Tube Feeding Ducks - Updated 5/7/2020

[action jackson]

Just need a game plan so I can nurse my sweet lil lulu back to health I know her system went into shock just wanna know if I'm not prolonging the enevitable

 

[casportpony]

Did a vet suggest 100 mg twice a day? I ask because my vet would prescribe 284 mg twice a day.

 

[action jackson]

No didn't want to push her kidneys felt that would put more stress on them she's weak but can still get up and walk it was a blockage that she passed which was like a white solid rubber piece gave mineral oil 2 ml in water cause she wasent eating but drinking allot and passing water with urate so after the mineral oil water and not eating for 3 days out came the rubber ate allot for a week got stronger better then a week later stopped eating again started getting weak didn't eat for two days but was still passing so I started to syringe feed which is going well and figured 100 was a good light on the organs preventive I'm a lil weary about antibiotic and geese having dealt with goose thrush in the past

 

[electrycmonk]

Thank's to a few ladies to point this thread out for me(I'll update this later). I will update as I can on the eventual outcome but, in the meantime here is the tech tidbits I have done so for today...... And a picture to show the tool and size with my glasses for scale.

My Mcgyver skills where on point over the last hour or so..... Remembered the small syringe we used for kiddos liquid meds.... Found the 1/8" OD pvc tubing. That fit! Got a fresh razor blade and ever so carefully shaved the end of the hose to a more tapered funnel-like shape.

Blue measuring spoon is 2 tbsp for volume scale to syringe, and size scale are my glasses. Watched both the male and female humans duck videos. Was able to use the bowl of veggie oil both for lube and a safe & clean bowl to hold the loaded syringe and hose with the water & nutri-drench mix sucked up from the cup. Test 1. Get the tube down the throat -- "hens right side" and slowly give her some fluid. Approx 1tbsp max. Removed tube. And listen to her for a minute or two. All sounded good. Test 2. Purge & reload syringe to max ~2tbsp and re lube. Then gently get her beak held open. * I found that I can comfortably hold her mouth open with the slightest of 'doorstop like chunk' of my thumb and pointer finger into the hinge of her beak and she won't try to close or squirm. Slide the tube back down the same "her right side" then when it place ~6" I stop and listen for any change in breathing. Still stable and no squirming once I stopped moving the tube. Slowly but, constantly pushed entire syringe of water mix in and then smoothly pulled the tube out. Funny note. Her breathing stayed the same and she seemed a lot more awake now.

 

[Isaac 0]

Thank's to a few ladies to point this thread out for me(I'll update this later). I will update as I can on the eventual outcome but, in the meantime here is the tech tidbits I have done so for today...... And a picture to show the tool and size with my glasses for scale.
View attachment 2364175
My Mcgyver skills where on point over the last hour or so..... Remembered the small syringe we used for kiddos liquid meds.... Found the 1/8" OD pvc tubing. That fit! Got a fresh razor blade and ever so carefully shaved the end of the hose to a more tapered funnel-like shape.

Blue measuring spoon is 2 tbsp for volume scale to syringe, and size scale are my glasses. Watched both the male and female humans duck videos. Was able to use the bowl of veggie oil both for lube and a safe & clean bowl to hold the loaded syringe and hose with the water & nutri-drench mix sucked up from the cup. Test 1. Get the tube down the throat -- "hens right side" and slowly give her some fluid. Approx 1tbsp max. Removed tube. And listen to her for a minute or two. All sounded good. Test 2. Purge & reload syringe to max ~2tbsp and re lube. Then gently get her beak held open. * I found that I can comfortably hold her mouth open with the slightest of 'doorstop like chunk' of my thumb and pointer finger into the hinge of her beak and she won't try to close or squirm. Slide the tube back down the same "her right side" then when it place ~6" I stop and listen for any change in breathing. Still stable and no squirming once I stopped moving the tube. Slowly but, constantly pushed entire syringe of water mix in and then smoothly pulled the tube out. Funny note. Her breathing stayed the same and she seemed a lot more awake now.

Great work.

One thing I would suggest as of now, would be passing the end of the tubing a few times under a flame to "soften" the edge's of the tubing to make it smoother. It can be easy to damage their esophageal lining.

 

[electrycmonk]

Great work.

One thing I would suggest as of now, would be passing the end of the tubing a few times under a flame to "soften" the edge's of the tubing to make it smoother. It can be easy to damage their esophageal lining.

Logical suggestion.

 

[Duck_Duck_Goose]

Step 1:
Bring duck inside and place in a warm room, 80-85 degrees is ideal (watch for signs of over-heating).

Step 2:
Weigh the duck

Step 3:
Once warmed, correct hydration and this should not be done until the duck is warmed up. Tube warmed (102 degrees) Pedialyte or Gatorade at 14 ml per pound of body weight, wait 60-90 minutes and repeat. If no poop is produced by 3 hours after first tubing, repeat once more.

Step 4:
Once the duck is pooping you can start tubing warmed Kaytee Exact baby bird food or a non-lay crumble (lay crumble has too much calcium). Start by tubing 14 ml per pound of body weight and increase a little at each feeding. Do not exceed 23 ml per pound of body weight. Sick birds are tube fed 2-4 times a day.


"Tube feeding, also known as gavage feeding, is an essential part of avian supportive care. Sick birds are often presented with a history of anorexia, and glycogen stores may be depleted within hours in the granivore (including psitacine, passerine and galliform species) secondary to a relatively high metabolic rate. Another important indication for gavage feeding is a documented drop in body weight of 5% to 10%."
Source: https://lafeber.com/vet/tube-feeding-birds/

The duck crop looks like the one on the left:

More tube feeding info here:
Updated - Go team "Tube Feeding!"

Below is a good article that I found on the web:
https://www.teediddlydee.com/how-to-tube-feed-sick-ducks/
How to Tube Feed Sick Ducks









How to Tube Feed Sick Ducks
Last week I went out to feed the chickens and ducks like I always do, and noticed that my little Daisy Duck wasn’t around like she always is begging to be fed…

I wandered on over to the chicken coup and there she was struggling, and unable to get up. Her legs were paralyzed and she wasn’t able to stand. Her neck muscles and bill were also very unstable, and she wasn’t able to eat or drink. After some research on the internet, I suspected duck botulism, and began to gather the supplies I needed to get little Daisy well again.

When a duck is sick, they need to stay hydrated with food in their tummies so that their bodies have everything it needs to fight off the infection or sickness. This is where tube feeding comes into play! Once you get the hang of it, it’s actually very simple to tube feed ducks. Tube feeding is much quicker, and in my opinion, less stressful than trying to coax them to eat by hand.

The below pic was taken a day after I started tube feeding Daisy. She had already gained some use in one of her legs, but not the other one yet…which is why she is sitting so crooked in the pic. At this point, Daisy was able to start drinking on her own, but was still unable to eat, so I tube-fed her for about 3 days until she was able to feed herself again.


Tutorial:
Supplies:

1. Straight Tip French Catheter at 16in in length (anywhere from size 18-30 gauge works great for ducks) You can purchase one from any local medical store or you can get one HERE.
2. 60ml Irrigation Syringe with catheter tip. You can purchase one from any local medical store or you can get one HERE.

1






2

Directions:
Prepping the Food:
You’ll need to make a ground-up formula to feed your duck through the tube. I use what I normally get at the feed store to feed my duck…

You can use pellets…



Or even dried meal worms.



Put a handful of food into a blender, add some water, and grind it up really well into a formula that has the consistency and look of chocolate milk. You don’t want it too lumpy or thick, or else it’ll clog the tube while feeding. (You can refrigerate any leftover formula for later, and then simply warm it up to room temp before feeding).





Getting the Syringe Ready:
To make sure my syringe glides easily, I pull it apart and dip the rubber tip into some cooking oil.





Then I put it back together and suck up some formula. I fed my large Pekin duck (they weigh 8-11lbs) 40ml for each feeding. If you have a smaller duck, you can feed 20-30ml. (You’ll feed your duck this amount 3x daily).

To avoid air bubbles, I first suck up a little more formula than needed…



…turn the syringe right-side up, pushing out any air pockets or bubbles…



…attach the catheter tube to the tip of the syringe….



…and push out the extra formula until you hit the amount that you want to feed (In my case 40ml).





I use a little bit more cooking oil for lubing up the tube, to help it slide down my duck’s throat easier.





Inserting the Tube Safely:
The easiest way to tube feed your duck by yourself is to straddle them.



Gently (but firmly) open their bill. They will probably fight you on this, but that’s OK.



Insert the tube down the right side of your duck’s throat (Their right side, not yours! ) to avoid inserting it down the airway. I insert the tube gently until I feel it stop (about 6 inches). After I insert the tube, I watch their abdomen to make sure they are breathing normal. Also, make sure not to cover their nostrils on the top of their bill, as this is the only way they can breath. If they are not breathing, the tube is down their airway and you must reinsert.



Honestly, I’ve never had trouble with inserting the tube down the wrong pipe, but there’s a first time for everything so I’m still always careful to make sure.

Here’s video I made showing how I tube fed my duck…

As you can see, my little Daisy Duck made a full recovery and is back to her happy (and sassy) little self!



How to Tube Feed Sick Ducks

Disclaimer:
I do not guarantee the same results by following my tutorial, as what I had with my sweet Daisy since I cannot diagnose your duck’s illness, nor can I perform the treatment for you to ensure all the steps were followed exactly. You will have to proceed at your own risk as I cannot not accept responsibility for anything that might wrong.

That being said, I am glad I did what I could to save her sweet life. She is very much alive and well because I tube fed her nourishment and kept her well hydrated while she was recovering from a very serious illness. I hope this helps someone else in the same situation.

Many hugs,

Tiffany xo

I’m so glad your sweet girl made a beautiful recovery. We weren’t prepared for such an emergency and ended up losing both our girls and are now on a mission to be as prepared as possible going forward. It’s my understanding from others that have responded to my queries and posts I’ve read that a size 18 French catheter is recommended for adult ducks and which is on my order list but we currently have young ducks, approx 5 & 8 weeks and am wondering what size catheter(s) and syringes are recommended to have on hand in the meantime?

 

[casportpony]

 

[Miss Lydia]

@casportpony how long do you wait before tube feeding? How long can they go without eating before it is detrimental to their life?

 

[casportpony]

@casportpony how long do you wait before tube feeding? How long can they go without eating before it is detrimental to their life?

Great questions @Miss Lydia. The experts say to tube food if they've lost 5-10% of their body weight. Since sick birds are always dehydrated, I suggest tubing lots of fluids first.

They can go many days without eating, but cannot go days without drinking.