What medications/supplies should I have on hand?

What medications and supplies should I have on hand in case of illness or injuries? I'm a newbie and after reading so many posts am now getting a bit paranoid.

This is an excellent question and one i wish I'd asked.

Six weeks into chicken keeping i have:

Apple cider vinegar
Poly-vi-sol with NO iron (vitamins intended for human babies but can be used to chickens too)
Nutri-Drench (chicken specific vitamins)
Electrolytes (powdered but cant remember the brand name)
Wazine (dewormer)
Sulmet (to treat coccidiosis)
Tetroxy HCA-280 (antibiotic)

Havent needed to use the Sulmet or the Tetroxy yet but wanted to have them on hand just in case.

Im interested to see what everyone else has on hand.

what is the vinegar for?

apple cider vinegar keeps the ickies from growing in the water, it can also reduce aggressive behavior I have heard.

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Ok, I know I can get the Apple Cider Vinegar and Poly-vi-sol at the grocery store. Is there a specific type of Apple Cider Vinegar? At what ratio is it used and for what? Do you have to get the Tetroxy HCA-280 from a vet? Are the other items readily available from TSC or other feed type stores?

As far as the apple cider vinegar goes, unfiltered organic with the sediment at the bottom (called "mother") is what you want. Available at some hrocery chains but best bet is a health food/organic store. I put a little under a teaspoon into a quart waterer. It lowers the pH of the water to discourage ickies from growing. (worms, parasites, bacteria). Ive heard mixed opinions about its effectiveness at treating worms once your chicks have worms though. In my opinion once your chicks have worms itd be better to use an actual chemical dewormer.

I got all the other medicines from a nearby Southern States. Ive also seen some, but not very many, medicines at a Tractor Supply store near me. Im sure itd vary from store to store, so id recommend calling ahead before making the drive anywhere.

Side note: i got some very helpful advice from the employees at Southern States who keep chickens of their own. I consider them another resource in case I have questions. Plus since theyre local they may be able to help me identify diseases that are common in my area.

Hope that helps.

Vi-tal is the poultry electrolyte I use. it's powerd and got it from the local farm store. I'm sure glad you asked this question as I was wondering the same thing. I went into the medication section and looked at all the medication...some were EXPENSIVE! and in gallon jugs and some were smaller and in packets. I am not going to spend $100 on Corid when there is a similar option in a smaller form. I wrote down the diff meds so i should look that up later. thanks for asking such a good question!

Crap. I just saw on another post that Sulmet does NOT cure cocci?? That person recommended Corid in her post. Argh. They had that at the feed store but the first employee I talked to (granted she even admitted she didnt know mich about chickens) said Corid was only for cows or goats. (I cant remember what animal. Lol)

Are there any chicken veterans on who can offer more info on this??

In my kit I have:

Electrolytes (Bounce-back brand)
Antibiotic (Duramycin and Terramycin) <- Used the Duramycin (I think, can't remember at the moment) to treat a cocci outbreak
Neosporin without the pain reliever
Sterile gauze
Rubber gloves
Sterile syringes
Straight-edge razor (for bumblefoot and crop surgeries)
Sewing needles & VERY light guage fishing line (For stitches)
Iodine, Bactine, and Peroxide (Cleaning wounds)
Blue-kote
Vet-Wrap

ETA: I got all of this at Tractor Supply Co. and RiteAid.

This is an awesome topic! Thanks op I'm sure there's a lot to learn here