When you have a flock of chicken it will lead you to learn more about it deeper. You will figure out how they giving a birth, how they grow, how they act, even their characteristic every single day. Things that you never imagine before. As you know, every living creature has a limitation. It will sick or even die. That is role of life that nothing can dodge it in anyway. Having a flock of birds is very interesting journey in your life.
You will gain more experience as the time progress. It is not impossible someday you will become an expert of chicken. However as the role of living runs reaching up your kids such as illness, it will quite worrying for you as a chicken backyard keeper. Event this situation comes up to an experienced farmer it will create a confusing as well. Moreover to the new farmer in this area will give impact more panicking at this time. Do not bother much. Let us have a look more on how to take care of a sick chicken and how to handle them smoothly as per guidance below.
Steps to take care of a sick chicken :
- This action is aim for protecting the sick chicken and preventing the spread out of the rest of your flock. Once you find anything odd from one of your chicken, observe him. Take a look deeper if the sign and symptom of illness arise. It could be watery form the eyes, runny nose and sneezing, sores or lesion on the skin surface. Sometimes the appearance of your chicken looks fine as usual, but his appetite going down, sleepless, looks fatigue. Your chicken might be having liquid stool or diarrhea, or he just sitting bent his entire body. These signs are not good. You need to remove this ill chicken to separate coop all alone by himself. While you see what problem he has, you can try to give him time and room to recover himself. As this is mundane happen around the chicken. While on the other hand you protect the rest of your flock to stay healthy uninfluenced by the possible disease. If by time you find there is no progress of being recovered, it is advisable you take him to the vet for medical intervention to quicken the healing process.
- Keep food and water accessible all the time. The sick chicken sometimes losing their appetite to eat. Do not worry. As you keep providing easy access to it will stimulate your sick one to peck gradually. Pushing them to peck once at time will reinforce the illness instead. So give time slowly and no pushing to ensure they feel save and being attended. Do not share the food container or the water bowl from one to another, since the possibility to pass the illness. If you only have one food plate or water bowl, make sure you always treat the healthy chicken first then move to the sick. You never know what problem your chicken may have, but protecting yourself is as important too. Do not forget wear gloves and plastic gown to cover your body from any splashing material come from the chicken. Try to give softer food than as it has to be. If you find difficulties to have one, you might blend the pellet with warm water to obtain the proper meal for easy digest process.
- Provide warm and dry bedding and floor of the coop. You should keep paying attention to the water you put around the chicken in the coop. The sick chicken will accidentally drop it down and soak the bedding or the floor of the coop. This will cause the wet and soggy bedding. This condition will raise the illness since the bacteria and parasites love to grow in this kind of place. Sometimes dust and dry mud need regularly once a week to be cleaned with disinfectant liquid that safe for its purpose.
- Treat and clean any wound on the surface. Rooster will effectively have wounds and sores on the skin surface after cock fighting. This lesion cannot be left just like that. The neglected sores will becomes infected and harm the surrounding area. You need to clean it and apply a topical cream from the vet or just simply buy one in chicken shop for this type of injury. The shopper will probably tell and advice you the usage of it when you mention the cause of the wound. For immediate treatment you can rush to clean and stop bleeding, afterward pour ordinary flour on the top of the sores.
- Having medical kit around. As like human in homestead, chicken need extra attention for this tool of medication. In case injury comes suddenly you know what to do to minimize the negative impact for the chicken. Always have first aid kit handy is giving you more confident during the crisis of accident. What to be put inside the bag though? Plaster, if available use the iodine plaster to simply adherent. Disinfectant liquid, use it for cleaning and removing debris which may stick to the skin. Topical cream, for smoothing the sores and provide cooling effect. Nail cutter, this sound awkward, however if you witness the cock fighting you will understand how important to have it since you do not want to see one of your flock die losing blood from the sharp claws from the other. Wrapping bandage, usage of this material is for covering a huge wound and limit any movement of the chicken, that aim to give time to heal by resting the part of the body. Powder, it is nice to have antiseptic powder, however if it is hard to get one, just put an ordinary flour from your kitchen to give immediate action stopping the blood out.
Talking about the sick chicken will never be enough. Since this matter will go along the way. This summary on how to take care of the sick chicken will need to be updated later on according to the new research and experience among the chicken farmer and the expert veterinarian. While taking a home remedy is always take the first action, prescribe medication is needed for the very necessary illness after.