How to get chick to open beak for vitamin E

[CML]

Hello,

How does one get a chick to open her mouth to receive vitamin E?

We suspect we have a chick with wry neck. She holds her head lower than other chicks, and occasionally puts her head between her legs and runs backwards. It is disconcerting.

Their feed is organic and does list vitamin E in the ingredients.

We have added vitamins and electrolytes to their water.

We have been unsuccessful in getting any vitamin E oil into her beak.

We have tried mixing it with yolk and crumble for a mash, but she is not interested. She does eat crumble and drink, and definitely poops. She can run about and act like a normal chick, but then will have an "episode."

Thoughts?

Thank you.

 

[Debbie292d]

Vitamin E as you might have found, just has to go whole in their mouth as breaking it open into their feed or scrambled eggs is gross and they won't eat it.

I administer it with help from hubby but I know most do it by themselves. I sit the hen on my lap and hold her head with my left hand while gently pulling her wattles down with my right. Hubby is ready and pops it in.

After she eats that, feed her a little scrambled egg. That contains selenium that she needs to help absorb the E.

You could also try a B-complex vitamin. Those are small pills but you'd have to give her only about 1/4 of one daily. I'd do that in conjunction with the E for about two weeks and see if you see some improvement. I hope you do!

 

[Tiffany Wikk]

If you're giving a pill, here's a video that helped me find out how to hold the hen properly to give one. Sometimes I need a second person to keep the hen from backing out of my arms though. I hope this video helps! A lot of it talks about giving liquids properly but it still really helped me to handle the hen better for a pill.

1:06 - Restraint of the Head

2:22 - Administering Tablets

 

[CML]

My issue is her size. The little gel tabs are far too big to get into her beak. She is only about 12 days old.

Thus far we try to pry her mouth open and squeeze the contents of the tablet into her mouth. But. We really only get her beak open a little crack and not much goes in.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have a small syringe with the needle removed, that you can draw up the contents of the vitamin E softgel in a spoon? To open a chickens beak you can pull down on the wattles, or part the beak with your thumb and forefinger with your hand under the beak. Squirt a drop or two at a time into the beak, releasing it so it can swallow. Repeat.

 

[Debbie292d]

My issue is her size. The little gel tabs are far too big to get into her beak. She is only about 12 days old.

Thus far we try to pry her mouth open and squeeze the contents of the tablet into her mouth. But. We really only get her beak open a little crack and not much goes in.

So sorry, I didn't realize this was a baby chick. I see @Eggcessive gave you a great way to try do it!

 

[Eggcessive]

Here are a couple of videos, but with large hens:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/