Sick Bantam

[Granny Hatchet]

you could tube feed her. member Casportpony has a good picture on how to.
@enola Isnt regular milk bad for them ?

 

[austinclarksf]

I'll try to feed her some eggs- maybe the yogurt is not fragrant enough?

The 'shake' term is just to describe what it is- just a powdered supplement that you can add to water to make a 'shake', but it's dairy free.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

ohh, only "shake" I ever had included ice cream. LOL

 

[enola]

Fermented or cultured milk is ok for chickens. That includes cultured buttermilk and REAL yogurt. The flavored 'yogurts' you can buy are NOT the yogurt that should be fed to chickens. There is a lot of sugar in them and not nearly enough probiotics to actually help a chicken.

 

[austinclarksf]

So I half-fried an egg yolk, mixed it with mealworms and yogurt (organic nice brand, 6 billion cultures or something), and she wouldn't eat it. She did peck at it from my finger when I had it in front of her, but only one bite. After maybe 15 minutes of soft encouragement, sitting in my lap with the mix on a plate next to her, trying to hold a pinch up to her beak, she just wanted to leave. I force-fed her six or seven big bites, when I placed a chunk in her beak she willingly gobbled it, but wouldn't take a follow up bite. I got her to eat a bit of it this way, but didn't want to over stress her. She is still very listless.

Should I treat her with the Corid antibiotic before bed tonight? She's eaten several forms of probiotics over the past 24 hours, although not very much of them and I washed the lice off her 6-7 hours ago. She seems like she's deteriorating, but maybe I'm just harassing her too much with the force feeding? She pecks at the ground aimlessly every so often, but I haven't seen her eat or drink since after her bath.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

I learned a trick when giving my rooster aspirin for pain. If you pull down on the wattles the beak opens. I had one a long time ago that i tube fed. after i completely understood what i was doing it was easy and i only had to do it once. the next time it was eating on its own. I hope you dont lose her. I will keep my fingers crossed. Please know that sometimes theres just no more you can do.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

Austin, I have asked a member to come take a look at your thread. I hope they can.

 

[austinclarksf]

Thanks for your help and comforting words.

She's actually very young (8 months?) and does not have waddles yet- but I'd forgotten about that trick! Thanks again.

She hasn't moved much since I fed her some egg yolk/yogurt. My only hope here is that she's spending most of her time sitting upright, instead of laying down. Her breathing is not so labored now, but it's cooler now that evening is approaching. Still eyes closed, slumped posture.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

your welcome. I hope she improves over night.

 

[austinclarksf]

Well, she survived the night. Still looking about the same. Going to feed her some more eggs with yogurt/nutrient shake before I head to work today. Hoping she makes it through until I get home.

Last night I powdered the flock under the wings and by the vent. Is there anything else I can do besides retreat in 10 days?