Thanks Kathy! I am going to get a few of these. I have never had a bird sick long enough that needed tube feeding but I would like to be prepared as I am sure it is bound to happen eventually.
And yes, long grass is always a culprit to crop impactions. Gets them every time. The long grass winds around and around in the crop and gizzard. So make sure to keep the grass cut short or keep the birds out of areas with tall grass or really stiff vegetation.
If she is really thin, the breast bone will really be sticking out like the keel on a ship. Compare her breast bone to your other birds.
A good wormer would be either Safeguard Liquid Goat wormer or Valbazen. Either of these will take care of everything the bird might have. DE and ACV do not...
What ever water you can get into her will help. See if you can't locate some watermelon at the grocery store. Even a tiny bit of it. Watermelon is nearly all water and won't add to this clog in her crop one bit. See if she will eat a lot of it. It will water her crop really good, won't make...
See if you can get some water into her. You had mentioned that you were giving her oil early on? This is a big no no as oil it hardens these things up. If you can't tube water into her, see if you can use a syringe to get water into her. Be very careful you don't aspirate her however. Just...
If her crop is half the size it was earlier today, tomorrow morning go ahead and give her a bit of hard boiled eggs. Don't forget another dosage of the stool softener.
Keep us posted! :-)
They do come around a bit after being sick and all the handling. I have had a couple birds get more affectionate after having to work with them. And I really think they know we are helping them.
Make sure she gets her afternoon dosages of the stool softener. And hopefully the crop is smaller...
I love BR's too. My first love was Black Australorps but was torn wanting BR's. It wasn't until this this past spring that I added a few BR chicks to my flock! They are so pretty and are just full of personality! They make wonderful lap warmers too. :-)