Another sick hen..same symptoms

[vantain]

I think most people are afraid of hurting them, and that's why they have problems. Once you realize that restraining them does not hurt them you will be fine. One word of caution though, if her crop is full of liquid be very careful not to put pressure on it since that could cause her to regurgitate and aspirate some of the crop contents.

I guess that is my concern right now. Should I even try to get more water into her, if her crop already seems to have fluid in it?

 

[vantain]

She may be drinking, I can't tell, as I'm not there watching her.

 

[casportpony]

I guess that is my concern right now. Should I even try to get more water into her, if her crop already seems to have fluid in it?

Does her crop feel sloshy or firm?

 

[casportpony]

She may be drinking, I can't tell, as I'm not there watching her.

She really needs to be inside where is warm. I say this because when a bird is sick they will be hypothermic, and when hypothermic, their digestive tract shuts down.

 

[azygous]

One other tip when inserting a feeding tube. Straighten and extend the neck of the chicken and the tube slides right in. Once the tube is in, I hold both the chicken's beak open and the tube with my weak hand while syringing with the strong hand.

If the chicken struggles during the process, keep calm, don't yell, exert firm control over the squirming chicken, then when she calms down, resume tube feeding. Once the chicken knows that struggling isn't going to get her anywhere, she usually calms down, especially after she feels warm food and liquid going into her crop.

With practice, you develop confidence and your chicken will be much calmer when you are confident and calm.

 

[vantain]

Does her crop feel sloshy or firm?

sloshy

 

[casportpony]

sloshy

Can you get her in a warm room? And I'm not joking, 80-85 degrees would be best.

 

[vantain]

She really needs to be inside where is warm. I say this because when a bird is sick they will be hypothermic, and when hypothermic, their digestive tract shuts down.

I can bring her inside, but my concern is more for when/if she gets better and I need to put her back outside. The temperature here are going into the low teens and single digits at night, and I'm not sure how to acclimate her back to that if possible. Otherwise, I'm looking at keeping a chicken in the house till spring...nope

 

[casportpony]

I can bring her inside, but my concern is more for when/if she gets better and I need to put her back outside. The temperature here are going into the low teens and single digits at night, and I'm not sure how to acclimate her back to that if possible. Otherwise, I'm looking at keeping a chicken in the house till spring...nope

Cross that bridge when you get there. IMO, she has no real chance of surviving if kept outside.

 

[vantain]

There's also the issue with reintegrating her back with the other two. I hate winter.