Top Ten Ways to Accidently Kill a Sick Bird

• Leaving a sick bird out in a cold coop. Sick birds are often hypothermic and should be kept in a warm room or cage - 80 to 92 degrees is ideal.

• Force feeding a dehydrated bird - hydration must be corrected before attempting to force feed.

• Improperly giving fluids orally. Sick birds often won't swallow properly and syringing or dropping fluids in their mouths can cause them to aspirate.

• Force feeding a hypothermic bird. Birds must be warmed and have their hydration corrected before feeding.

• Bathing a sick or injured bird. Don't do it!

• Add handling a critically I'll bird. Sometimes handling them is enough to send them over the edge.

• Wait too long to provide care or ignore subtle symptoms that a bird is might be sick.

• Failing to do a proper, thorough exam.

Blooie said:

I'd add "Cramming antibiotics (wormers, etc) down a bird's throat without even knowing what you're dealing with."

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enola said:

I know you won't put this on your list...... but........ How about the people who come here for 'help' and then either ignore perfectly good advice, or dilly dally around until even the good advice is not going to help?

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Blooie said:

Kathy, we've all been there. <sigh> I lost my very favorite hen several weeks ago because I wasn't diligent enough to check for snipped off bits of fencing from building the run and Pearl got a small piece of metal lodged in her throat. It just makes ya sick, doesn't it? When she first had problems, I got some really great advice - and some really bad advice. The most logical thing was that she'd gotten a long strand of grass lodged from when we put grass clippings in the run and as advised I gave her some bread. The goofy noise and head shaking stopped for several days. But then it started up again. I was told to give her antibiotics, even though I didn't know if she had an infection anywhere, to de-worm her, to soak her throat with a hot wet rag, and someone even told me to rub her throat with Vicks. The simplest solution was the bread, and it did work, but after she died we did a chicken-topsy and spotted the tiny bit of wire lodged deep in her throat. The bread probably worked to help push it down and gave her some relief until it lodged deeper, and this time it wasn't coming out. I'm glad I didn't run out and buy a bunch of meds that I don't understand and that would have made no difference anyway. I'm no vet, and nothing will go into my chickens unless it's essential and prescribed by a vet with clear dosage instructions specific to chickens and to her size.

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Blooie said:

Kathy, we've all been there. <sigh> I lost my very favorite hen several weeks ago because I wasn't diligent enough to check for snipped off bits of fencing from building the run and Pearl got a small piece of metal lodged in her throat. It just makes ya sick, doesn't it? When she first had problems, I got some really great advice - and some really bad advice. The most logical thing was that she'd gotten a long strand of grass lodged from when we put grass clippings in the run and as advised I gave her some bread. The goofy noise and head shaking stopped for several days. But then it started up again. I was told to give her antibiotics, even though I didn't know if she had an infection anywhere, to de-worm her, to soak her throat with a hot wet rag, and someone even told me to rub her throat with Vicks. The simplest solution was the bread, and it did work, but after she died we did a chicken-topsy and spotted the tiny bit of wire lodged deep in her throat. The bread probably worked to help push it down and gave her some relief until it lodged deeper, and this time it wasn't coming out. I'm glad I didn't run out and buy a bunch of meds that I don't understand and that would have made no difference anyway. I'm no vet, and nothing will go into my chickens unless it's essential and prescribed by a vet with clear dosage instructions specific to chickens and to her size.

Click to expand...