Tips giving pills to chickens?

[icy_flames]

Hi there. Does anyone have any tips to give chickens pills? I've watched a lot of YouTube videos, observed my vet do it three times now (wrap in a towel hold beak open with fingers) and it's still incredibly frusterating to nail down. I'd actually rather go to the dentist than pill a chicken at this point.

I've tried the crushing it up and hiding it in food thing more times than I can count and it works for one day. Then they can figure out. Masking the bitter with sugar or juice doesnt help, even using their favorite treats. They know it's in there and refuse to eat it. Its only me administering the medication no one else in my home will help.

Thanks everyone

 

[CKfarm22]

Believe it or not you can just put it in the very back of their throats and let them do the rest.

The way i do it when i have no one to help me is catch the booger, wrap the chicken in a towel tightly so it can’t flap its wings, kneel down, put the chicken inbetween your legs and basically sit on it, but not all your weight lol. I then grab the top part of their beak and open their mouth, pop the pill in the back of their throat and that’s it, they’ll swallow it on their own. I try to be fast with opening their mouth and putting the pill in.

 

[Isadora]

Is there anyone who can assist you? I've been giving my chicken a calcium tablet for several days now and it's easy-peasy with a helper. I hold the chicken between my legs, pinning down her wings so she can't flap, and open her beak. My daughter puts the pellet in the back of her throat and we close her beak.

 

[CKfarm22]

Is there anyone who can assist you? I've been giving my chicken a calcium tablet for several days now and it's easy-peasy with a helper. I hold the chicken between my legs, pinning down her wings so she can't flap, and open her beak. My daughter puts the pellet in the back of her throat and we close her beak.

She said no one will help her administer it

 

[Isadora]

She said no one will help her administer it

Lol, geez. Of course I missed that

 

[Rockergirl]

Believe it or not you can just put it in the very back of their throats and let them do the rest.

The way i do it when i have no one to help me is catch the booger, wrap the chicken in a towel tightly so it can’t flap its wings, kneel down, put the chicken inbetween your legs and basically sit on it, but not all your weight lol. I then grab the top part of their beak and open their mouth, pop the pill in the back of their throat and that’s it, they’ll swallow it on their own. I try to be fast with opening their mouth and putting the pill in.

I have this same question because I need to give one of those huge calcium citrate pills to one my chicks that are constantly laying broken eggs (I've already tried extra oyster shells, eggs, etc). Anyway, I can imagine after the first catch and "hold down" they are pretty hard to catch next time....I'm going to try my 1st dose like icy-flames mentioned...and mix it in. They LOVE eggs, so I will probably try mixing it into some sort of egg mixture.

 

[CKfarm22]

I have this same question because I need to give one of those huge calcium citrate pills to one my chicks that are constantly laying broken eggs (I've already tried extra oyster shells, eggs, etc). Anyway, I can imagine after the first catch and "hold down" they are pretty hard to catch next time....I'm going to try my 1st dose like icy-flames mentioned...and mix it in. They LOVE eggs, so I will probably try mixing it into some sort of egg mixture.

They aren’t, At least not mine. Corner them

 

[JustSarahThanks]

I know you said you tried hiding it in treats and the bird figured it out, but one thing my avian vet recommended that kind of blew my mind was sprayable Cheez Whiz. It would never in a million years have occurred to me that chickens would be motivated by Cheez Whiz but they see the horrible orange stuff and go absolutely bananas for it so I've been able to medicate my birds that way. Don't know how effective it would be with a larger pill as they do eat the stuff off of surfaces, sometimes the pills themselves, but they're so excited about it that they don't seem to particularly care if I get a little more insistent with them about eating the pill with the Cheez Whiz. I hope that's helpful.

 

[icy_flames]

Yeah unfortunately no one will help me it would be way easier.

How do you deal with when they start squirming + shriveling their head down and you can't really grab the beak? It's almost like I have to wait till she's completely exhausted and finally lets me get it in there.

 

[Isadora]

Yeah unfortunately no one will help me it would be way easier.

How do you deal with when they start squirming + shriveling their head down and you can't really grab the beak? It's almost like I have to wait till she's completely exhausted and finally lets me get it in there.

I would wrap her in a towel and hold her between my legs so she can't get away. Even if she shrinks her head down into her chest, you can still grab her lower beak and pop it open with one hand and then insert the pill with the other hand. Really it's just being persistent.