Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[lightm]

I tried my best taking butt pictures today.

Poopy

Molting butt from Inky

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

I just pet a wild deer

 

[lightm]

Today I tried tube feeding Butters and part way in she really objected. Also, the syringe plunger was very stiff, so I had lubricated it all inside with coconut oil and that worked for awhile but then the warm liquid melted it off and it got stiff again. The syringe and tube set I ordered for backups don't fit together. The red tube syringe end is way too big for the tiny nozzle of the syringe and doesn't stay on!

So I decided to try to syringe feed her at least a little bit. Switched to a 3ml size syringe, and guessed at how to do it, but it worked out with a change in hand positioning - I slowly dripped about 1 to 1 1/2 ml of the liquid feed into the front of her open lower beak, then let her beak go. She seemed to be breathing okay between doses. It would go down, then I'd let her go, she would "smack" her beak some like she was clearing what was left in her mouth maybe. She seemed much calmer. I might have gotten maybe 10 ml into her; I could feel her crop bulge a bit. I might try it with a thicker feed mix next time, and /or some honey/sugar water for the liquid, to try to maximize the calories.

I am frankly not expecting her to live but I'm trying to give her a chance with some hydration and calories to see if she'll rally. It is so much like a starvation molt. The vet herself wrote in our latest exchange that she is guessing the problem is a heart or kidneys issue as the root cause of loss of appetite - and the resulting poor nutrition causing her inability to replace her shaggy feathers. So it sounds like it's similar to a starvation molt in effect, but brought on by an organ failure. Her blood work did not point to anything conclusive except her liver seems to be normal so that isn't a suspected culprit. The vet recommended to try to support her as I've been doing.

It sounds like you are doing really good with the syringe feeding. I hope the nutrient will perk her up, or at least make her a lot more comfortable.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

 

[featherhead007]

I hear the ticking of the clock Tick, tick, tick

 

[RoyalChick]

Today I tried tube feeding Butters and part way in she really objected. Also, the syringe plunger was very stiff, so I had lubricated it all inside with coconut oil and that worked for awhile but then the warm liquid melted it off and it got stiff again. The syringe and tube set I ordered for backups don't fit together. The red tube syringe end is way too big for the tiny nozzle of the syringe and doesn't stay on!

So I decided to try to syringe feed her at least a little bit. Switched to a 3ml size syringe, and guessed at how to do it, but it worked out with a change in hand positioning - I slowly dripped about 1 to 1 1/2 ml of the liquid feed into the front of her open lower beak, then let her beak go. She seemed to be breathing okay between doses. It would go down, then I'd let her go, she would "smack" her beak some like she was clearing what was left in her mouth maybe. She seemed much calmer. I might have gotten maybe 10 ml into her; I could feel her crop bulge a bit. I might try it with a thicker feed mix next time, and /or some honey/sugar water for the liquid, to try to maximize the calories.

I am frankly not expecting her to live but I'm trying to give her a chance with some hydration and calories to see if she'll rally. It is so much like a starvation molt. The vet herself wrote in our latest exchange that she is guessing the problem is a heart or kidneys issue as the root cause of loss of appetite - and the resulting poor nutrition causing her inability to replace her shaggy feathers. So it sounds like it's similar to a starvation molt in effect, but brought on by an organ failure. Her blood work did not point to anything conclusive except her liver seems to be normal so that isn't a suspected culprit. The vet recommended to try to support her as I've been doing.

I am so sorry. Big hugs for both of you.


If you think you are now at the stage of palliative care, you could keep her energy levels up using honey water, Nutridrench, or Gatorade all of which she might drink on her own without the tube or syringe.

I will do a separate post on tube feeding supplies for anyone who wants to keep things in stock.
The stiff syringe is a common problem when you reuse syringes. They are manufactured for single use and the rubber ring wears out after 2-4 uses.

 

[LhickenChicken]

The princess Owly herself. There was some doubt early on with her being a girl or boy. Not anymore, this is a pullet I am sure of it.
View attachment 3591064View attachment 3591067View attachment 3591069View attachment 3591070

That is most definitely a pullet. So are my two muffed and bearded EEs, Muffin and Aurora.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

It sounds like you are doing really good with the syringe feeding. I hope the nutrient will perk her up, or at least make her a lot more comfortable.

Thank you, I need to read up on it to learn more. One thing about your experience with the plunger getting stiff although easy out of her - you might be going in just a bit too far and it’s pushing against the crop wall?

@RoyalChick Yes, I would greatly appreciate your recommendation with exactly what to get in tube feeding supplies!

 

[Ponypoor]

I think we all know what sort of fluff is coming from my place todayView attachment 3591487Day 1 off the nest (sneaky fluff attempting to head back to it)

View attachment 3591488"Cotton balls" day 2

View attachment 3591486After many just off pics, Mama Storm's full spread

OMG they are so tiny! Esp when she is all puffed up like that

What a perfect little family - I will be most interested to see what colours they eventually get.

 

[RoyalChick]

Tube feeding supplies

In case helpful to anyone here are what I found to be the best tube feeding supplies:

Catheter/Tube
People improvise with all sorts of tubing they have around the house but I think it is better to have something that is made with a smooth tip so it doesn't hurt the chicken as it goes down.
If you buy a tube feeding kit they will often come with a red tube that is 14Fr gauge (Fr stands for French which is one very common standard for measuring catheters - the bigger the number the bigger the tube).
I found the 14Fr tubes to be too small (made it harder to push in the feed and easier for a small movement of my hands to end up pulling it out of place, also harder to feel you have it in the right place).
I was advised to use a urinary catheter (for people) - these are commonly available from medical supply companies, Amazon and some pharmacies. A typical size is 16Fr.
Personally I found the whole process less stressful for me and the chicken by using a colonic irrigation catheter used for giving coffee enemas (I have no idea what that is, but it is enough of a 'thing' to be able to source the catheters easily on Amazon). I found a 20Fr or even 22Fr colonic tube to be by far the easiest to use and allowed me to give the feed very fast.
I have never Tube fed a baby chick so all the above applies to fully feathered chickens!

Syringe
You want a syringe that you can just slip the tube on. Called a 'catheter tip'.
Avoid a 'Luer Lock' end which requires the tube to be screwed on (which it won't do), and a Luer slip tip can work, but depending on size may be too small to fit the tubing..

A good size syringe allows you to give the full dose of feed without much fuss (think 3 seconds). I was using 50ml or 60ml syringes to give only 30ml feeds because I couldn't find 30ml syringes.

It is a very common problem for the syringe to get very stiff and almost impossible to plunge after a few uses. They are made for single use and the rubber gasket becomes worn after 2-3 uses. I think 5 was the most I ever got out of a syringe.

However, there is a type of syringe called an O-ring syringe which uses a silicone O-ring instead of a rubber gasket and that is much easier to plunge and as far as I can tell is reusable many, many, many times. I found mine on line at a squirrel rescue - he seems out of stock at the moment but I think Amazon may carry them.

Alternatively just be ready to use up a bunch of 50ml syringes!

Food
There are several rehabilitation foods available. They are typically powders that you mix with water until the mixture is goopy enough to go easily through the tube. I started making it too firm - in the end I found a gruel like consistency to work best.
The brand I used and I think @micstrachan does too is Kaytee - which is specifically formulated for birds.
It is quite expensive and has a shortish shelf-life. I freeze the powder so I can keep it longer.

Finally, on BYC and on YouTube there are a number of very good videos and explanations of how to insert the tube and make sure you do not risk aspiration in your bird. With practice I found inserting a tube to be relatively easy and well tolerated.

Hope this helps.

EDITED: to correct the type of syringe tip to look for

Tax - they are taking over