Silkie ate entire shelled shrimp, stuck?

[Mantou]

Hi all,

I was giving my silkie some boiled whole shrimp, and unlike normal, when she will rip it up and eat it in chunks without the shell, she tried eating the entire shrimp in one go and got it down before I could stop her!!

That was 10 minutes ago and since then she's been jerking her head trying to (I assume) get it down. She's also been panting a bit and been very quiet, not making any sounds at all. I felt around her neck and crop and I can feel the whole shrimp in her crop, so l lightly massaged her until it wasn't sticking in a weird position as much, but I'm not sure what else I can do. In the future I'm definitely peeling and cutting it up first.

Any help would be appreciated, especially if there are any symptoms I need to watch for monitoring the situation

 

[SnackMeat]

Give her something small with sand mixed in. The sand (or grit if you buy that) can help her crop work it down. Withhold food except for that bit with some sand in it, and make sure she has water, and having a separate container of save a chick would be good.


I have read of different enzymes that can help break stuff down. Like, live black soldier fly larvae has enzymes that helps it break down organic material so fast. So feeding those, probably freshly dead, could help.


But you're still early on. And shrimp is fairly soft. The chitin of the shell isn't but even that should break down much smaller as the shrimp meat is mashed up by her crop.


I would keep her warm and isolated. Or bring one of her best friends for isolation.

You can very gently rub her crop, but I wouldn't do this unless it hasn't gone down tomorrow.


Additionally, while I don't think you would need this now, having dissolvable sutures on hand (if you think yourself capable) can save a bird with an impacted crop. I watched three different YouTube videos and the birds were all pretty chill considering, didn't move or flap around, as the skin and then the crop was cut open, disempacted, and then sewn up.


I had one with an impacted crop and it was a lesson in what *not* to do. Don't massage too hard. Don't make them vomit (which I knew, and had told my husband but I allowed him to make that judgement call himself because the flock is mainly his.) have the sutures on hand. Mine died.


Anyway, I think you're going to be okay, but this is a good practice run (most likely, not going to say it's going to be all okay but based on the food it seems likely) for when one has eaten something and the crop hasn't gone down in 24 hours and the bird is barely sleeping from having to constantly readjust their neck for relief.