How to Provide First Aid to Your Chickens

Sometimes chickens get injured in their coop or outside, and it's important to know some basic first aid for minor wounds. Of course, for more serious injuries, you'll need to call on the help of your veterinarian.

Treating cuts and wounds

If you find a bleeding chicken in your coop, or if you suspect a chicken’s skin has been cut or torn, it’s important to treat the bird quickly. Chicken skin is thin and tears easily, and bleeding wounds are very attractive to other chickens. Whether the chicken caught on something or was attacked by a predator, skin injuries need immediate attention.

1. For shallow wounds, wash the area with hot water and soap and gently pat dry, or clean the wound with hydrogen peroxide.

   If the wound continues to bleed, use styptic powder or pressure to stop it.

2. Flush the wounds with hydrogen peroxide, iodine, or betadine.

3. Place the chicken in a clean, separate area and check the wounds for infection several times a day.

4. If infection sets in, clean the wounds two to three times daily.

5. If the chicken can’t reach the area with its beak and the weather is warm, apply a wound dressing to prevent flies from laying eggs on the wound.

The outlook isn’t very good with deep punctures caused by animals. Keep the chicken warm and quiet to prevent shock. If the chicken is very valuable to you, take it to a veterinarian as soon as possible.

How to treat a broken leg or wing

Is your chicken refusing to walk or dragging its wing? It may be suffering from a broken leg or wing. Broken wings are fairly easy for the chicken to live with; broken legs are not. With legs and wings, it’s important to treat your injured chicken immediately.

A broken wing may drag the ground or appear twisted. It can be healed by folding the wing into a natural position against the bird, and then wrapping the bird with gauze strips or vet wrap to hold the wing in place. Unless it’s a show bird, if the wing heals crooked or droops, it’s no big deal.

Keeping the wing wrapped for two weeks is usually enough. The bird must be separated from other birds during this time. The bird will feel better if it can see and hear the flock.

A broken leg may look crooked and swollen, and the bird won’t walk on it. Broken legs can be splinted, but it’s best to let a vet or someone experienced in bird rehabilitation do this. In a young bird, the bones heal quickly. Once again, you should separate the bird from your flock until it has healed.

In either case, if a bone is protruding through the skin, infection is extremely likely, and the chances of the bird making it are poor. Wings can be amputated, but even though chickens can exist with one leg, the quality of life is poor. Amputations should be done by a vet.