Neighbors Left Me in charge of Chicks, Chick is hurt, please help!

[crtrlovr]

Quote:
excellent suggestion; that's one item that is definitely going into the pet (cat/house birds/chickens) first aid kit. Could be a literal life-saver.

 

[NurseELB]

Quote:
Yup. Chicks LOVE string. It's just not good for them

 

[Jeeper1540]

where do i get poly vi sol? i have no idea what that is, and we already cut the string close to the tounge, how do we get it? there is no tring left other then the piece around the tounge?

 

[NurseELB]

Quote:
pull the string- the tongue will come out a bit. The problem is you will be mostly working INSIDE the mouth. If you can get your hands on each end of it (assuming a knot around the tongue) then it should pull away from the tongue a bit.

 

[Jeeper1540]

what is poly vi sol

 

[NurseELB]

Quote:
Water is fine. Just keep it moist. For now, try to get a tweezers between the tongue and the string, pull up, then cut.

 

[Qi Chicken]

Oh gosh, what a horrible situation. I really know nothing about this, so take my advice!!!!!!!!!!! But for what it's worth they do crop surgeries by wrapping the chicken in a towel. I would wrap up the chicken, dim the lights and find something that would prop the beak open about 1/2 inch wide. Sneak the thing, whatever you find, something like a tongue depressor, in sideways, so the flat side goes in then turn it gently up so it stretches the beak open. I would use tweezers probably, No, actually thinking about it I wouldn't. I think I would slide something under the string and gently tug it off. Tweezers are sharp and you could cut the tongue accidentally. See how tight it is and go from there

Good luck to you. Wow. You got more than you bargained for. You're an awesome chicken sitter.

I just read the next reply, I think a seam ripper would be great because the back side is not sharp. And the front is VERY sharp. Be careful! I bet you already knew that!

 

[NurseELB]

Quote:
Vitamins to add to the water. Probably Apple Cider Vinegar will suffice- I will defer to Speckled Hen for fluid therapy- I'll PM her if she doesn't jump in in a bit.

 

[crtrlovr]

you will have to get something small enough to get between the tongue and the string to cut it without cutting the tongue itself. Speckledhen's suggestion of cuticle scissors is the best suggestion yet for a tool that will give you the best chance of success. The string around the tongue MUST come off. If you can't get it off with someone helping you, you should take it to a vet. PolyViSol is infant vitamins, used by many chicken owners to help when a chicken is sick or the immune system needs a boost. You can get them at any drug store or Walmart. Get the kind without iron, as too much iron can be bad for chickens.

 

[speckledhen]

Forget anything except getting that string off of the bird's tongue. It's probably a two person job, though. Has to come off.