The curse of the “Man Cold”.
I don’t know about you, but I’m literally the worst sick person. In our household, I’m the one who gets “Man Colds”, while The First Man will hide illnesses as well as any chicken I’ve ever known. In fact, one time when he told me he was feeling sick and that his back hurt, I confess that I secretly rolled my eyes thinking he was overreacting. That is, until he ended up in the hospital with a serious case of pneumonia! Oops. Sorry, sweetheart…
Not calm as a cucumber.
Let’s just say I don’t handle illness, or honestly any kind of emergency, very well. In the past, I’ve been known to panic, which really isn’t helpful in a moment where it’s crucial to be level headed. It’s for this reason that I totally understand when a student or fan messages me frantically, asking what to do about their chicken who has suddenly become ill. I’m happy to lay out some simple steps for them, while they decide if veterinary care is in order. If only I could stay so calm when it’s one of my own chickens!
Making it simple.
I started thinking… Wouldn’t it be great if there was a very simple word to remember when you find a sick chicken? A word that revealed an easy action plan so that panic didn’t take over? I brainstormed and came up with the acronym R.E.S.T. Each letter stands for an action you can take to make your chicken comfortable during a sudden illness. Click the play button below for the easy plan:
I wish chickens could tell us what is wrong when they don’t feel good. And I wish I handled illness better in general. Until then, I’ve got Chickenlandia’s Sick Chicken Action Plan to fall back on! And guess what? It works pretty well on humans, too. 😉
Do you have anything you like to do every time you care for a sick chicken? Let me know in the comments!
Disclaimer Notice
The content of the Welcome to Chickenlandia website, blog, vlog, and all social media are for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional veterinarian advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Dependence on any information appearing on the Welcome to Chickenlandia website, blog, vlog, and social media sites is entirely at your own risk. Please do your own research and make your own informed decisions regarding the health of your chickens.