NEED HELP NOW!!! Blind Tiny

[Southern28Chick]

I went out tonight to put the chickens to bed. Blind Tiny was up on her waterer so I put her down to put her on her roost. She started pecking the ground and eating pine shavings! I put her at her food (like I had to do last night when she acted like she was starting) and she started choking on her food. She had her beak wide open and was making a honking noise.

I got her out of the house and started putting water down her throat. I brought her into the house and tried to look down her throat but she wouldn't let me hold her beak open.

I took her back outside thinking she just ate to fast and she started eating and choking again.

I had to put her in a a cat carrier to keep her from eating.

WHAT'S GOING ON!!!???

 

[Southern28Chick]

Any ideas???

 

[hcammack]

one of my delaware girls who is a little piggie chocked today but then she just drank some water and was fine. I am sorry this sounds alittle more sirious I am not sure. I hope she is alright. Someone with more emergency expericance should help you more.

henry

 

[MissPrissy]

If she was pecking the shavings could she have wood shavings stuck in her throat?

 

[silkiechicken]

Sounds like maybe she got disoriented and didn't know where her food was so was eating shavings, but when you showed her the real good stuff, she couldn't help but to eat too fast because she was hungry. I've had hens eat too fast and choke on food and honk for a few minutes to dislodge it after their feeders ran out and were refilled. If she's acting fine now, I wouldn't worry about it, jus make sure she is eating regulary so doesn't get over zealous when the food magically appears before her.

 

[Southern28Chick]

She's wanting to eat like she's never had food before. I'll take the shavings out tomorrow. I can't figure out why she's eating until she chokes. I can't be here to force water down her throat all the time. She's blind and it takes her a while to find the water on her own.

I just switched them back to pine shavings a couple of weeks ago, I was using wheat straw. Maybe she doesn't realize she's eating shavings instead of feed.

I read somewhere about worms that get in their throats. Does anyone know anything about this?

 

[eggchel]

Other than choking on food or having a piece of shavings lodged in her throat, the only thing that I can think of is gape worms. They lodge in the throat. I hope that your bird just temporarily choked on something and is okay.

http://www.organic-vet.reading.ac.uk/Poultryweb/disease/gape/gape1.htm

Chel

 

[silkiechicken]

Since she can't see, i can imagine she is disoriented due to the change in bedding. I doubt it is a worm in her throat, as the symptoms appear when she gobbles down her feed. You don't have to put water down her throat when she does this as they should be able to clear it on their own. Putting water down sometimes can be a bad thing too, since unlike us, they don't have a epiglottis to prevent stuff going the wrong way. Sounds like she's doing fine though and just for some reason or another is hungry.

How full is her crop? If it's not full, she's hungry and that's probably why shes eating like mad. Let her fill up with supervision for a few days and see how it goes. It's very well possible she got disoriented and couldn't find her feed for a day or two so is starving.

 

[DuckLady]

Southern, is it possible that Tiny is the low one on the pecking order? And the others are not letting her eat? Or being blind she can't find the feed?
It does sound like she was eating too fast and choking. My suggestion is to make her a warm mash and feed it to her by hand a tiny little at a time on your finger, and give her a drink now and then. Once her brain tells her she is full, she will slow down and start to eat normally again.

 

[hooligan]

Can you give her some mash or some cooked oatmeal so get can get full and get a little hydration too?

How is she doing now?