Can a chicken eat Kaytee Exact Baby Bird Food long term?

[Sutremaine]

Yes I have [tried wetted feed], and the little stinker refuses it.

Freshly wet feed doesn't have the same texture as something that's been sitting a little longer (compare cashews cooked in a curry to cashews dropped from the packet into a cooked curry). If you wanted a super-smooth mixture, you could make up a mash, leave it overnight, and then hit it with a blender. It wouldn't have to ferment overnight, just soak. I rather suspect you'll have to get your own blender if you want to dunk it in something fermented.

Even if you keep the mash in the fridge overnight, add a dash of vinegar. Nothing much will happen to a fresh mix, but you want it to happen in a mildly acidic environment.

 

[Chickenchick11]

Freshly wet feed doesn't have the same texture as something that's been sitting a little longer (compare cashews cooked in a curry to cashews dropped from the packet into a cooked curry). If you wanted a super-smooth mixture, you could make up a mash, leave it overnight, and then hit it with a blender. It wouldn't have to ferment overnight, just soak. I rather suspect you'll have to get your own blender if you want to dunk it in something fermented.

Even if you keep the mash in the fridge overnight, add a dash of vinegar. Nothing much will happen to a fresh mix, but you want it to happen in a mildly acidic environment.

That is very true about the wet feed, I've never really thought about it before.

We hit a roadblock again with Jill. She's been acting unwell for the past four days, she started acting unwell after I gave her the spice mixture @TwoCrows recommended, hopefully that was just a coincidence though. Her crop had become slow I believe, as it was very full and squishy, but I didn't smell anything unusual in her breath so I don't believe it was sour yet. She had also been vomiting a lot. Then on Tuesday her crop had gone down and her appetite had returned, so I mixed up a very small amount of the Kaytee Baby Bird Food and fed it to her. About 15 minutes later she proceeded to vomit it up. And that has been the case since Tuesday, whenever and whatever I feed her she vomits right up, including water. I'm worried as she's becoming quite skinny again, and I don't want her to become dehydrated since she vomits up everything she eats/drinks. She's perky though, and follows my mom and me around the kitchen, watching us and begging us for treats.

She's the very sweetest chicken I've ever met, but I can't help feeling like I'm running out of hope and options for her. I will just die on the inside if she dies. I'm going to try either taking off her crop bra or loosening it tomorrow and see if that helps. Does anyone have any idea what could be wrong with my sweet little Jill?

 

[Jensownzoo]

Is a veterinary visit out of the question? I feel like it has definitely reached that point.

 

[Chickenchick11]

Is a veterinary visit out of the question? I feel like it has definitely reached that point.

I've brought her to the vet before, back when her crop was first pendulous. Right now I believe a vet visit is out of the question though. First, the vet near us doesn't specialize in birds, so when I brought a different bird in a while back she was just guessing about what was wrong, so I don't feel like she'll know what to do with Jill. Second, money's tight right now because my dad's been laid off from his job.

 

[Jensownzoo]

Well, the spice mixture contains ingredients that can be mildly irritating to the mucous membranes. Not an issue in the average bird, but if it sat in the crop for an extended period, it might have had an exaggerated effect, particularly since Jill's crop hasn't been normal for 6+ months--who knows how messed up the lining of her crop is?

That being said, her main issue isn't the spices, it's her abnormal crop. There's two main reasons why a chicken will start regurgitating: (1) there's a blockage somewhere in the GI system that won't allow things to move through normally, so it has to exit the other way and (2) abnromal crop motility.

I think it is almost certainly the second reason in Jill's case. A pendulous crop already means the musculature is abnormal. It may be that her condition is progressivly degenerative--meaning it will only get worse. If that's the case, you will find yourself having to make a very hard decision one day.

Okay, but in the meantime, let's see if we can get Jill over this bump in the road, shall we? Obviously she can't keep down any significant quantities of food or fluid. The fluid is the most important part, so let's hold off on anything solid until she can keep that down. I would like you to give her a liquid that contains electrolytes and a little bit of sugar. People around here seem to really like Nutri-drench, so if you can get that great. If you can't there are other poultry options. In a pinch, you can use unflavored pedialyte. Use a dropper or syringe and just give her a little bit of it at a time, but do it really often. If she regurgitates it, back off on either the amount or the frequency. If she seems to be keeping it down really well, then increase it. Eventually we hope to work up to a really watery version of that Kaytee stuff, but that depends on her response.

 

[Chickenchick11]

Well, the spice mixture contains ingredients that can be mildly irritating to the mucous membranes. Not an issue in the average bird, but if it sat in the crop for an extended period, it might have had an exaggerated effect, particularly since Jill's crop hasn't been normal for 6+ months--who knows how messed up the lining of her crop is?

That being said, her main issue isn't the spices, it's her abnormal crop. There's two main reasons why a chicken will start regurgitating: (1) there's a blockage somewhere in the GI system that won't allow things to move through normally, so it has to exit the other way and (2) abnromal crop motility.

I think it is almost certainly the second reason in Jill's case. A pendulous crop already means the musculature is abnormal. It may be that her condition is progressivly degenerative--meaning it will only get worse. If that's the case, you will find yourself having to make a very hard decision one day.

Okay, but in the meantime, let's see if we can get Jill over this bump in the road, shall we? Obviously she can't keep down any significant quantities of food or fluid. The fluid is the most important part, so let's hold off on anything solid until she can keep that down. I would like you to give her a liquid that contains electrolytes and a little bit of sugar. People around here seem to really like Nutri-drench, so if you can get that great. If you can't there are other poultry options. In a pinch, you can use unflavored pedialyte. Use a dropper or syringe and just give her a little bit of it at a time, but do it really often. If she regurgitates it, back off on either the amount or the frequency. If she seems to be keeping it down really well, then increase it. Eventually we hope to work up to a really watery version of that Kaytee stuff, but that depends on her response.

Okay, that sounds good. She's only vomited once today so far, which is a improvement from yesterday. She was walking around the kitchen and begging me for food, so I caved and made a little bit of baby bird food for her, which she gobbled up. When she vomited it was only yellowish tinged liquid, no food, which I'm hoping is a good thing. She has diarrhea, but it's brown and white, not the typical green starvation poo, so something must be going through her.

 

[TwoCrows]

Well, the spice mixture contains ingredients that can be mildly irritating to the mucous membranes. Not an issue in the average bird, but if it sat in the crop for an extended period, it might have had an exaggerated effect, particularly since Jill's crop hasn't been normal for 6+ months--who knows how messed up the lining of her crop is?

That being said, her main issue isn't the spices, it's her abnormal crop. There's two main reasons why a chicken will start regurgitating: (1) there's a blockage somewhere in the GI system that won't allow things to move through normally, so it has to exit the other way and (2) abnromal crop motility.

I think it is almost certainly the second reason in Jill's case. A pendulous crop already means the musculature is abnormal. It may be that her condition is progressivly degenerative--meaning it will only get worse. If that's the case, you will find yourself having to make a very hard decision one day.

Okay, but in the meantime, let's see if we can get Jill over this bump in the road, shall we? Obviously she can't keep down any significant quantities of food or fluid. The fluid is the most important part, so let's hold off on anything solid until she can keep that down. I would like you to give her a liquid that contains electrolytes and a little bit of sugar. People around here seem to really like Nutri-drench, so if you can get that great. If you can't there are other poultry options. In a pinch, you can use unflavored pedialyte. Use a dropper or syringe and just give her a little bit of it at a time, but do it really often. If she regurgitates it, back off on either the amount or the frequency. If she seems to be keeping it down really well, then increase it. Eventually we hope to work up to a really watery version of that Kaytee stuff, but that depends on her response.

Okay, that sounds good. She's only vomited once today so far, which is a improvement from yesterday. She was walking around the kitchen and begging me for food, so I caved and made a little bit of baby bird food for her, which she gobbled up. When she vomited it was only yellowish tinged liquid, no food, which I'm hoping is a good thing. She has diarrhea, but it's brown and white, not the typical green starvation poo, so something must be going through her.

Bella, how is she doing these days? Stop with the spice mix since it isnt helping anything. Have you tried probiotics? And not just yogurt, but I mean full strength what you might put in a quart, right down her throat? Lots of reasons a crop can become slow from internal infection, intestinal inpactions or infections, dehydration, not enough good bacteria, cancer or tumors, internal layng, water on the belly, etc... Since you say her poop in normal, I doubt she has intestinal infections or impactions..both of these would cause green poop.

Since she has had a lot of baking soda run through her, make sure she is hydrated enough. And maybe full strength powdered probiotics down the beak once a day wirh a lot of water and see if that gets things moving. Check her belly to see if it is squishy, (compare hers to the others) maybe do an internal exam through the vent. Sometimes you can feel tumors.

 

[Chickenchick11]

Bella, how is she doing these days? Stop with the spice mix since it isnt helping anything. Have you tried probiotics? And not just yogurt, but I mean full strength what you might put in a quart, right down her throat? Lots of reasons a crop can become slow from internal infection, intestinal inpactions or infections, dehydration, not enough good bacteria, cancer or tumors, internal layng, water on the belly, etc... Since you say her poop in normal, I doubt she has intestinal infections or impactions..both of these would cause green poop.

Since she has had a lot of baking soda run through her, make sure she is hydrated enough. And maybe full strength powdered probiotics down the beak once a day wirh a lot of water and see if that gets things moving. Check her belly to see if it is squishy, (compare hers to the others) maybe do an internal exam through the vent. Sometimes you can feel tumors.

Hi Leyla. She's doing alright. Don't worry, I only gave her the spice mix once. Yes, I have, I've given her a a human probiotics capsule every few days. She's been drinking plenty, and I've been giving her electrolytes in her water every three days. Her belly seems fine, but I haven't done a vent check yet, my mom's bringing my sister to choir practice right now so I don't have anyone to hold her for me while I check.

 

[TwoCrows]

Bella, how is she doing these days? Stop with the spice mix since it isnt helping anything. Have you tried probiotics? And not just yogurt, but I mean full strength what you might put in a quart, right down her throat? Lots of reasons a crop can become slow from internal infection, intestinal inpactions or infections, dehydration, not enough good bacteria, cancer or tumors, internal layng, water on the belly, etc... Since you say her poop in normal, I doubt she has intestinal infections or impactions..both of these would cause green poop.

Since she has had a lot of baking soda run through her, make sure she is hydrated enough. And maybe full strength powdered probiotics down the beak once a day wirh a lot of water and see if that gets things moving. Check her belly to see if it is squishy, (compare hers to the others) maybe do an internal exam through the vent. Sometimes you can feel tumors.

Hi Leyla. She's doing alright. Don't worry, I only gave her the spice mix once. Yes, I have, I've given her a a human probiotics capsule every few days. She's been drinking plenty, and I've been giving her electrolytes in her water every three days. Her belly seems fine, but I haven't done a vent check yet, my mom's bringing my sister to choir practice right now so I don't have anyone to hold her for me while I check.

I think you said you wormed your flock recently? Worms and egg binding will slow a crop. I doubt this is egg binding since she has been slow in the crop so long. She could have eaten something she shouldnt have and it is blocking her gizzard? Just throwing thoughts out there.

 

[Chickenchick11]

I think you said you wormed your flock recently? Worms and egg binding will slow a crop. I doubt this is egg binding since she has been slow in the crop so long. She could have eaten something she shouldnt have and it is blocking her gizzard? Just throwing thoughts out there.

Yes, all my chickens were wormed in September, and Jill was wormed an additional time in January. I agree, she also hasn't laid an egg since October. She may have, I've tried to only let her have soft treats like a fried egg or cooked carrots, but my dad doesn't seem to understand that she can't have hard foods, and has given her things like celery or cooked chicken a few times.