How much should I be trying to get this crossbeak to eat daily? And can I train her to eat sideways?

[cmom]

These are the type of clippers I use.
https://www.amazon.com/Resco-Deluxe...1532228351&sr=8-10&keywords=dog+nail+clippers

 

[Bweis13]

Gladys has a fairly large bowl that I put her crumbles in. She dives right in and manages. I trimmed her beak today. She's wasn't too happy but did pretty well. I use the toenail clippers for dogs which works well and I use a good quality file to smooth it.

We find great bowls for very cheap at Goodwill. We needed another water bowl for our duck because he always plays in his, so we went yesterday and found a large sturdy crock for him. I’m always amazed at the great bowls I find there. My main coop birds eat out of Pyrex!

 

[cmom]

I do have 40# hanging feeders in my coops. I have so many birds I need the large feeders. I go through 300 to 400 pounds of feed weekly.

 

[HenniesInMyHeart]

Wow! Thanks so much everybody!

I'd never visited this particular veterinary clinic before, but I was so pleasantly surprised! The vet was a fellow backyard chicken owner/lover, and he listened very carefully to all the nuances. We found that she also has a problem with her heart, so chances are that she has some other issues here or there.

You were so right: I can now intubate a chicken! The vet very patiently showed me how to do that, and I came straight home with Little Miss Crossbeak and did it solo--nobody even holding her for me! How refreshing to get that crop full in 1 minute rather than 30 minutes!! This may be doable!

Also, the vet got out a dremel and used the grinding bit and actually ground down that lower beak for me. Her tongue did touch it a bit, which may have heated her up, but it didn't seem to hurt her. She was just a little freaked out by the whole ordeal. I don't blame her! But I now have some great guidance on how to do that, as well!

Finally, he gave me some guidance on feeding amounts and frequencies:

1. At each feeding, we have to be guided by the size of the crop. We want to fill 'er up, but not stretch 'er out. No bras here. Right now, she can have 10-15 ml/feeding.
2. The number of feedings is guided by the amount she should be eating for her age. She has a lot of catching up to do! I'll be tube feeding 3-4 times a day until she gains some weight. Hopefully by then her crop will be able to handle closer to 20 ml at a time, and eventually we should be able to get away with 2-3 feedings per day.

Doable! I may not be able to do a third feeding every day, but two I definitely can do, especially now that I know how to intubate. I'm so glad he showed me how to do that. I've heard horror stories about human intubations, but chickens' anatomy is different enough that I no longer feel apprehensive about it. She doesn't like the tube going down, but she's not in pain.

So: we have a plan for how much and how often to feed her. I now know how to dremel her bottom beak down, too, and I'll probably have to keep that up weekly. But it's nowhere near as onerous a task as I once thought.

I'll keep everyone posted here on how things go. Thank you to EVERYONE!!

YES YES YES!!! So thrilled you learned how to crop feed! I knew a vet would show you!

 

[vivaciouswoman]

On another thread on here I read to give them yogurt daily! I wish I could remember the name of it. The owner was keeping the crossbeak because her grandkids love it so much. They love feeding the little roo on their laps, and he just acts like a prince or something. It sounded like he was thriving.

I get conflicting opinions about yogurt. Apparently, dairy can be hard on chickens' systems. Fortunately, I brew my own homemade kombucha, and I have used that for tube feeding solution in small amounts. Because it's got a fair amount of vinegar, it's NOT good for dropping in the beak--it can get in their eyes and really sting. But I've used it for the tube feeding solution.

 

[vivaciouswoman]

Gladys has a fairly large bowl that I put her crumbles in. She dives right in and manages. I trimmed her beak today. She's wasn't too happy but did pretty well. I use the toenail clippers for dogs which works well and I use a good quality file to smooth it.

Once I get good at it, I'll have to post a video of the dremel approach. It's a little daunting for the chick, but it gives you more opportunity to shape well.

 

[vivaciouswoman]

YES YES YES!!! So thrilled you learned how to crop feed! I knew a vet would show you!

YOU ARE SO RIGHT!!!!!

I would actually say I'm MORE than proficient at this point. I've been doing it solo for a week now, at 3-4 feedings per day. And I'm teaching my squirmy 7 year-old daughter to do it so that she can take over when I'm on business trips. If I can manage all that--and working on a chick that started out at a mere 122 grams--I feel pretty solid in my skills. I'm going to upload some videos about how to make the tube feeding solution and how to administer it. It's not quite as good as having a vet show you, but it might be helpful for others out here in BYC-land!

 

[vivaciouswoman]

These are the type of clippers I use.
https://www.amazon.com/Resco-Deluxe...1532228351&sr=8-10&keywords=dog+nail+clippers

Thank you for that!!! Others who come across this thread will find these resources SO helpful!!!!

 

[vivaciouswoman]

I do have 40# hanging feeders in my coops. I have so many birds I need the large feeders. I go through 300 to 400 pounds of feed weekly.
View attachment 1477264

WOW!!! How do you afford all of that??!!

 

[vivaciouswoman]

We find great bowls for very cheap at Goodwill. We needed another water bowl for our duck because he always plays in his, so we went yesterday and found a large sturdy crock for him. I’m always amazed at the great bowls I find there. My main coop birds eat out of Pyrex!

What an AWESOME idea!!! Heavy pyrex is ideal! I sacrificed one of my own Pyrex pie plates for the babies. I didn't think about getting them on the cheap like that!!!