How to t feed a sick chicken and give subcutaneous fluid

[Chickie Momma]

Kathy is a bird guru....thanks so much. Being a nurse I have a stash of equipment. I have oxygen tubing that I can cut the ends off of and use a needle end syringe for water and heat the end to round the tip so it won't be sharp. I'm going to try it tomorrow because she swallows so much air giving vit water in tiny amts frequently. I massage her crop so the air bubbles come to the top. She has quiet burps lol stil eating very well. Feeding her feed with egg oatmeal and a sm amt of yogurt daily now. I know she is getting plenty of fluids because of the fluid that soaks into the towels in her bed and her skin is elastic and mouth is wet. Her comb is getting pinker and she is getting ornerier lol

 

[casportpony]

for you! Chapter 7 of this book set has fluid therapy info:
http://avianmedicine.net/publication_cat/clinical-avian-medicine/

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Forgot to say that I'm not a guru, lol, just had way too much practice tubing peafowl.

-Kathy

 

[Chickie Momma]

Thanks so much for your helpful advice Kathy. Marilyn doesn't know it but she appreciates it!

 

[casportpony]

Thanks so much for your helpful advice Kathy. Marilyn doesn't know it but she appreciates it!

If you feed them long enough they will learn to like it, lol.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

 

[casportpony]

I've been think about writing a on article on how to tube feed, so I'm hoping that you will give me some ideas on what to include. When you have a few free minutes, can you look at this page and tell me how helpful it was? http://www.lafebervet.com/avian-medicine-2/avian-nutrition/tube-feeding/

Also think about doing one for SC fluids, so take a look at this video:
http://www.lafebervet.com/emergency-medicine/birds/how-to-guide-subcutaneous-fluids-in-birds/

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

.

 

[MrsBrooke]

I've got to tube feed one of my hens for the first time.

She has a tread wound in her side from our rougher rooster's spurs. He has been removed.

In the meantime, she's in the infirmary. I wasn't able to catch her injury for three days due to the fact that she hid it well and it was pouring rain for days. I'm guessing the rooster got muddy and slipped when he was treading her... which then lead to poopy mud getting shoved into her side day after day as he flayed her.

Now she's off her food and water. She pecked half-heartedly at some boiled eggs yesterday and took a big gulp of water but that's all I've seen her do. I don't feel like she's eating or drinking enough to keep her alive long enough to fight the injury/infection and heal. She's limping and can't put weight on her leg at all. I am sick with worry that we didn't catch it in time and now it is horribly infected. There's no puss, no odor, but she's really unhappy and hunched.

I'm headed home to get aquarium tubing from Walmart, per something I read by Eggcessive, because it's the easiest thing I have access to. I'll also get a kitchen scale (finally) to weigh her and the Kaytee baby bird food (or can I use chick starter mixed with water?).

I'm reading on here that for a standard hen it's 120ml/kg of food-water twice a day? I also read 30ml/kg of just water/liquids. She's a large fowl Australorp, and I'm not feeling a sharp keel.

Just wanting to verify "dosing" information before I shove tubes down her throat and traumatize her. She's a moody chicken anyway.

Thank you, @casportpony for doing all you do.

And yes, I cleaned (warm water, saline, and a squirt of Tylan50 mixed in) and dressed her wound with antibio ointment as best I could (done that twice so far). I just need to keep her alive for the treatment to work. Any advice on dosage would be greatly appreciated, since I've never done this before!

MrsB

 

[casportpony]

I sent you a PM with my phone number.

-Kathy