Injured hen won't drink

[cmonkey4]

Well I gave her the bath about 3 hours ago, and she seems fine. A little more active than before. I think I forgot to mention that she keeps her eyes closed all the time. I tried the egg and tried the soupy feed but she doesn't like it. She is having trouble breathing through her nose, I think it is dried blood. I put a Vicks Vaporizer in the room with her to help with her breathing.

 

[cmonkey4]

No need to give her a bath, just clean all wounds and keep her in a warm, quiet place with access to water. If she doesn't start drinkng on her own you'll need to get fluids into her. For that I recommend tubing, it's much safer and easier than giving on drop at a time. She needs about 30ml per 2.2 pounds every 6-8 hours.

-Kathy

How would I do tubing? I have her in the basement with a heat lamp on.

 

[casportpony]

Quote: I used to use heat lamps, but I found they weren't ideal for sick birds, so now I keep them in a warm room instead and they seem to do much better.

Here are some tube pictures:







(pictures above are from http://www.internationalcockatielresource.com/hand-feeding-utensils.html)

If you can't find a proper tube at a medical supply store or a vet, you can use aquarium air line tubing with some modifications. For a full sized hen I would recommend a size 18 or larger tube, but any size will work. Some feed stores sell them as "lamb saver kits" (tube and syringe)

Read this and watch the videos:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/805728/go-team-tube-feeding

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Crop feeding pictures:

How To Crop Feed Your Bird Diagram





-Kathy

 

[cmonkey4]

Crop feeding pictures:

How To Crop Feed Your Bird Diagram





-Kathy

I really don't want to try that yet. Any idea how long she can go without food? I would probably do that as a last resort if at all. Does anyone know why she keeps her eyes closed? They don't look like they have been injured.

 

[casportpony]

She can go several days without food, but three days without water might kill her. Her eyes are closed because she isn't feeling well, but hard to say why that is. Where her eyes closed before bathing?

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Just to be clear, I am suggesting tubing just fluids if she doesn't start drinking on her own by tomorrow morning. Tubing food or force feeding a bird that isn't drinking enough can cause death.

-Kathy

 

[cmonkey4]

Yes, her eyes were already closed. OK. I wasn't sure. I can wet her mouth, but she doesn't swallow. She will mouth her tongue around but that is it.

 

[casportpony]

Probably not much you can do tonight except keep her nice and warm. Not hot, just warm. How cold is the basement? Can you take her to a vet in the morning?

-Kathy

 

[cmonkey4]

This morning there was a little foam in the corners of her mouth, now her mouth is full of foam.