Sugar water isn't a bad idea. Get some meal worms. No chicken can turn those down. They're kind of expensive but they're high in quality protein.
Dog used pullets as a toy.. Help!
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Courtney - Do you think if she can't get meal worms - that she could give some wet cat food? I know it's really high in protein. I've read here somewhere that it's good for sick or stressed birds on a short time basis.
Courtney - Do you think if she can't get meal worms - that she could give some wet cat food? I know it's really high in protein. I've read here somewhere that it's good for sick or stressed birds on a short time basis.
What about yogurt?
I know this might not be practical since she has a sore neck, but my sick baby could never resist an earthworm, even when she wouldn't touch anything else!
I know this might not be practical since she has a sore neck, but my sick baby could never resist an earthworm, even when she wouldn't touch anything else!
. . . or maybe some scrambled eggs? I use it for my pups when they're recuperating, and I know chickens like them too . . . best wishes and hang in there little chickie!!
Quote:
Oh yeah. That's great stuff too. But I've noticed that birds have to get used to it. When the bird learns that it's edible they love it, but initially they're not sure what to think of it. Chickens instinctively like meal worms (if it wiggles it's clearly delicious!). So she wouldn't have a problem with that.
Oh yeah. That's great stuff too. But I've noticed that birds have to get used to it. When the bird learns that it's edible they love it, but initially they're not sure what to think of it. Chickens instinctively like meal worms (if it wiggles it's clearly delicious!). So she wouldn't have a problem with that.
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- #47
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- #48
ok its a no on the cat food. so now I think I should use a sringe. should I put yogurt , mashed up cat food with water, chicken food with water or what? and force it in there? I'm afraid if I don't get somehting into her stomach she will die. So maybe thats just what I should do huh? call up my Gpa and get him to do it for me tomrrow? what do you guys think? HELP
They can go a while without food. As long as she's drinking, it might be better to just give her another day to relax. She's probably still traumatized. If you choose to force feed, it's better and quicker to put the food directly into the crop. Ask your vet for a force feeding tube and a large syringe. Buy some baby parrot formula and mix that according to its directions. You'll need someone to hold her and yourself to feed. Oil the tube with olive oil and hold her neck straight. Slide it down her throat (guesstimate the length, when it won't go any further stop) and push the plunger. And don't worry about getting it in the trachea. The tube will likely be too thick to fit. Repeat as necessary, fill the crop till it slightly bulges. Also, add some electrolytes to the feed, she will have diarrhea on this diet and will need something to help her out.
OK, here is my take. I am an RN, many years.
Furazolidone was outlawed in the US in 1991, but is a valid topical antibactierial agent. I have seen it used on people before 1991, mostly for burns. It worked well. It reduced pain and helped control infection. I think I recall that it was painful when first applied.
Camphorated phenol (brand is Campho Phenique) is a good thing to fight local infection, but a bit rough on tissue. A good product for certain situations. Probably very valuable before other products emerged on the market. I kept it around to put on my fever blisters before I figured out that oral lysine prevented them.
Both the above are old time remedies that most certainly would have helped more than doing nothing, or soap and water, back in the day. I still think Campho Phenique (brand name) is the best thing to put on new body piercings, for them to heal open without infection.
I have no experience with anything like Alushield, but I read the writeup, and it sounds very sensible.
I personally would not force feed a chick, so will not address the do's and don'ts of this. Water is what is critical. I feel if an animal will drink, it will most likely eat when and if it is ready to, that is, if it can survive the problem without expensive intervention. Remember that people can live a month without food but only a few days without water. When people are too sick to eat, IV's that are mostly water, with some sugar and/or electrolytes, are usually given for the short term. There is not a huge difference between standard IV fluids, Gatorade, Pedialyte, and commercial electrolyte solutions. And there is nothing wrong with giving them orally instead of IV. In this situation, I would have used what I had on hand, which would have been diluted Gatorade. Gatorade would give a little of the sugared water effect, along with some electrolytes. Infant liquid vitamins might also help. But the most important factor is the water. I would not give a lot of vitamins, sugar or electrolytes to a severely stressed chick; too much would certainly be worse than none. But in the OP's situation, I would have added some. IF the chick would take them. If it seemed to prefer plain water, I would have given plain water.
Betadine and peroxide both kill new skin cells. But they have their place. The body can grow more skin cells if you can get enough junk out of the way. Peroxide is good for boiling the junk out of a wound, esp. a jagged and/or deep wound, and a diluted Betadine solution is a good disinfectant. I like the tea-colored description of the Betadine dilution. (Don't ever put full strength Betadine on broken skin, on people or animals.) It is not a bad idea to rinse/flush with normal saline after using peroxide or Betadine. On these neck wounds, I might have flushed them with a very dilute Betadine solution, but would most likely have just applied Neosporin, or generic triple antibiotic ointment. This has a vaseline type base. It coats the tissue with an antibiotic and reduces pain. I would probably have tried to move some of the skin back to where it came from, before or after applying the Neosporin, if that was feasible (and if it was still there.) Mostly I would have let the body replace the skin from the open areas with scar tissue, if it could.
Many on BYC say chickens do not tolerate pain relievers in the "caine" group. I had no prior knowledge of this before reading posts on BYC, but certainly do not doubt them! This would include lidocaine, benzocaine, novacaine, cetacaine, and any other ingredient that ends with "caine." (There are many.) I do not know whether Oragel contains a "caine" but would suspect it does.
Well, there is an old nurse's take on it all. I certainly wish the OP well on the recovery of her chick, and hope this has been helpful to someone, somewhere.
Furazolidone was outlawed in the US in 1991, but is a valid topical antibactierial agent. I have seen it used on people before 1991, mostly for burns. It worked well. It reduced pain and helped control infection. I think I recall that it was painful when first applied.
Camphorated phenol (brand is Campho Phenique) is a good thing to fight local infection, but a bit rough on tissue. A good product for certain situations. Probably very valuable before other products emerged on the market. I kept it around to put on my fever blisters before I figured out that oral lysine prevented them.
Both the above are old time remedies that most certainly would have helped more than doing nothing, or soap and water, back in the day. I still think Campho Phenique (brand name) is the best thing to put on new body piercings, for them to heal open without infection.
I have no experience with anything like Alushield, but I read the writeup, and it sounds very sensible.
I personally would not force feed a chick, so will not address the do's and don'ts of this. Water is what is critical. I feel if an animal will drink, it will most likely eat when and if it is ready to, that is, if it can survive the problem without expensive intervention. Remember that people can live a month without food but only a few days without water. When people are too sick to eat, IV's that are mostly water, with some sugar and/or electrolytes, are usually given for the short term. There is not a huge difference between standard IV fluids, Gatorade, Pedialyte, and commercial electrolyte solutions. And there is nothing wrong with giving them orally instead of IV. In this situation, I would have used what I had on hand, which would have been diluted Gatorade. Gatorade would give a little of the sugared water effect, along with some electrolytes. Infant liquid vitamins might also help. But the most important factor is the water. I would not give a lot of vitamins, sugar or electrolytes to a severely stressed chick; too much would certainly be worse than none. But in the OP's situation, I would have added some. IF the chick would take them. If it seemed to prefer plain water, I would have given plain water.
Betadine and peroxide both kill new skin cells. But they have their place. The body can grow more skin cells if you can get enough junk out of the way. Peroxide is good for boiling the junk out of a wound, esp. a jagged and/or deep wound, and a diluted Betadine solution is a good disinfectant. I like the tea-colored description of the Betadine dilution. (Don't ever put full strength Betadine on broken skin, on people or animals.) It is not a bad idea to rinse/flush with normal saline after using peroxide or Betadine. On these neck wounds, I might have flushed them with a very dilute Betadine solution, but would most likely have just applied Neosporin, or generic triple antibiotic ointment. This has a vaseline type base. It coats the tissue with an antibiotic and reduces pain. I would probably have tried to move some of the skin back to where it came from, before or after applying the Neosporin, if that was feasible (and if it was still there.) Mostly I would have let the body replace the skin from the open areas with scar tissue, if it could.
Many on BYC say chickens do not tolerate pain relievers in the "caine" group. I had no prior knowledge of this before reading posts on BYC, but certainly do not doubt them! This would include lidocaine, benzocaine, novacaine, cetacaine, and any other ingredient that ends with "caine." (There are many.) I do not know whether Oragel contains a "caine" but would suspect it does.
Well, there is an old nurse's take on it all. I certainly wish the OP well on the recovery of her chick, and hope this has been helpful to someone, somewhere.
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