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

[newhobbie]

Thank you so so much for this post! I picked up an 18 French red rubber catheter at my local pharmacy and just did my first tube feeding on an 8 week old Columbian Wyandotte. It used to take me an hour to get 15cc of food in her and we were both upset by the end and I was so terrified of her aspirating. Today with my husbands help I was able to feed her in under 5 min. And no more worries of her aspirating!!! For anyone wondering the 18 French fit very well on her. The food mash I made from crumbles passed thru the tube easily. Thank you so much!

 

[newhobbie]

Could you do the same with any starter food? I wonder if pulsing it in a food processor and making a fine powder would make it similar to baby bird food.

I take half a cup of starter crumbles, Crack 2 raw eggs into it, add half a cup of water and blend in my blender on liquefy until it's smooth. I have no idea if this is as nutritious as the baby bird formula but it's what I'm currently using. I've also put the crumbles in first and blended them to a powder before adding the egg and water and that made it even smoother. I had no issues passing this mixture thru a catheter tipped syringe and a 18 French tube.

 

[casportpony]

Thank you so so much for this post! I picked up an 18 French red rubber catheter at my local pharmacy and just did my first tube feeding on an 8 week old Columbian Wyandotte. It used to take me an hour to get 15cc of food in her and we were both upset by the end and I was so terrified of her aspirating. Today with my husbands help I was able to feed her in under 5 min. And no more worries of her aspirating!!! For anyone wondering the 18 French fit very well on her. The food mash I made from crumbles passed thru the tube easily. Thank you so much!

Welcome to Team Tube Feeding! How is she doing?

-Kathy

 

[newhobbie]

She looks and acts completely normal except she still refuses to eat anything but egg on her own. Not sure why but I'm going to keep tube feeding her until she picks it back up.

 

[PertyGertie]

Any progress?

 

[casportpony]

Not sure why, but somehow I managed to unsubscribe to this thread.

-Kathy

 

[newhobbie]

Any progress?

The chick is now in the hen house and is as healthy as can be! Eating and drinking normally. So happy!

 

[casportpony]

Quote: That's great news!

-Kathy

 

[pee-ridge chick]

I need to ask a question please. I have a 7 mo old silkie with wry neck that I've been tube feeding 3 times a day. I've done so much research and reading, my head hurts. One thing I can't seem to find is: when you are tube feeding a bird do you need to syringe extra water to them, or is the water you mix their food in all they need for the day? How do I recognize if she is becoming dehydrated?

 

[pee-ridge chick]

I wish I could of found this thread sooner, sure would have saved lots of time. Everything you would ever need to know about tubeing in one place. Wonderful !!!!!