My very sick hen will not eat or drink

[noelalala]

I wonder if there is anything I should do to force my very sick hen to drink or eat.
2 days ago she went to an avian vet who gave her antibiotics and dewormers.... to cover any potential pathogenic microbes.
She was very weak that day (and pale and 1/2 her normal weight) but she was eating and drinking and her tail feathers were up. She was so sick and weak that I was surprised that she made it through the night and then through a second night.
She's isolated and resting in a quiet warm place. She will stand and open her eyes, but she spends most of her time resting with her eyes closed.
Not eating and drinking seems like a bad sign.
Any suggestions?
(I've offered grapes, peas, meal worms, feed, millet, yogurt, wet cat food. She is no longer interested.)

 

[CMV]

Tube feed her. Your vet should show you how to do that gratis, and provide the supplies since your bird is already a patient. If s/he won't, then get the supplies from him/her and read the very informative tutorial that is posted here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...h-my-bird-pics-for-visuals-very-detailed-post

 

[noelalala]

This is great advice and a very good tutorial post. Thank you!
Since I won't be able to obtain these supplies until tomorrow, I wonder if it would be helpful and okay for me to
use her antibiotic syringe to give her water -- or water mixed with some food. I have a high power blender that I can use.
Any thoughts?

 

[noelalala]

She's still hanging in there. Since I didn't have a tube or baby bird food last night, I syringe fed her a liquid slurry -- last night mixed water with a little wet cat food (I know it's not good for chickens to have much cat food), and this morning I mixed water with layer pellets, grapes, spinach and peas -- the power blender made it very smooth and liquid.
Flock Mistress, your suggestion to tube feed was very inspiring. And the link very informative. Thank you!
I'm beginning to feel hopeful about this girl. : )

 

[CMV]

I am glad to hear it. Keep us posted on her progress.

 

[casportpony]

Crop feeding videos

These are using a crop needle, not a plastic tube.




This one uses a tube like I use

I would suggest using a size 18 french
​

When I am going to give less than 60cc's, I use a 35cc catheter tip syringe like this one.

French
Gauge Diameter
(mm) Diameter
(inches)
3 1 0.039
4 1.33 0.053
5 1.67 0.066
6 2 0.079
7 2.3 0.092
8 2.7 0.105
9 3 0.118
10 3.3 0.131
11 3.7 0.144
12 4 0.158
13 4.3 0.170
14 4.7 0.184
15 5 0.197
16 5.3 0.210
17 5.7 0.223
18 6 0.236
19 6.3 0.249
20 6.7 0.263
22 7.3 0.288
24 8 0.315
26 8.7 0.341
28 9.3 0.367
30 10 0.393
32 10.7 0.419
34 11.3 0.445​

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

She's probably dehydrated, so I would give her Pedialyte at 30ml/kg (30ml per 2.2 pounds) every 6-8 hours until the urates in her poop is clear. You could also mix a little sugar in it to give her an energy boost.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Supportive Care

SICK-BIRD ENCLOSURES
Sick birds are often hypothermic and should be placed in heated (brooder-type) enclosures b (Fig 7.7) in a quiet environment (see Chapter 1, Clinical Practice). A temperature of 85° F (29° C) with 70% humidity is desirable for most sick birds. If brooders are not equipped with a humidity source, placing a small dish of water in the enclosure will often supply adequate humidity. A moist towel that is heated and placed on the bottom of a cage or incubator rapidly humidifies the environment, as indicated by the fogging of the acrylic cage front.

Source: http://avianmedicine.net/content/uploads/2013/03/07_emergency_and_critical_care.pdf

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

FLUID THERAPY
Oral Administration
Oral administration is the ideal method of giving fluids. This method is more commonly used in mildly dehydrated birds or in conjunction with subcutaneous (SC) or intravenous (IV) therapy. Oral rehydration (30 ml/kg PO q 6-8 h) also may be used in larger birds (eg, waterfowl) that are difficult to restrain for parenteral fluid therapy.

Source: http://avianmedicine.net/content/uploads/2013/03/07_emergency_and_critical_care.pdf

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

On the average, a baby parrot can accommodate 10% of its body weight per feeding due to the elasticity of the crop and its rapid emptying. Adult birds have a greatly decreased crop capacity, averaging 3% of their body weight. Additionally, sick birds are less tolerant of food in the crop and care must be taken to avoid regurgitation and/or aspiration.

And:
A sick or debilitated bird should always have its hydration corrected prior to attempting to initiate oral gavage-feeding.

Both from:
http://avianmedicine.net/content/uploads/2013/03/07_emergency_and_critical_care.pdf

-Kathy