How to get chick to take meds?

[junior67]

I have posted about the issues with my almost 8 week old chick. I am trying anything I can find to help her. Mostly vitamin B complex ( I have liquid and pills), Vit E and Selenium, nutri drench, just got St John's Wort

Well if I can crush up a pill or like the Vit E I don't think has a taste I can put it in a cooked egg yolk and get her to eat most of it but some sticks to the bowl or plate that I use..

but if it is a liquid or I add it to water if she can taste it she will NOT take it........... I have tried opening her beat and she shakes her head so rapidly and her beak slips out of my hand. I have tried putting a small drop on the side of her beak and she will either shake it off or rub it off. very rarely she will open her beak and it will get into her. Is there a trick I am missing??

 

[uktech]

I have tried opening her beat and she shakes her head so rapidly and her beak slips out of my hand.

Had this issue also. Watch this video:

I do exactly that but being seated, you can hold the bird under your left arm (if you're right-handed) and then hold its beak open with my left and give meds with the right hand.

Make sure you're putting the med with a syringe on the tip of its tongue and let the bird swallow it. Works like a charm and no stress for the bird either. Good luck.

 

[junior67]

Had this issue also. Watch this video:

I do exactly that but being seated, you can hold the bird under your left arm (if you're right-handed) and then hold its beak open with my left and give meds with the right hand.

Make sure you're putting the med with a syringe on the tip of its tongue and let the bird swallow it. Works like a charm and no stress for the bird either. Good luck.

Thanks. That is pretty much how I hold mine but mine keeps thrashing her head around like that one did at first. she will duck, go up, back and forth, tuck her neck in... then I get it open she she manages to slide out of my fingers before I can get the meds in. is it ok if I get them at the front of the inside before the tongue or can that do damage to her? She is just about 8 weeks so had a little head, beak and tongue. haahaa Guess I just need more practice.

 

[uktech]

Thanks. That is pretty much how I hold mine but mine keeps thrashing her head around like that one did at first. she will duck, go up, back and forth, tuck her neck in... then I get it open she she manages to slide out of my fingers before I can get the meds in. is it ok if I get them at the front of the inside before the tongue or can that do damage to her? She is just about 8 weeks so had a little head, beak and tongue. haahaa Guess I just need more practice.

Yep I know what you mean. It sounds a bit odd but hold its head with your index and thumb on either side of its head.

Make sure the back of its head is right the way back where your thumb and index finger join. That will give you the tips of your thumb and index finger to hold its beak open. A firm grip should do the trick. Do small amounts at a time giving it time to swallow.

 

[junior67]

Yep I know what you mean. It sounds a bit odd but hold its head with your index and thumb on either side of its head.

Make sure the back of its head is right the way back where your thumb and index finger join. That will give you the tips of your thumb and index finger to hold its beak open. A firm grip should do the trick. Do small amounts at a time giving it time to swallow.

Thanks. I will give it a shot tomorrow. Is it ok if I don't get it as far back as her tongue? I won't want to do more harm than good if I just get it in the front part of her beak instead of back at her tongue

 

[uktech]

Thanks. I will give it a shot tomorrow. Is it ok if I don't get it as far back as her tongue? I won't want to do more harm than good if I just get it in the front part of her beak instead of back at her tongue

Yeh I always put whatever I'm giving on the tip (front) of their tongue and let them swallow on their own. Gets them used to the taste too. Mine love the flavour of grapes and since grape juice is always in the house, that mixed with the right amount of meds, always goes down well.

 

[junior67]

Yeh I always put whatever I'm giving on the tip (front) of their tongue and let them swallow on their own. Gets them used to the taste too. Mine love the flavour of grapes and since grape juice is always in the house, that mixed with the right amount of meds, always goes down well.

I don't have grape juice. I do have some powerade water could I try that? I have put some in yogurt but if she can taste a liquid med she stops eating or drinking whatever it is in. She is really a pain to get things in. I even tried putting some dried mealworms in the St Johns wort mixture (mixed it up with water) to see if they would at least be coated enough she would eat them. she ate a couple then got the taste of it and wouldn't touch the rest....

 

[InterestingChickens]

I crush it up and pour in a little bit of water. Then liquidise it with the syringe. Make sure you syringe it done the side of the mouth so your chick doesn't exasperate. If it dose, put it down so they can cough it up. It is best done by two people.

 

[InterestingChickens]

What symptoms dose your chick have exactly?

 

[junior67]

What symptoms dose your chick have exactly?

What symptoms dose your chick have exactly?

Wed May 26 (just under 7 weeks old) a bit wobbly on feet but not much. Later that night got a bit more wobbly and stumbling. used wings to keep herself from tipping. checked her crop thought it felt squishy. Got meds thinking maybe sour crop. but helf off doing anything till I checked it the next morning.

Thurs morning checked and her crop seemed fine but gave it a bit longer with no food to be sure it was empty. it was. She was a bit more unstead on her feet and falling more but could still walk and could run fine with out losing her balance. checked her feet and they were fine but when I picked her up one foot curled the other didn't. Noticed as she was falling over her feet would curl up either before or when falling. Did research thought maybe a riboflavin deficiency. I brought her in Thurs night but Fri am she wouldn't really eat or drink and just sat in a corner of the brooder so I brought her back out with the group Friday.

Friday She ate a TON when I brought her back out and drank. Her poops are normal. started her on Vit B complex but couldn't get much in. She was stumbling even more and really struggling to walk but could still kinda run away from me but was stumbling then too.

Sat she was sumbling a lot, wasn't really walking much but was laying down normal. She could walk around but would lose her balance easy and fall either backwards or to the side. got a decent dose of Vit B into her

Sun am got a good dose of Vit B into her. She was still unsteady but seemed to be falling a bit less.

Mon she was on her side when I went to let them out of the coop with her feet in front of her. She couldn't walk at all really mainly just pushed her feet and fell over. was hard getting the vit B into her.

Tue got some Vit E to give her but struggled getting that in so mixed it with some egg yolk and she ate that. struggled with the Vit B but crushed up a 1/4 pill and put it in the egg which she ate most of. She couldn't walk at all. Made a sling for her which she manages to push herself out of but then she can only lay on her side with legs out in front of her stomach/body. She can kick her legs and if I hold her legs she can push with them. Her toes/feed seem to curl a lot. Poop still fine.

yesterday was more of the same. I also made a "nest" with a towel so she could sit on the ground more normal but she can also wiggle out of that. I do still have her with the others since all have been vaccinated against Mareks and I figured she was with them most of the time anways so they were exposed to whatever it is. I put her in the coop at night and they are still huddling in a corner to sleep.

today she made it about 5' from where she sleeps over to the chicken door in the coop with the others. No clue how.

I notice her legs push out in front of her towards her chest. She doesn't hold them under her really. sometimes if I am holding them under her I can feel them tighten up and push back straight and her toes curl when she does this sometimes so then she pushed back to her butt pretty much (but I am holding her up) I try to hold her up and work on "walking" so she doesn't forget and she can do the motions but her legs kinda cross and she steps on her own toes.

I have been trying to get her to take nutri-drench which is a fight as she doens't like it, Vit B complex (mainly the pill form crushed since i can't get her to take the liquid), Vit E and selenium. and feeding her a half of an egg yolk cooked up a day. Poops seem normal, she will eat and drink still (have her in the sling with a table so she can eat and drink), she is alert and looks around, not lethargic at all. She was vaccinated for Mareks which I know isn't 100%. The rest of the 10 all the same age are all fine besides her.