Tube Feeding Q and A

[casportpony]

Question for @casportpony - Can you tell me if this calculation is right?

Average chicken eats 1/4 pound dry feed a day, which is 113 grams. Mixed with 3 parts water, and that turns into 452 mL tube feeding per day. Is that right? It seems like a lot to tube feed.

You must weigh your bird before tubing

The average chicken weighs about 5 pounds, or ~2300 grams. A chicken this size will need no less than 115 ml of fluids per day, and maybe as much as 230 ml of fluids per day.

2700 x 0.03 = 70 ml per feeding 2-4 times a day. If this amount is well tolerated, you can increase a few ml per feeding until you reach 115 ml, then feed this amount 2-4 times a day.

Does that help? Is your bird sick?
Can you see this video?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vUjFZRDp1W3eT9RWJVJ5DBKsFC9cMuYh/view?usp=sharing

 

[SarahGfa]

Does that help? Is your bird sick?
Can you see this video?

Yes thanks! I have a verrrry skinny leghorn (weighs about 1kg, but healthy weight should be 1.5kg or more). I was tubing 60mL twice a day and she was still losing weight. Yesterday I gave 3x60 mL and her weight stayed the same. My mixture is very watery though (1 part food, 4 parts water). Anything thicker seems to clog. Maybe my catheter tube is too small. Do you think a size 20 catheter could fit in a small hen?

 

[casportpony]

Yes thanks! I have a verrrry skinny leghorn (weighs about 1kg, but healthy weight should be 1.5kg or more). I was tubing 60mL twice a day and she was still losing weight. Yesterday I gave 3x60 mL and her weight stayed the same. My mixture is very watery though (1 part food, 4 parts water). Anything thicker seems to clog. Maybe my catheter tube is too small. Do you think a size 20 catheter could fit in a small hen?

A 20 will work. What size do you have?

 

[SarahGfa]

A 20 will work. What size do you have?

I am using size 18 right now. Anything thicker than 4 parts water feels like i have to push the syringe really hard.

 

[casportpony]

I am using size 18 right now. Anything thicker than 4 parts water feels like i have to push the syringe really hard.

What feed are you using?

 

[SarahGfa]

What feed are you using?

Kaytee Exact Hand feeding formula

 

[casportpony]

Kaytee Exact Hand feeding formula

Any that's plugging up your tube?

 

[SarahGfa]

Any that's plugging up your tube?

No. I did not cut off the catheter tip, so food comes out the two wholes on the side. Is that it?

 

[casportpony]

No. I did not cut off the catheter tip, so food comes out the two wholes on the side. Is that it?

I only cut the tip off of the 8's and 10's. Are you soaking it in warm water for like 30 minutes first? If not, try that.

 

[SarahGfa]

I only cut the tip off of the 8's and 10's. Are you soaking it in warm water for like 30 minutes first? If not, try that.

I am soaking in hot water for 30 minutes, so it is lukewarm when I feed it. I keep getting these little clumpy bits that clog the tube. If I am careful and mash up all the clumps with a fork, then it is fine. Maybe my formula is too old.