Chicken Bath Treatment for Sick Chickens - Gold Coast Chickens Australia

Chicken Bath Treatment for Sick Chickens

All you need for this bath treatment is 1 cup of epsom salt for the bath and 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to mix with food for your chicken afterwards!

First thing you will need to do if you notice a sick chicken is remove them from the flock. Keep them quarantined until they have returned to full health. If you don’t have a vacant coop then place them in a box or pet crate indoors. If you have a pen you can erect for the sick chicken outdoors this will be best as sunlight will be good for the chicken but do make sure there is shade available and always be sure there is clean drinking water and food available.

When a chicken is sick you can never be sure what exactly is wrong unless you visit a vet. Generally this is an expense that most chicken keepers avoid by simple home remedies, antibiotics and simply letting nature take it’s course which may result in death to protect their flock and ensure that if breeding they are only breeding healthy chicks moving forward.

Because chickens show the same or similar symptoms when sick for a large number of diseases or illness it makes it difficult to determine what exactly is wrong with your chicken. The first thing to check for is respiratory symptoms, if there is sneezing or wheeziness then your chicken then DO NOT perform the chicken bath treatment for sick chickens. For respiratory problems you will need to see a vet, try antibiotics or euthanize depending on your situation. Making a diagnosis of your sick chicken if it is not respiratory can be near impossible.

Symptoms

·         Walking differently (somewhat like a penguin)

·         Not eating

·         Discolored Comb

·         Standing Hunched

·         Wings down

·         Droopiness

·         Drowsiness

·         Straining when laying

Possible Diagnosis could be but not limited to…

·         Cancer

·         Tumors

·         Peritonitis

·         Internal Egg Laying

·         Egg Bound

·         Ascites

·         Common Cold

Sometimes it is simply just the age of the chicken,  laying eggs does take it’s toll on our hens and the process of producing an egg is depleting and chickens find it harder and harder to replenish their system as time goes on. Often when this is the issue you will find that your hen will show a discolored comb, hunch up and barely move.

Chicken Bath Treatment for Sick Chickens

What can it help with…

·         Minor blockages

·         Treating chickens who have ingested toxic plants

·         Imbalance of inputs and Outputs (what goes into the chickens system and what comes out)

·         Mild glitches with Intestinal or reproductive tract

·         Egg Bound chickens

·         Internal egg laying

·         Minor Illness

·         Balancing Minerals

What to do…

Add 1 cup of Epsom salts to a large bowl, bucket or tub. Add enough warm water so that the chicken will still be able to sit with it’s head well above the water and the body of the chicken is half covered. Most chickens will sit down and enjoy the bath, if not you may need to hold the chicken there and try to calm it. If the chicken wont sit down you can also gently pour water on the chicken, just make sure this is continuous so the chicken wont get cold being half in half out of the water and all wet. If  the chicken has dirt or droppings you need to wash off then do so with some soap just before you’re ready to take the chicken out however you will then need to repeat the Epsom salt soak again after washing. (I would only wash if really necessary as the less stress you cause for your sick chicken the better)

Once the soak is complete pat dry with a towel and put some olive oil on the chickens vent to avoid any discomfort which may be caused by diarrhea ect. This will make it easier for laying also should the chicken be having trouble with this. Then put Vaseline on the comb of the chicken. The vasaline isn't necessary but a little pampering for your sick chicken is always a good thing!

Once this is done you can blow-dry the chicken on low heat and low pressure settings. Chickens generally like the blow-dry so again they should be ok with it but if not simply hold them in place and try to keep them calm, if they are really not liking it then simply place them outside in the sun until 100% dry.

After the chicken bath treatment make sure the chicken has plenty of fresh drinking water, you can add some sugar to the water to help them increase energy if they haven’t been eating well. You will also need to feed the chicken 2 -3 tablespoons of olive oil this will help to unblock anything in the digestive system.  To feed the olive oil simply mix it in with their favorite treat. If the chicken is not eating at all or even pecking at her favorite treat then the chicken bath treatment is likely not to work in this case as the chicken is too sick.

Some great healthy treats for sick chickens include oats soaked in hot water and honey then cooled down with 2 tablespoons of olive oil mixed in. I also added 3 blueberries as well cause I know my chickens love those! 

If this bath treatment has helped your chicken you will be able to notice a positive change within the next 24 hours if there is no change or the condition of the chicken declines then unfortunately the illness is probably too serious for the chicken bath treatment to work. If so it wouldn't have hurt the chicken to give the bath and you will have narrowed down the possible causes of illness.

One of my chickens was sick, one closed eye and very droopy and drowsy, was hardly eating all day and after the bath she gobbled lots of water and the healthy treat including the olive oil! It worked very quickly for me within a matter of hours! I then gave her some oregano, cinnamon, and coriander all dried herbs as these help sick chickens too!

Please do let us know how you go if you try this, the more feedback the better for all of us chicken lovers!

If you would like more information on symptoms, illness and treatments please CLICK HERE

If you would like a list of healthy food to feed sick chickens CLICK HERE