Top Five Household Hen Hacks

Open your kitchen cupboard and you might just find something that can help your hens. Look in your bathroom cabinet – there could well be a medication you use that could make your flock flourish. Sound a bit ‘chicken crazy doesn’t it?! Of course, if your hen is seriously sick and needs specialist care a vet’s appointment is a must, but for minor elements and for boosting health and aiding prevention of illness, home remedies, everyday human foods, and household items really could be beneficial for your hens. Here are a few suggestions you might not have considered:

1. Haemorrhoid Cream – Yes you read this correctly. Haemorrhoid cream for humans, specifically the brand Preparation H, can resolve a common chicken bacterial infection of the feet called Bumble Foot. This condition starts as a small black spot on the bottom of a chicken’s foot. If the disease is in the early stages you can rub a little Preparation H into the area daily. This should resolve the condition and could avoid a trip to the vet.

2. Spices – You may use dried ginger and cinnamon to season your food, but these spices are also a natural home remedy for boosting hen’s health. Ginger is an antioxidant and a stress relief for hens. Cinnamon helps a chicken’s circulatory system stay in good condition and it can also guard against neurological disease.

Also, little cayenne pepper can also act as a natural de-wormer for your flock. So, next time you put a pinch of spice in your food, think of adding a teaspoon or so to your flocks, too.    

3. Winter Warmer – When making your own breakfast, why not pour an extra bowl of porridge to keep your hens happy? Your hens will go crazy for something as simple as porridge oats mixed with warm water on a cold winter’s day. Add some raisins or some mixed corn to the mixture for an added bonus or mix in the spices mentioned above.

4. Sunflower Seeds – Love feeding wild birds as much as caring for your flock? Then you probably have a bag of these cheap seeds to hand. Not only do sparrows and finches like sunflower seeds but hens do too, and this wild bird treat is good for chickens. Containing fiber, sunflower seeds will help maintain your flock’s digestive system. Sunflower seeds are also a great source of calcium, which aids bone health and egg laying. Moreover, these seeds are high in vitamin b, helping to strengthen a hen’s immune system. They may be small and relatively inexpensive, but they carry big benefits for your feathered friends.

5. Vaseline – A bathroom cabinet favourite and a must household item for your hens as it has many uses. The main two benefits are prevention of frost bite and to aid recovery of the ailment ‘scaly leg.’ Rub a little Vaseline into your hen’s comb and wattles during the winter to prevent frost bite as this area of a hen can easily become damaged. Also, if you have a hen suffering from ‘scaly leg,’ smothering their legs in Vaseline will suffocate the mites and should cure the problem. 

Whether you have a few back garden chickens or a smallholding, try these simple, inexpensive, hacks to prevent or even cure those little illness and scrapes our beloved hens occasionally pick up. Household items sitting on a shelve really can keep your hens happy and healthy.

My Lovely Erica waiting for her Winter Warmer!