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

[palolo]

This is really good info I'm currently tube feeding a sick chicken, I'm currently feeding her the exact baby bird food with cat food in a blender and strained. I'm guessing i may have to graduate to the larger tube and give her a thicker mixture. Any suggestions out there. It's been almost one week.

 

[Snowingamanda]

Hi, some wonderful BYC members directed me to this thread and it’s super helpful, thank you!
I got the tube feeding down but still can’t figure out hydration. Can someone help?
The chick is 3.5 mo, weighs 253 grams. Can’t stand, can’t hold her head, can’t swallow. I’ve been feeding her 6 cc Katie’s bird formula everybody 2-4 hours.
Yesterday vet hydrated her subcutaneously. I got the supplies to do it but i don’t want the dosage/frequency and when to switch from IV to Tubefeeding water. Thank you!!

 

[casportpony]

Hi, some wonderful BYC members directed me to this thread and it’s super helpful, thank you!
I got the tube feeding down but still can’t figure out hydration. Can someone help?
The chick is 3.5 mo, weighs 253 grams. Can’t stand, can’t hold her head, can’t swallow. I’ve been feeding her 6 cc Katie’s bird formula everybody 2-4 hours.
Yesterday vet hydrated her subcutaneously. I got the supplies to do it but i don’t want the dosage/frequency and when to switch from IV to Tubefeeding water. Thank you!!

The vet that treated your chick should be able too tell you exactly what to do. Can you call them and ask?

 

[Snowingamanda]

The vet that treated your chick should be able too tell you exactly what to do. Can you call them and ask?

Yes, I did in the morning. He said give her 10cc fluids daily and continue feeding whatever Im feeding and mediating however I’m medicating. This isn’t too detailed of a response, so I wanted to double-check with others...

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

My DD and I had a traumatic attempt at tube feeding a rooster tonight. We have a 1.5 yr Ameraucana rooster that lives in a bachelor pad. We missed that he had developed a bad mite infestation until he was attacked by the other roos. He wasn’t seriously injured by them so I’m guessing that his lack of appetite and weakness is from blood loss due to mites. Mites have been treated and he’s in the garage for 2 days, but not eating or drinking that I can see. So, decided to start tube feed with 30 mL Gatorade with 1 ml Nutridrench and 1 scoop Emeraid powder. Used 12 Fr catheter with 35 cc syringe. Measured and marked tube to base of neck (about 9 in). DD held bird who fought the process while I advanced tube and kept neck stretched and head up. I thought I could feel tube in right side of neck, plus could hear breathing, which I thought would be impossible around a tube of this size if it was in the trachea. However, I did keep wanting another hand to palpate tube better. I had given about 25 mL when roo became agitated and I saw fluid in mouth. We pulled the tube, and he flung his neck then hung his head and some fluid ( few ml) came out of mouth, with respiratory sounds of fluid in trachea. We put him back in his cage and he’s still alive. I’m not sure if I managed to tube his lung or if I didn’t get the tube into the crop so he regurgitated from esophagus and aspirated. Months ago, I had difficulty tubing a sick hen, where I felt there was resistance to getting the tube fully into crop. I have a 16 and 28 tube also. If he survives the night, and DD actually lets me tube him again tomorrow (shudder), any suggestions to do this better? Thank you.

 

[casportpony]

@Mixed flock enthusiast, sorry to hear your too isn't feeling well. How much does he weigh?

This is something I wrote for someone else that had the same thing happen.

"As you insert the tube you should be able to feel it going down on the right side of the birds neck into the crop. Once the tube is inserted you should also be able to feel it in the crop. The tube is correctly placed if you can feel the end of the tube in the crop.

A few things can cause the bird to vomit food.
1. Over filling
2. Filling too fast
3. Tube not down far enough
4. Some sick birds can't hold very much
5. Pressure on crop from towel wrap or handling"

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

@Mixed flock enthusiast, sorry to hear your too isn't feeling well. How much does he weigh?

This is something I wrote for someone else that had the same thing happen.

"As you insert the tube you should be able to feel it going down on the right side of the birds neck into the crop. Once the tube is inserted you should also be able to feel it in the crop. The tube is correctly placed if you can feel the end of the tube in the crop.

A few things can cause the bird to vomit food.
1. Over filling
2. Filling too fast
3. Tube not down far enough
4. Some sick birds can't hold very much
5. Pressure on crop from towel wrap or handling"

Thanks for responding! He’s still alive and doesn’t look worse. I’m having a hard time finding his crop, because it’s empty I presume. I did think that I could feel the tube in the neck, but he has a lot of dense and some pin feathers (Molting) and is fighting us so it’s hard for me to tell. I think that if I want to feel the tube in the crop, I’ll need to disconnect the syringe from the tube; I just didn’t have enough hands for everything. If I do that, then I’ll be injecting a fair amount of air... I haven’t weighed him but can weigh today. He’s about 3 kg, so the volume was low; it was more a test to see how it would go. Speed of delivery was not too high. Even though he’s a bird who will normally eat out of our hands, he’s been stressed in our garage and acting quite afraid of us. When he stresses, he is hanging his head, eyes closed, open mouth breathing, and acting like he is dying, so we have been minimizing handling, keeping his cage partially covered, etc. So, I think that our problems were probably from the tube not inserted far enough to reach into the crop and stress of the roo. How bad is air delivered to the crop? I wish I could convince him not to stress so much... I’m guessing that anemia (from blood loss due to mites) and dehydration are part of why he responds so poorly when stressed.

 

[casportpony]

I’m having a hard time finding his crop, because it’s empty I presume. I did think that I could feel the tube in the neck, but he has a lot of dense and some pin feathers (Molting) and is fighting us so it’s hard for me to tell.

A 12 french is pretty skinny, so it will be harder to feel. When I use a skinny tube like this I gently squeeze both sides of the neck about 4" down from the head and slide the tube up and down. If I feel it move, I know it's in the esophagus.

I think that if I want to feel the tube in the crop, I’ll need to disconnect the syringe from the tube; I just didn’t have enough hands for everything. If I do that, then I’ll be injecting a fair amount of air...

Okay to disconnect. Don't worry about the air.

I haven’t weighed him but can weigh today. He’s about 3 kg, so the volume was low; it was more a test to see how it would go.

At 3kg he should be able to tolerate a lot, but maybe next time try a little less, and tnext time try just fluids.

When he stresses, he is hanging his head, eyes closed, open mouth breathing, and acting like he is dying,

That makes tubing him much harder. Even for those with lots of tubing experience these types are very difficult.

So, I think that our problems were probably from the tube not inserted far enough to reach into the crop and stress of the roo.

I think so too.

How bad is air delivered to the crop?

The amount of air in a 12 french is nothing to worry about.

’m guessing that anemia (from blood loss due to mites) and dehydration are part of why he responds so poorly when stressed.

Try just fluids next.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Ok, I had another go at tubing Vespy when I got home tonight. DD (whose roo this is) wouldn’t help and wanted to euthanize, as last night was traumatic and every bird that has been sick enough to come inside has died of Marek’s. He might also have Mareks; we have a bad strain and he’s one of our early, unvaccinated birds. He’s not showing classic Marek’s signs though so I wanted to at least try treating him as if he’s just suffering from the mites and the indignity of losing head roo position and having his head feathers plucked in the process.

So I wrapped him in a towel and worked solo. Since this was feeling like a Hail Mary pass, I went ahead with 30 ml again, half strength Gatorade with 1 mL Nutridrench. However, I went up to an 18 Fr red rubber tube. He thrashed around and made it tough again, then went limp. I kept going With the process but the tube kept stopping about an inch before the premeasured mark. I could distinctly feel the tube in the right side of his neck but not in his crop. I twisted the tube and stretched his neck more a few times before it popped in and met the mark. I still couldn’t feel the tip of the tube in the crop but went ahead and gave the 30 ml. I pulled the tube and then could feel a small amount of fluid in the crop (not at all full, but confirmed the crop was empty before I started).

I put him back in the cage and realized he had again passed out, as with previous restraint. So I kept his head up with a rolled towel, hoping he wouldn’t regurgitate. After a minute, he seemed to wake up, move around a little, and then take a more normal position to sleep. I covered his cage and turned off the lights.

I am thinking about giving him 60 ml fluids tomorrow AM and PM, since he must be dehydrated after two days of refusing to drink, then adding food on Friday if that goes well. I have some Emeraid omnivore (opened six mo ago but stored in fridge) and just got Kaytee hand feeding formula. Does all that sound reasonable? Thanks again for your help!

 

[casportpony]

Wow, he sounds like a tough one. I can't help but wonder what's going on him because in all the years I have been tubing, I have not had one pass out like this.

I am hesitant to offer any suggestions because it sounds like the act of tubing him is very close to sending him over the edge.

At 3 kg, he needs at least 150 ml of fluids per day, so you have to find a way to get that into him plus make up for the deficit.

Once of mu books says to give fluids, wait 60-90 minutes and repeat, and this is what I have been doing as it seems to really help.