Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Uprooted
Phyllis decided this Pansy plant had no right to live in her flower box.

 

[BY Bob]

3 Years Ago Today

Ned & Lucky

2fer Tuesday

Individuals

 

[BY Bob]

3 Years Ago Today

Ned & Lucky

2fer Tuesday
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Individuals
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@ManueB and @RoyalChick. You may have missed this.

 

[featherhead007]

How did you ever get spell check to approve that word? Is that now added to your dictionary?

Spell check tax
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I only made that word up for that post only. Never again will it be used for cognitive speech!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Did you do the tube insertion at the vets? I fell I would be ok doing it but the bird in question is hard to get her ‘mouth’ open!

Draining the abdomen could yes be potentially fatal but if it’s needing to be done, then worth the risk.

No, I did it yesterday early evening after following them out and about in the afternoon and seeing Butters not improved with eating, though I think she might occasionally be eating tiny, tiny somethings she finds. She will uncover a worm and ignore it, or manipulate it multiple times as if to eat it and then leave it. I am suspecting the worst frankly, with the combination of her persistent shredded feathers and this behavior and she is standing about hunched today, not looking happy at all. I don’t see any further evidence that feathers are getting pushed out and new ones coming in.

I too have had issues when giving pills or bread balls with meds, getting the beak open, and my strategy has been just to be as quick as possible. Can’t do that here, everything needs to be steady and straight. I copied what the vet did.

She was gentle in beginning to hold the head in position with one hand, with her other hand beginning to pry open the beak. She somewhat accommodated Butters squirming her head down 2-3 times, then resumed. She used the free hand to pry open the beak and the other’s thumb and first finger sort of wrapped around her neck and lower head to get into the corners of her beak and hold in there to keep it open. She was progressively firmer about it, and especially in keeping Butters’ head /neck extended some, not greatly, but you want a straight path, by keeping the arm holding her head flexed and stiff. I think this gentle but firm persistence sort of taught Butters how to comply, and maybe did a bit of desensitizing.

She mentioned how you can feel the tube going down when it is correctly placed. I thought I felt that on my second try when the tube became disconnected from the plunger part. I didn’t feel it on the third and last try, but did feel the tube to the right of her trachea, confirming the trachea with a massage of the skin to feel the rings and the tube smaller and smooth close to it, about an eighth of an inch away. That was good confirmation because I could not see into her mouth properly with my very good light because the tube was crossing from left to right.

Lastly I did the plunger very slowly at first, listening for her breathing and any noises she made, and if she was feeling anything bad happening. I don’t know if you could know if you’re aspirating then, but I hoped for a clue. Soon I felt her crop with my right hand and felt a little stuff in there. At that point I more firmly and steadily pushed the plunger, which got stiff with the Exact being a bit too thick in places, finished and pulled the tube out and released her.

 

[featherhead007]

Mr Penne the little brat….

This morning he actually came into my office/feed room and decided the latch onto my foot/ankle and wouldn’t let go!

He did that last night also to Misty when I was trying to get everyone to bed, he hopped down off the roosting ledge and grabbed her by the back and wouldn’t let go, I needed the broom to get him to stop!

He is a devil compared to Mr Rico and Mr P hasn’t done anything with him yet.

All Right RICO !

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Kudos to you on the tube feeding. That is something I have not had to do and hope I never have to. Although Mrs BY Bob has trached many a human.

I keep hearing more stories of hens starving themselves while molting. What I don't get is how the hens would survive in the wild? How has it developed such that they would starve themselves while molting? There must be something else we are not providing that they want. Whatever could it be?

Thanks, and I’m not crazy about it either.
Do birds in the wild really go through a starvation? It may be that we have caused this problem in domestic hens through the breeding? Some starvation / lessening of calories and change in diet seems like it could help reset the birds metabolism, but real starvation doesn’t seem right.

I’m sorry you had to make that difficult decision, but I’m sure it was the right one. Great job with Butters. Does the vet have an idea why she is so thin?

Neither vet who has laid eyes on her, (and both look young to me) has expressed any ideas on what else could be going on except that sometimes when they go “off their feed” with molting, or maybe any other reason, tube feeding can jumpstart things. Doctors can be sort of closed-mouth, but I’m not sure if that is the case here or if they would hold back. And are they experienced enough to mention cases like this? I’d like to know the whole panoply of what could be going on, let me have all the information, it won’t panic me….

 

[RoyalChick]

3 Years Ago Today

Ned & Lucky

2fer Tuesday
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Individuals
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Oh Lord I had forgotten how totally adorable they were!

 

[featherhead007]

These two, a year ago:
RIP Arizona

 

[RoyalChick]

No, I did it yesterday early evening after following them out and about in the afternoon and seeing Butters not improved with eating, though I think she might occasionally be eating tiny, tiny somethings she finds. She will uncover a worm and ignore it, or manipulate it multiple times as if to eat it and then leave it. I am suspecting the worst frankly, with the combination of her persistent shredded feathers and this behavior and she is standing about hunched today, not looking happy at all. I don’t see any further evidence that feathers are getting pushed out and new ones coming in.

I too have had issues when giving pills or bread balls with meds, getting the beak open, and my strategy has been just to be as quick as possible. Can’t do that here, everything needs to be steady and straight. I copied what the vet did.

She was gentle in beginning to hold the head in position with one hand, with her other hand beginning to pry open the beak. She somewhat accommodated Butters squirming her head down 2-3 times, then resumed. She used the free hand to pry open the beak and the other’s thumb and first finger sort of wrapped around her neck and lower head to get into the corners of her beak and hold in there to keep it open. She was progressively firmer about it, and especially in keeping Butters’ head /neck extended some, not greatly, but you want a straight path, by keeping the arm holding her head flexed and stiff. I think this gentle but firm persistence sort of taught Butters how to comply, and maybe did a bit of desensitizing.

She mentioned how you can feel the tube going down when it is correctly placed. I thought I felt that on my second try when the tube became disconnected from the plunger part. I didn’t feel it on the third and last try, but did feel the tube to the right of her trachea, confirming the trachea with a massage of the skin to feel the rings and the tube smaller and smooth close to it, about an eighth of an inch away. That was good confirmation because I could not see into her mouth properly with my very good light because the tube was crossing from left to right.

Lastly I did the plunger very slowly at first, listening for her breathing and any noises she made, and if she was feeling anything bad happening. I don’t know if you could know if you’re aspirating then, but I hoped for a clue. Soon I felt her crop with my right hand and felt a little stuff in there. At that point I more firmly and steadily pushed the plunger, which got stiff with the Exact being a bit too thick in places, finished and pulled the tube out and released her.

So sorry Butters is feeling poorly.
I have found a headlamp really useful when tube feeding or direct dosing medication with a syringe. You can see it go down the correct hole.
I haven't had an issue with pills - they seem to swallow what I put in their mouth - unlike the cats who pretend to have swallowed it and then spit it back in your face when you lean in for a snuggle!