What amount to gavage/tube feed?

I Have A Three Week Old Chick...How Many mL/cc's Do I Feed? Thanks!

For fluids the amount is 30ml per kg(each 2.2lb) every 6-8 hours. Go look up "go team tube feeding"at the search at the top of the page for more info.

Eggcessive said:

For fluids the amount is 30ml per kg(each 2.2lb) every 6-8 hours. Go look up "go team tube feeding"at the search at the top of the page for more info.

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This is correct. I would suggest that you weigh your chick and start with a small amount, wait for the crop to clear, then try more.

This table shows target weights of egg laying pullets.
Source: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps046
Table 2.
Example of target body weights during the rearing of replacement pullets.
Age
(weeks)

Body weight
(Pounds)

(Grams)
1

0.14

65
2

0.24

110
3

0.40

180
4

0.55

250
5

0.71

320
6

0.88

400
7

1.10

500
8

1.28

580
9

1.50

680
10

1.70

770
11

1.92

870
12

2.09

950
13

2.27

1030
14

2.43

1100
15

2.56

1160
16

2.67

1210
17

2.76

1250
18

2.82

1280
19

2.89

1310
20

3.00

1360

I stongly suggest you weigh your chick then do the math. Here's an example of how I would calculate it: 3 week old chick at 180 grams, the math would be .18(kg) x 30ml = 5.4ml every 6-8 hours, but please double check my math as I am very tired and often make mistakes when tired. After feeding the crop should have a slight bulge and your chick should not vomit. If it vomits, reduce amount, if the bulge is really small, increase the amount and give more as soon as it's almost cleared. Make sense?

-Kathy

Thought I should let you know that I had been tubing a very small 30 gram chick and it could take 2ml per feeding. One should also be aware that baby birds and chicks can hold more ml/kg than adults because their crops are more elastic.

-Kathy

Oh, thank you all so much!!! I will go get a baseline weight right now. I want to make sure she is getting enough to gain weight.

What do you usually feed them this young? The feed store was clueless.

Yesterday I made a slurry of wet dog food, electrolyte solution, a little agave syrup, and vitamin/mineral supplement and she started doing better, but it took forever to feed one drop at a time. The moistened chick crumble didn't work in a slurry.

I was able to go pick up a 5 French feeding tube and a butterfly needle (cut off the tube) tonight from the hospital I used to work at, but knew the chunks would clog them. All the feed store suggested to use was wet cat food or goat formula, but I found kitten milk replacement, and I got 10mL + 2mL water into her before it started to back out of the tube when I had the syringe off drawing up more.

I will go search that thread. Thank you again!

She is 105 grams. She always was the runty one, but this weekend I found her unable to walk. I was going to cull her Sunday but the rest of the family (who of course don't help at all) insisted 'Please save her...you can do it!' Grrrrr...I may be a nurse, but I'm not a vet OR a miracle worker!

So I ended up taking her to work with me today and got a feeding in her between patients...but mostly just pushed fluids every few hours. If I dip her beak in she will drink, but no desire for food. Poor girl. Since the kitten milk and a good nap, she is able to hold her head up again!

Kaytee Exact Baby Bird Food is what I use to tube mine, Petsmart and Petco should have that. You could also try treating her for coccidiosis with Corid or Amprol (amprolium) and that you'll find at Tractor Supply in the cattle section, and I've also seen it at other feedstores. Can you post a picture of it's poop?

Regarding the Corid... If you decide to try it and you find the liquid you could give a drop to the chick as well as mixing it in the baby bird formula.

The 006% for Corid Powder is 1/3 teaspoon (1.134 grams).
The 006% for Corid liquid is 1/2 teaspoon.

The moderate outbreak dose (.012%) for Corid Powder is 3/4 teaspoon (2.268 grams).
The moderate outbreak dose (.012%) for Corid liquid is 1 teaspoon.

The severe outbreak dose (.024%) for Corid Powder is 1.5 teaspoons (4.536 grams).
The severe outbreak dose (.024%) for Corid liquid is 2 teaspoon.

I *always* use the severe outbreak dose.

-Kathy

Oops, deleted!

casportpony said:

Kaytee Exact Baby Bird Food is what I use to tube mine, Petsmart and Petco should have that. You could also try treating her for coccidiosis with Corid or Amprol (amprolium) and that you'll find at Tractor Supply in the cattle section, and I've also seen it at other feedstores. Can you post a picture of it's poop?

Regarding the Corid... If you decide to try it and you find the liquid you could give a drop to the chick as well as mixing it in the baby bird formula.

The 006% for Corid Powder is 1/3 teaspoon (1.134 grams).
The 006% for Corid liquid is 1/2 teaspoon.

The moderate outbreak dose (.012%) for Corid Powder is 3/4 teaspoon (2.268 grams).
The moderate outbreak dose (.012%) for Corid liquid is 1 teaspoon.

The severe outbreak dose (.024%) for Corid Powder is 1.5 teaspoons (4.536 grams).
The severe outbreak dose (.024%) for Corid liquid is 2 teaspoon.

I *always* use the severe outbreak dose.

-Kathy

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I am getting the Kaytee today and I will pick up some Corid powder as well. And a 10mL syringe...tomorrow I am going to drop and tape the tube...and dh and dd will each have to take a turn because I have a full patient load and can't take her to work again. I will post her poop shortly...it has been foul/sour smelling. The good thing is she went pee pee just now! So her fluid status may be improving finally. Hadn't seen that for 2.5 days! She is also peeping a lot, which she wasn't before.

I just had a thought...where is the lightbulb emoticon when I need it? How bout this ? ...on Saturday afternoon I took the chicks, 6 at a time, out to the adult run in a small rabbit hutch. I found her on her side Sunday night. Each batch of them got out in the sunshine and nice weather for an hour or two...watching the 'grown ups' and pecking around. It is very dusty out there. Up until then there was no contact...could that be what is going on? Duh...not sure why that didn't register before.

And her Monday morning poop was part light yellow (almost looked like pale scrambled egg shreds tho she never had any)...and a squirt of wet rust colored/not quite dark blood (but almost) poo.

So if she got coccidiosis out there, do my grownups need to be treated as well? TIA

I suspect that she had coccidiosis and the stress of being moved sent her over the edge. It's also possible that she has a secondary infection in her intestines. Check the color of her belly and make sure it doesn't look bruised. It's been my experience that when it is that means they also need antibiotics like Baytril.

-Kathy