Natural Pain Relief for Birds
Learn how to recognize the subtle signs of a chicken in pain, and have natural pain relief for birds ready to mitigate pain as soon as we suspect it’s a problem.
by Heather Levin
Chickens are incredibly stoic when they’re not feeling well. They’re good at hiding illness and injury, so by the time you suspect something is wrong, often whatever they’re going through is well advanced and they have one foot in the grave.
This includes the way chickens deal with pain. Chickens are prey animals, which means if they’re demonstrative about pain, they’re an easy target for predators.
So what do they do? They try to act like nothing is wrong.
Of course, there are times when it’s obvious a chicken is in pain. For example, after a predator attack or other traumatic injury.
So, it’s important to learn how to recognize the subtle signs of a chicken in pain, and have some tools you can use to mitigate that pain as soon as we suspect it’s a problem.
Note: If your chicken has suffered a traumatic injury (such as a predator attack, or accident), your top priority is to get bleeding under control and the chicken stabilized before you manage pain.
Signs of a Chicken in Pain
Chickens try not to show obvious signs of pain. But, there are behaviors that indicate a chicken is suffering:
- Isolating themselves from the rest of the flock
- Standing in a corner, or staying inside the coop during the day where they know it’s safe
- Limited movements
- Ruffled feathers
- Hunched back
- Not eating or drinking as much
- Standing or laying down with their eyes closed
- Abnormal movements (limping, waddling, etc.)
Chickens can experience pain from a number of factors other than obvious situations like a predator attack.
They can sprain, fracture, or break a leg falling off a roost pole, experience painful gout or arthritis, or crack a beak or toenail. Some infections, like bumblefoot, also cause pain in chickens.
How to Help a Chicken in Pain
None of us want to ever see our chickens in pain. Fortunately, there are several strategies we can use to help ease their pain and alleviate suffering.
Arnica Montana 30C Pellets
Another option to help relieve pain is Boiron’s Arnica Montana.
Arnica is a medicinal herb that has been used for pain, swelling, and bruising since the Middle Ages. It’s very safe and effective, and I’ve never observed any side effects from giving this to my chickens.
Boiron’s Arnica montana comes in tiny pellets that are slightly sweet. You can give this to your chicken straight, or dissolve them in a bit of water and give it through an oral syringe.
Important Note: If you decide to purchase bulk Arnica montana (to make your own creams or tinctures), make sure you purchase from a reputable source like Mountain Rose Herbs.
Many suppliers (especially on Amazon) sell Mexican arnica, a different species that is less effective, widely available, and cheaper.
Arnica Montana Gel
If your chicken has swelling or bruising, especially along their legs, you can apply Boiron Arnica montana gel.
From a 2021 study in the journal, Medicines, “Based on data from clinical trials, Arnica extract or gel/cream containing Arnica extract shows promising effects for pain relief.”
This is a product that’s completely safe and you can use as needed.
Clove Oil
Clove essential oil is another option when it comes to relieving pain.
Clove essential oil is most often used for mouth and dental pain. It’s antiseptic and antibacterial, making a great addition to wound salves. However, clove oil also has topical pain relieving properties when diluted in a carrier oil.
From The Herbal Academy, “The plant’s volatile oil has potent analgesic effects, which is attributed to the high content of eugenol.
“Some apply clove as an infused oil, diluted essential oil, or poultice to bruises, sprains, strains, areas of back pain, or arthritic joints, as clove may act as a counterirritant and rubefacient, which improves blood flow to those areas and reduces localized congestion.”
In addition, a study published in the Libyan Journal of Medicine found that clove oil was highly effective at relieving pain in mice.
Important Note: Keep in mind that clove oil should NOT be put directly on a chicken — it must be highly diluted in a carrier oil such as olive, jojoba, sweet almond, coconut, or apricot kernel oil.
Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender essential oil can also help alleviate pain.
Lavender has been studied fairly extensively for its pain-relieving properties. Strangely enough, however, the bulk of studies have focused on lavender’s use in relieving pain during labor, post-delivery, and coping with pain from episiotomy.
A 2018 meta-analysis published in Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Cancer Research on lavender’s use as a pain reliever determined, “Using aromatherapy with lavender among pregnant women reduces the labor pain.”
A 2015 study in Journal of Surgery determined that, “Lavender oil is successful at relieving pain after cesarean section.”
There are two ways you can use lavender essential oil with your chickens.
One way is to put lavender essential oil in a diffuser and let your chicken inhale the volatile oils. Many research studies I looked at administered lavender in this way, to great success.
You can do this when your chicken is in sick bay, separate from the rest of the flock. Just put the diffuser in the same room, close enough so that your chicken can easily inhale the scent as it comes out of the diffuser.
You can also dilute lavender oil in a carrier oil and apply it topically. Dilute 2 drops of lavender oil in 3 tablespoons of carrier oil, and spread liberally on feet, legs, or skin.
Baby Aspirin for Chickens
One option to help alleviate pain for your chicken is to give them baby aspirin. However, ONLY give aspirin as a pain reliever if your chicken is not bleeding, externally or internally. Aspirin inhibits the clotting process.
Consider “Attention-Shifting”
Think about the last time you were in pain, perhaps from a broken bone or tweaked back. Chances are if you watched a show, talked to a close friend, or read a book, it took your mind off the pain, right? While your attention was shifted, you experienced less pain.
Well, the same is true for chickens. And research backs this up.
A study published by Cambridge University Press looked at how certain behaviors like nesting, feeding, exploring, and social interactions could help alleviate pain in chickens. And the results are fascinating.
Researchers in the study stated, “The degree of pain suppression ranged from marked hypoalgesia to complete analgesia and as such demonstrates a remarkable ability to suppress tonic pain.”
So, try spending time with your chicken if the two of you have a close bond, or put a gentle comrade in the sick bay with her if her injuries aren’t grievous. Give her some healthy treats or fresh herbs to peck at, or put a small mirror in with her to give her something new to look at.
Shifting her attention off her pain just might, in the end, do just as much if not more to help than other pain-relieving strategies.
Sources
https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6320/8/10/58
https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ljm/article/view/122923
https://www.jogcr.com/article_697138.html
https://www.naturalingredient.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/10.11648.j.js.s.2015030201.12.pdf
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/animal-welfare/article/abs/attentional-shifts-alter-pain-perception-in-the-chicken/BEFE42D16FE474B7AA79B05BA63A384A
Heather Levin is an educator, herbalist, and chicken wrangler of 30+ chickens. She’s also the founder of The Backyard Chickens Summit and Chicken Health Academy, a pioneering online learning academy that teaches natural and emergency chicken care strategies.
Originally published in the June/July 2024 issue of Backyard Poultry and regularly vetted for accuracy.
