Chicken swallowed something! String hanging out of mouth

[907chicken]

Oh man, one of my 6 week old chicks is very sick. I came home and she has string hanging out of her mouth. I tried gently pulling it but it is stuck. And it hurts her when I pull it. She does not look good. The animal clinic said that no one is in to look at her. What should I do.

 

[jerseygirl1]

Well, I don't know, wish I could help!! maybe someone else can chime in - I think pulling it is going to be the onyl way to get it out.

 

[artsyrobin]

k, what i have done in this kind of a situation was to pull gently until there is resistence, then i clip the string- this has happened twice and in both cases the string apparently worked its way through- one think you might look at is if the string is wrapped around the tongue??

 

[Imp]

What a pet owners nightmare. So sorry.

I don't have any experience with this, but maybe some olive oil would help lube everything. But that's just a guess.

Good luck,
Imp

Once I pulled about 15" of string out of a cat. Very slowly.

 

[907chicken]

Yeah the string is wrapped around the tongue. Its a very fine string, thinner than dental floss. I cut some off. but im not sure if its a synthetic fiber or cotton. I cant cut it at the tongue. Its sunk it way to deep. cant unwind it either

 

[Tropical Chickies]

Wish you the best of luck on this. Sorry I am not of any help.

 

[907chicken]

Dangit I ended up cutting the long string I needed to hold her tongue out. I cant reach her tongue now. please give me advice. I know it sounds horrible to think of so soon, but I dont want this girl to suffer for a week. When should I cull or what signs should I watch for?

 

[artsyrobin]

ok, here is what i would do, wrap her in a towel, cover her eyes, probably a 2 person job, get tweezers or forcips and see if you can get either a razor or sharp blade to cut over the thread, since you won't be able to get under the thread- if you cover her eyes with the towel it may keep her calm- there is no vet you can get her in too? tell them she is a pet chicken- maybe that would make a difference

 

[907chicken]

well soon after I cut that string short, I put some olive oil in her mouth, and turned her loose in the run. She acted normal for the rest of the night, She ate, I didnt see her drink. But this morning she is out scratching and pecking with the rest of the chickens. Maybe the string fell off.

 

[artsyrobin]

any chance of looking close at her tongue? it really might have done it- that was a smart idea....