BEAKERS....

[Stacyoung13]

Beakers is almost 8 months now!!! He is loosing weight though, he was eating on his own for a few months and doing good. This past month he’s not eating on his own, so I’ve been feeding him high protein stuff to put some weight back on him but it don’t seem to be working. I’ve tried egg, oatmeal, peanut butter and mealworm, scratch or feed sandwich. What can I do to put some weight back on him? He doesn’t even hold his tail up anymore, it droops down!! PLEASE, any and all suggestions is very much appreciated!!!

 

[aart]

Backstory here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/beakers-update.1328178/

 

[glassdragonfly]

Do you trim his beak? That might help some. He is a cutie!

 

[Stacyoung13]

Do you trim his beak? That might help some. He is a cutie!

Yeah it gets trimmed about every other week!!

 

[aart]

He's probably slowly starving, you may have to resort to tube feeding.

 

[sourland]

Going by the pictures in your previous thread it looks as if his beak needs some serious trimming and perhaps a cauterization - something that only a veterinarian could do. I agree with @aart that he is most likely slowly starving.

 

[glassdragonfly]

I think I would try tube feeding. Looks like it would be a long term commitment,but might give him enough energy to try on his own again.

 

[Stacyoung13]

He's probably slowly starving, you may have to resort to tube feeding.

I feed him 3 times a day...breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I make sure that his crop is full after each meal, and that it’s empty before feeding. I don’t have a vet any where near me that will take chickens.

 

[aart]

I feed him 3 times a day...breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I make sure that his crop is full after each meal, and that it’s empty before feeding. I don’t have a vet any where near me that will take chickens.

How are you feeding...with a tube?
It must not be enough if he's losing weight.
Are you actually weighing him on a ounce or gram scale?

Not sure a vet could do anything,
this bird is seriously deformed in a way that can't be fixed.

 

[Stacyoung13]

How are you feeding...with a tube?
It must not be enough if he's losing weight.
Are you actually weighing him on a ounce or gram scale?

Not sure a vet could do anything,
this bird is seriously deformed in a way that can't be fixed.

I feed him by hand...I open his mouth and put the food in!! But I think I may have figured out at least part of the problem...I fed him this morning and took him back out to his pen, usually I just put him in there and then leave, today I put him in there and I stood there with him and saw Willow his hatch mate and BFF picking on him and chasing him around the coop so I think a lot of it has to do with him being stressed. I am going to put willow in the bachelor pad for the time being and see if that don’t help Beakers gain a little weight less stress.