Go team "Tube Feeding!" - Updated 12/29/2019

[sbhkma]

So 240ml for a 4.5 lb chicken sounds about right? I must say, this thread has been a wonderful source of information and without it I am pretty sure my Sophie would be dead. I was terrified of trying to tube feed her, but figured if I didn't try, she wasn't going to make it. There is NO way you can syringe water by the dropper to a bird and get anywhere close to enough fluids in them. After the first couple of times, it became much easier and it only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you to all who have contributed to this superbly helpful thread.

 

[casportpony]

Yeah, 240 ml of fluids sounds good.

 

[sbhkma]

Question: my Sussex is around 4.5 lbs. She stopped eating & drinking a few days ago. I did not notice right away, as I've been distracted with my 29 yr old mare having an upper respiratory infection and wasn't watching them eat & drink and her coop mate was eating/drinking so I assumed she was as well. As soon as I noticed she was losing weight I brought her in the house thinking perhaps it was this hellish 100+ heat day after day after day. She ate some cold green grapes, picked at some watermelon. Then later that day lost interest in even that. I started giving her droppers of water and some nutri-drench, but realized this wasn't going to work. Yesterday I started tubing her. I gave her 35ml of electrolyte water every 90 minutes or so then after the third time, I added a small amount of 24% protein show/gamebird feed to the water-it was a very thin mixture. This morning she was looking a bit better, her droppings had gone from watery green, to watery, to semi-watery brown. I got some Kaytee baby bird food and added 20 grams to 55ml water and 1ml of nutri-drench. 3 hours later I repeated this. 4 hours later I went to feed her again and I noticed she still had a half-full crop so I only gave her about 30ml. Her crop does not feel squishy or hard, it feels normal. Her breath smells fine. Is this typical from being dehydrated? Anything else I need to do or watch for?

 

[casportpony]

Slow crops are common in ill birds.

 

[sbhkma]

Ok thanks for that. I should reduce the amount I'm feeding her then and just watch the crop so I can feed her appropriately I assume? I'm feeding her at 8am, noon, 4pm and 7pm. I work from home, have chickens horses dogs and cats.. so my ranch is my life LOL. If I'm not home, I'm either at the feed store or getting groceries.

 

[casportpony]

Ok thanks for that. I should reduce the amount I'm feeding her then and just watch the crop so I can feed her appropriately I assume? I'm feeding her at 8am, noon, 4pm and 7pm. I work from home, have chickens horses dogs and cats.. so my ranch is my life LOL. If I'm not home, I'm either at the feed store or getting groceries.

Maybe reduce to three feedings a day, and give just water at night?

 

[sbhkma]

Sounds like a plan

 

[casportpony]

Can you have a vet check the poop for bacteria, worms, etc?

 

[sbhkma]

I'll ask him. I just dewormed with valbazen a month ago - two treatments 10 days apart. Vet said lots of birds having problems right now between awful heat and some bug going around. Recommended I use oxytetracycline, which I'd been doing. But Sophie was not improving. Other birds are fine. So she's in my master bath in a giant fold up dog crate (my chicken hospital) so I can feed her and watch her. She has reggae music on from sunup to sundown...It's her favorite.

 

[sbhkma]

Note: Sophie is my phoenix chicken. 4 years ago a coyote grabbed her. My rat terrier and one of my german shepherds hit that coyote like a train. He dropped Sophie and tried to run. They beat the crap out of him and then I called them off so he could run back to the pack and tell them "ain't worth it here, guys!". She had some awful wounds on her back and side. Almost 2 months in my chicken hospital with lots of care (gotta love Vetericyn gel) and lots of reggae music and she was back with the flock. A year later, she got stepped on by one of my horses, broke her toe. Spent another month in the infirmary, lost the end of the toe but recovered just fine. I thought about putting her in a padded room at that point. I got in the habit of sitting and reading to her when she's recuperating. She's kinda special, that one. .... Like a special needs kid!