Dumb chicken swallows rope

[SallyF]

I have now appointed my DH as resident Ch. E. (chicken engineer) He is a Navy retiree also trained as an EMT. For some reason our oldest hen and dependable yearly broody decided to eat a piece of rope she found in the yard. I found her sitting in the dog house with about 12 inches of 1/4" rope hanging from her beak, the other 10-12 inches down her gullet. I couldn't pull it out. So I carried her up onto the porch where my resident Ch. E. was sitting and showed him what had happened. He immediately went for a dropper and a bottle of canola oil. After putting about 6 cc of canola down her gullet and tipping her head back, we were able to pull the rope out. It had a big knot on the end, which had probably been in her crop. (My Ch.E. called this a reverse intubation) Said chicken was last observed eating scratch in the run and drinking water. I think she'll make it, due to the Ch. E's EMT training. One should always have a resident EMT when raising chickens.

 

[artsyrobin]

that is awesome- i have had to cut string at the beak line and hope they digest it- always afraid to pull it out- so did she give him a dirty look? or a hug??

 

[SallyF]

She looked a little bug-eyed, but she didn't struggle as we were pulling it out. We had her head tipped so that her beak was pointing straight up and I think that helped. yeah, I was afraid that her crop would come out with it, but everything seemed fine. If it had been a thin string, I think I would have just cut it and let nature take it's course, but it was a two-foot piece of 1/4" nylon rope with a knot at the end (that's the part she swallowed first, of course). She's fine today, out bug-hunting with all the other hens.

 

[StupidBird]

dang!

 

[gryeyes]

"Dang!" is right! *shaking head in amazement*

Thank goodness for EMTs, huh? (I'm a "lapsed" EMT - rather like a lapsed Baptist, I think. God probably wouldn't be on my side if *I* attempted such a maneuver.)

Congrats on the save!

 

[crtrlovr]

nice save!!

 

[crtrlovr]

Quote:
another lapsed EMT here... was licensed in one state, then moved to Louisiana when I married DH and let it expire.