Help! My chicken swallowed nylon string!

[Llegsmacedo]

My backyard chicken got ahold of a 5 foot long nylon string and I found her with about 2.5 feet of the string hanging out of her mouth meaning she swallowed about 2.5 feet I tried giving it a hard tug a few time but was worried to pull too hard. I ended up snipping the rest and called an avian vet. They said she might be fine but the fact she swallowed so much and it being nylon she would probably need it surgically removed. They said it’s a quick and fairly cheap procedure ($300) but over an hour drive away. Is it worth taking her in for surgery or will she be OK? So far she seems to be acting normal but is being very very docile. More than normal. I think she knows she needs help.

 

[The Coop Crew]

@azygous @Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock
Please help

 

[azygous]

This is an old time farmer remedy for chickens swallowing things they shouldn't. It will either work or it won't. Give her raw egg white. She will eat the whole thing. To insure her interest sweeten it with one tea spoon of molasses. The molasses will also stimulate the intestine to move the string through. In 24 hours you should see a mangled string. Or not.

 

[azygous]

Another thought if not too much time has passed. Is any of the string still hanging from her beak? If so, secure the end so it doesn't disappear down her throat. Give the above egg/molasses and have her drink it down, keeping the end of the string from going down with it. Wait a little bit and then slowly tug on the string. The slimy lubricant should also work in reverse, allowing you to pull the string out of her digestive tract.

If it has gotten to the gizzard, it may not come out as that's like a set of teeth and it would have a pretty good hold on it.

 

[Llegsmacedo]

This is an old time farmer remedy for chickens swallowing things they shouldn't. It will either work or it won't. Give her raw egg white. She will eat the whole thing. To insure her interest sweeten it with one tea spoon of molasses. The molasses will also stimulate the intestine to move the string through. In 24 hours you should see a mangled string. Or not.

That’s amazing advice thank you so much!

 

[Llegsmacedo]

Another thought if not too much time has passed. Is any of the string still hanging from her beak? If so, secure the end so it doesn't disappear down her throat. Give the above egg/molasses and have her drink it down, keeping the end of the string from going down with it. Wait a little bit and then slowly tug on the string. The slimy lubricant should also work in reverse, allowing you to pull the string out of her digestive tract.

If it has gotten to the gizzard, it may not come out as that's like a set of teeth and it would have a pretty good hold on it.

Unfortunately not- I tried pulling it out for about 10 minutes but it was pretty lodged in there and was worrried if I kept pulling or pulled any harder I would cause her more damaged. I ended up snipping off the rest. I’m just hoping she will survive but it’s really hard to tell. So far she is still acting completely normal so I will try the egg white trick! Thank you!

 

[Llegsmacedo]

My backyard chicken got ahold of a 5 foot long nylon string and I found her with about 2.5 feet of the string hanging out of her mouth meaning she swallowed about 2.5 feet I tried giving it a hard tug a few time but was worried to pull too hard. I ended up snipping the rest and called an avian vet. They said she might be fine but the fact she swallowed so much and it being nylon she would probably need it surgically removed. They said it’s a quick and fairly cheap procedure ($300) but over an hour drive away. Is it worth taking her in for surgery or will she be OK? So far she seems to be acting normal but is being very very docile. More than normal. I think she knows she needs help.

Another thought if not too much time has passed. Is any of the string still hanging from her beak? If so, secure the end so it doesn't disappear down her throat. Give the above egg/molasses and have her drink it down, keeping the end of the string from going down with it. Wait a little bit and then slowly tug on the string. The slimy lubricant should also work in reverse, allowing you to pull the string out of her digestive tract.

If it has gotten to the gizzard, it may not come out as that's like a set of teeth and it would have a pretty good hold on it.

I attached a photo of the size of the string I think she consumed- the shorter one is what was hanging out of her mouth- the longer one is another string I think the same length as the original one she consumed

 

[Themellowyellows]

Aw im sorry! Is there anything else the vet can do?

 

[azygous]

It's the length that will cause her problems. String can be a chicken's worst enemy. String and threads and yarn get wrapped around a chicken tongue. It can form obstructions in the esophagus. The gizzard is my biggest worry, though. It could get hung up there and then all you can try then is a three-day Epsom salt flush to try to "hose" it out of the gizzard. The only worse thing a chicken can swallow is a staple or screw.

 

[ksbkeys]

I attached a photo of the size of the string I think she consumed- the shorter one is what was hanging out of her mouth- the longer one is another string I think the same length as the original one she consumed

So sorry! Please let us know how things turn out!