Ways to relieve pain for chickens, other poultry and birds, what to do if your bird is injured and you cannot afford a vet, home remedies, and more. If your chicken is in obvious pain and in need of relief here are some natural remedies to help your bird. The first thing you should do if your bird is ill or injured is to isolate the bird away from other birds in your flock.

Home Remedies-Healing Pain Relief Used for Joint and Muscle Strain Aches

The following methods I have used on my chickens for natural pain relief which worked.
Cayenne Pepper Cream-Mix 2 tablespoons of ground cayenne pepper with 1/2 cup of aloe moisturizing lotion then massage into affected area. (This works on humans too). Make sure you gently massage the cream in until it is absorbed. Then cover the area with clean dry gauze or an ace bandage to concentrate the heat to the affected area and to prevent your bird from eating it. 
​"Capsaicin works by depleting substance P, a compound that conveys the pain sensation from the peripheral to the central nervous system. It takes a couple of days for this to occur," says David Kiefer, MD, assistant clinical professor of medicine at the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine.
Ginger extract can be used as topical natural pain remedy if taken in small doses it has little side effects (3). "I have sprinkled ginger in a tiny pinch of an amount into a bird's mouth who was in obvious pain and mixed it with coconut oil cream as a topical ointment and the bird seemed relieved within seconds" --Motherhen. Turmeric can also be used to relieve joint pain and inflammation. (See Herbs for Chickens) Scroll down to find out more pain relief for chickens.

Hen Healer-Multi Purpose Ointment

Hen Healer is a blue colored ointment which can be used to help heal minor cuts, lacerations, scrapes, and sores by creating a barrier to prevent dirt and insects from getting into the wound. Can also be used to prevent chickens from pecking. Can be used on all classes of poultry. Can be used on the body, legs, head, face, comb, and wattles.

If Your Chicken Is Injured it is Best To Immobilize the Bird & Take To a Veterinarian

If your bird has a sprain or broken bone they probably will not be moving around much and if left with the flock they could get pecked by other birds. If the bone is broke the bone will need to be put back in place and then bound to eliminate any movement. After the bone heals and the binding is removed physical therapy should be started where you slowly move the affected body part a few times a day and gradually try to get the bird to move on it's own until it is back to normal. "Therapy should be directed at resolving the disease process or injury as well as reducing pain signals coming from the periphery and its effects on the central neural processing of the pain. For example, immobilizing a bird’s fracture maximizes bone healing, but it also reduces micromovement irritation and inflammation, thus reducing noxious stimuli projected from the site of trauma. Analgesia therapy may include an opioid plus an NSAID, but the immobilization itself greatly reduces the pain" (2, Paul-Murphy).

Do Not use motrin to relieve pain for poultry 

Do not use Motrin as a pain reliever for poultry as it can cause complications with their kidneys according to JanJan 1 on Backyardchickens.com her vet told her to stop giving her chicken children's motrin to relieve pain.: "I took my chick that has the broken leg to the vet this morning. He wasnt able to "set" the leg as its broken at the hock, but he did wrap it to attempt to stabilize the leg. When I told him that I was giving childrens Motrin for pain/discomfort, the vet said stop the Motrin as it contributed to kidney decline (1)".

How Chickens & Other Birds React to Pain

​When chickens are in pain it may be difficult to tell but a good indicator is a dramatic change in normal behavior. Many chickens will sit and crouch when they are ill or in pain while birds who normally interact with you or the flock and suddenly sit off by themselves is a pretty good indicator they are not feeling well and could be in pain (unless it is a hen laying an egg of course). In order to accurately detect whether they are hurting you should monitor them for rises in respiratory rate, heart rate, and blood pressure. "Respiratory rate, heart rate and blood pressure will increase during painful stimuli but also can be affected by light, sound, temperature, restraint and other external stimuli. Avian withdrawal behaviors to acute painful stimuli include escape reactions foot lifting, wing flapping and jumping, vocalizations, decreased head movements or extreme movements...Chickens can display a distinctive behavior termed crouching immobility, which occurs experimentally when they are exposed to repeated noxious stimulation"(2, Paul-Murphy).

References:
1. Pain relieve for chickens. (Mae. 17, 2008). backyardchickens.com. ​https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/pain-relief-for-chickens.39324/
2. Paul-Murphy, DVM, Dipl ACZM, Joanne retrieved on Sept. 28, 2017 from Pain management. Avianmedicine.net. http://avianmedicine.net/content/uploads/2013/03/08_pain_management.pdf
3. Natural pain relief. Retrieved on Sept. 28, 2017 from ​https://www.everydayhealth.com/pain-management/natural-pain-remedies.aspx