Chicken first-aid kit checklist
Put this together before you need it. The list follows the "Basic First Aid Kit" and supplies sections of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food Backyard Poultry Evacuation Kit Checklist (2026).
Not veterinary advice. This page is general information compiled from public university extension, USDA and FDA sources linked below. It is not a diagnosis or treatment plan. When a bird is sick or injured, contact a licensed veterinarian. If you see possible bird flu signs, report them (see Is it an emergency?).
Basic first-aid kit (from the Utah checklist)
- Absorbent gauze pads
- Adhesive tape
- Bandages
- Sterile saline
- Epsom salt
- Corid (amprolium), listed on the Utah checklist. Follow the label and ask your vet.
- Electrolytes
- Blu-Kote
- Antibiotic ointment
- Hemorrhoid cream
- Vaseline
- Corn starch
- Super glue
- Nail clippers
- Disposable gloves
- Scissors with blunt end
- Tweezers
- Eye dropper or syringe
- Plastic basin or dishpan
- Paper towels
Also have ready (from the same checklist)
- Pet carrier, cardboard box or ventilated plastic tote, for isolation or transport
- Brooder lamp or heating pad
- Disinfectant, plastic bags, tarp or drop cloth, pine shavings
- List of current medications and doses
- Phone numbers: your veterinarian, cooperative extension, and friends or neighbors who can take your chickens
Our additions
- Your state page: state veterinarian's office, diagnostic lab and nearest vet college phone numbers
- A small kitchen scale. Weight loss is often an early sign.
- Leak-proof bags and gel ice packs, in case a lab asks you to ship a bird (how)
Medications: under FDA rules, medically important antibiotics need a veterinarian's authorization. Don't plan on stocking them yourself. See Antibiotics and prescriptions.
Written 2026-10-21 from the public sources linked above. Not reviewed by a veterinarian yet.