients and healing properties in honey can start working even if I don’t know what is ailing the chicken.

Use honey for:

• soothing respiratory issues
• giving a nutrient boost to an ailing hen
• helps with diarrhea

Olive Oil

Olive oil is helpful for treating crop issues. It can help with both impacted crop and sour crop by stimulating the break-down of crop contents. If you suspect a crop issue with one of your chickens, encourage them to drink some olive oil mixed with water.

Olive oil can also be used externally to help an egg bound hen. You can rub it around the vent to help the egg be released.

Use olive oil for:

• impacted crop
• sour crop
• help with egg binding

Yogurt

Chickens are not designed to digest dairy products, however, having some yogurt on hand in the poultry first aid kit can be helpful. The lactic acid that is contained in yogurt is hard for chickens to digest, which means it is useful for flushing out intestinal parasites and causing diarrhea. Make sure you only offer plain yogurt to your chickens since they don’t need the sugars in the flavored yogurts.

Use yogurt for:

• flushing out dead intestinal parasites
• stimulating the appetite

Elderberry Syrup

The benefits of elderberry syrup are amazing for both us and our chickens! I highly recommend you make your own elderberry syrup so that you can keep the ingredients simple and healthy for both you and your birds. Elderberry syrup made with honey and cinnamon will be the most beneficial.

Elderberry syrup is helpful for respiratory issues and boosting the immune system.

Use elderberry syrup for:

• respiratory issues
• coughing, gurgling, sneezing
• during extreme weather changes
• to help combat cold stress
• during any periods of high stress

Essential Oils

Essential oils and chickens has not been well researched. I much prefer using herbs instead of essential oils since they are safer for such small patients, however, sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures.

Certain essential oils can be used to help with external parasites as well as deal with internal issues like coccidiosis and e. coli. Here are a few essential oils that you can keep on hand for your chickens:

• peppermint and tea tree- ward off external parasites
• frankincense- heal wounds
• oregano- fight coccidiosis and e. coli
• lavender- relaxes an egg bound hen

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Supplements

Supplements are consumable items that I keep in the poultry first aid kit that will help promote good health and healing. Many of the home remedies I mentioned above could be considered supplements, but I think of them more as remedies that can be used as needed, not necessarily supplements.

Probiotics

Probiotics are a great health booster that can be used year-round. They can be used for treating ailing birds as well as preventing ailments from occurring. Probiotics are live active cultures that help maintain a healthy balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut. Good gut bacteria means a healthy immune system and the ability to ward off bad gut bacteria which causes disease.

You can buy probiotics to put in food or water and you can also offer your flock foods that naturally contain probiotics, such as root crops and fermented foods.

Use probiotics for:

• during times of stress
• for any bird who appears to be ailing
• after any anti-biotic usage
• when a chicken’s diet is off or imbalanced
• restoring good health after an intestinal disease or ailment

Prebiotics

Prebiotics are different than probiotics. They are inert fiber that cannot be digested by chickens. However, this means that they stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut as well as bind to bad bacteria and remove it. Just like with probiotics, prebiotics help the immune system stay strong and make the intestinal tract an un-inviting place for bad bacteria.

Use prebiotics for:

• during times of high stress
• to help relieve diarrhea
• to aid digestion
• promote nutrient absorption of foods
• restore good gut bacteria after anti-biotics or an intestinal disease

Vitamin Blend

A vitamin blend can be helpful when you are dealing with a sick hen. A healthy chicken should not need additional vitamins unless their diet is in-sufficient or unbalanced. Sick chickens benefit from additional vitamins though because some disease affect the ability for the body to absorb fat-soluble vitamins.

Vitamin blends can be bought specifically for poultry, but you can also feed vitamin rich foods like leafy greens and vegetables.

Use a vitamin blend for:

• sick and ailing chickens
• to treat symptoms of a vitamin deficiency

Garlic

If there is one natural supplement you should have in your poultry first aid kit it should be garlic! I won’t go into all the benefits that garlic provides for chickens because I already did that in this post on Garlic 101. Let’s just say that it can treat just about any ailment or disease though! Fresh garlic would be the best to have on hand, but garlic powder or frozen garlic would do in a pinch.

Use garlic for:

• promoting overall good health
• preventing and treating internal parasites
• boosting the immune system
• fighting off bad bacteria, protozoa, and other disease causing microbes
• respiratory relief

Whole Oats

Whole oats are a helpful natural supplement that my chickens love! While I generally don’t encourage adding more grains to your flock’s diet, whole oats can be helpful under a variety of circumstances. Their protein, fiber, and vitamin content are beneficial for both healthy and ailing chickens.

Use whole oats for:

• encouraging an ailing hen to eat
• adding some supplemental protein to the diet
• helping with diarrhea

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Herbal Remedies

Herbs are nature’s healing medicines! Their medicinal properties and powerful benefits can be used to prevent and even treat many poultry disease. While not a whole lot of research has been done on using herbs for chickens, there is some research-based and personal experience-based evidence that proves that herbs work.

All-Purpose Herbs

These are mild herbs that can be used on a regular basis to promote overall good health and prevent disease. They can be offered free-choice, sprinkled on fermented feed, chopped and put into water, or added to treats. All-purpose herbs can be fed once a week all year round and they can be fresh or dried.

Here are some all-purpose herbs to keep in your first aid kit:

• parsley- rich in vitamins
• basil- antibacterial
• cilantro- anti-oxidant rich
• cinnamon- great for respiratory health
• clover- helps with detoxifying, anti-oxidant rich, improves digestion
• dandelion- anti-oxidant rich, excellent source of vitamins and minerals
• nasturtium- helps with de-worming, anti-biotic
• thyme- anti-biotic, anti-bacterial, anti-parasitic, improves respiratory health

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Treatment Herbs

Treatment herbs are ones that I recommend you use specifically for treating certain issues. These herbs are strong and should be used in proportion to the chicken’s body weight if they are going to be consumed. They should be used with a specific purpose mind and you should keep track of how much and how often you use the treatment herb.

Treatment herbs can be offered to the ailing chicken via food, treats, or water. External treatment herbs can be made into a tea, cream, or poultice. These herbs can also be fresh or dried, just keep in mind that you will need less of a dried herb since its properties are compounded.

Here are some treatment herbs to keep stocked in your poultry first aid kit:

• oregano- coccidiosis, infectious bronchitis, E. coli, salmonella
• wormwood- internal parasites
• sage- salmonella
• cinnamon- respiratory ailments, coccidiosis
• calendula & yarrow- healing wounds
• cayenne pepper- stimulates circulatory system
• chickweed- pain relief
• ginger- promotes good circulation, anti-oxidant rich
• slippery elm bark- respiratory issues, anti-diarrheal

Ground Herbs

While generally I prefer fresh or dried herbs and I really enjoy growing and drying my very own herbs, I do like to keep a few store-bought, ground herbs on hand in my poultry first aid kit. Ground herbs are easy to sprinkle over fermented feed or on warm treats like cooked quinoa or cooked chicken scraps.

Here are some herbs I keep stocked in their ground form:

• cayenne pepper
• ginger
• cinnamon
• slippery elm bark

Tonics

Tonics are a powerful herbal medicine that combine the healing properties of several herbs to create a treatment for a specific ailment. You can make your own tonics, however, I am not familiar with the process yet, so I prefer to buy quality herbal tonics from Moonlight Mile Herbs. These tonics use honey, apples, and garlic as their base and then have specific herbs added to them to create certain tonics. Tonics come in a liquid state and get added to your flock’s water or administered orally.

Here are some of the tonics that I keep stocked all the time:

• Worm Balancer Tonic
• First Step Tonic (for chicks)
• Superbird Tonic

Tinctures

Tinctures are similar to tonics, however, they are alcohol based. And no, you are not going to get your birds high if you give them a tincture! Tinctures are also very strong herbal medicine and should be used with moderation and under specific instructions. Again, I like to buy my tinctures from Moonlight Mile Herbs since she formulates them specifically for poultry.

The one tincture that I like to keep in my poultry first aid kit is the Intensive Care Tincture, which is designed to help severely ailing birds. Other tinctures you may be interested in stocking in your poultry first aid kit would be the respiratory tincture or the bumblefoot tincture.

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This list of natural chicken keeping first aid kit supplies should give you a good start on getting your homestead poultry first aid kit all stocked! Some of these items you will probably already have on hand, others you may need to make a trip to Tractor Supply for, and still others you may need to mail order. I highly encourage you get your natural poultry first aid all set up before you even get chickens! It’s always better to be prepared! If you already have a first aid kit put together but realized that your lacking a few items, then now is a great time to add them!

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by Alexa

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