Tube feeding and mouth breathing

[thenovicehen]

Howdy, y’all. This is a little long, but bear with me because I need insight.

Some background: I have a hen that had severe round worms and nearly died. She had stopped eating because she became so weak so my vet taught me how to tune feed her until she is strong enough to eat on her own again. Treated the worms, they’re gone. She had started to get stronger for a bit, gaining weight and fighting the tube more. I was offering her food and snacks to encourage her to eat on her own.

Well, last week, a meal work was fumbled and I’m pretty sure went into her trachea. She started making a rattling noise and thrashing around some, I could tell she was struggling to breathe. I called our vet and she was out of town. In a panic, I tried to…. Shake it out of her. Not like horrifically, but it seemed to loosen something up to where she seemed in less distress. I never saw the mealworm come up though. She seemed okay, and I sort of forgot about it because there was no more rattling, and continued caring for her as I had been. A couple days go by, and it seems her recovery has plateaued. Yesterday, she seems to have declined even. She’s been mouth breathing, her comb is pale, and her eyes aren’t quite as alert. She has an appointment with the vet on Thursday, but I’m worried she won’t make it until then. Is there anything I can do for her? I can’t cull her. I’ve tried to see down her throat with a flashlight, but she has enough fight to wiggle her head too much to get her mouth open enough or long enough to actually aim my light. Help please.

Some additional notes: Her nostrils are clear. No sneezing or coughing. I can’t hear any sounds in her lungs but I don’t own a stethoscope. Haven’t experienced any obvious aspiration during tube feeding.

Also, I have noticed this past week, the tube has been more difficult to get down her esophagus (it’s a French 12). I was able to get half the tube down, which seemed to be how far the vet did it when she showed me, but now it’s only going in about a third. Her crop is still filling, and she hasn’t aspirated from the tube being inserted only that far.

 

[GermanKennhuhn]

@Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock @azygous

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry she's not doing well.

@Overo Mare or @HeatherKellyB may be able to offer some tips about the crop/tube feeding.

Is her crop emptying overnight?
If she did inhale a mealworm, then she may have some infection from that. Speculation on my part.

 

[azygous]

Look at this photo.

Tube feeding totally avoids the airway which is that hole in the center of the throat right behind the tongue. The esophagus is on the far right of the throat, and impossible to get fluids into the airway with the tube properly inserted. So there is no need to worry while tubing that you might get fluids in the wrong opening.

As for the meal worm getting accidentally sucked into the airway, stuff like that happens all the time and chickens eventually clear the obstruction on their own, but your maneuver was the correct thing to do. It could have saved her life. I did something similar years ago when a hen got a cherry tomato lodged in her airway. She finished living out her life and died of old age at age twelve.

Supportive care right now to get this girl to her vet appointment would be sugar and electrolytes in water to keep her glucose elevated and to prevent dehydration. This, more than anything else, can keep her system running even if she's eating poorly.

To tempt her to eat, try varying her menu. Boiled rice and yogurt is one thing I give a sick chicken and they often eat it when nothing else will tempt them. Soft boiled or even raw egg is also something they will eat when nothing else interests them. Raisins are good for a little quick energy and to give the crop something to work on. Even scratch grain will often get a chicken eating when nothing else will.

 

[Painted Calls]

I'm about ready to crash, but I'll be more than happy to help in the morning. @HeatherKellyB, can you fill in here tonight?

 

[HeatherKellyB]

@thenovicehen are you still tube feeding? Whenever the tube won't go as far as it should, I remove the tube and start over, making sure the neck is straight and the crop isn't being pressed by me or anything restraining the bird. As for seeing what I'm doing, I always use a head lamp and look for the trachea beside the tube before proceeding.
Your hen hasn't become dehydrated has she?

 

[thenovicehen]

I'm sorry she's not doing well.

@Overo Mare or @HeatherKellyB may be able to offer some tips about the crop/tube feeding.

Is her crop emptying overnight?
If she did inhale a mealworm, then she may have some infection from that. Speculation on my part.

That’s what I’m thinking happened. Her crop is emptying at night. Poops are watery, but I figured it was because she’s on all liquid diet.

 

[thenovicehen]

Look at this photo. View attachment 3136869Tube feeding totally avoids the airway which is that hole in the center of the throat right behind the tongue. The esophagus is on the far right of the throat, and impossible to get fluids into the airway with the tube properly inserted. So there is no need to worry while tubing that you might get fluids in the wrong opening.

As for the meal worm getting accidentally sucked into the airway, stuff like that happens all the time and chickens eventually clear the obstruction on their own, but your maneuver was the correct thing to do. It could have saved her life. I did something similar years ago when a hen got a cherry tomato lodged in her airway. She finished living out her life and died of old age at age twelve.

Supportive care right now to get this girl to her vet appointment would be sugar and electrolytes in water to keep her glucose elevated and to prevent dehydration. This, more than anything else, can keep her system running even if she's eating poorly.

To tempt her to eat, try varying her menu. Boiled rice and yogurt is one thing I give a sick chicken and they often eat it when nothing else will tempt them. Soft boiled or even raw egg is also something they will eat when nothing else interests them. Raisins are good for a little quick energy and to give the crop something to work on. Even scratch grain will often get a chicken eating when nothing else will.

Super encouraging, thank you. I had quickly searched if I could do the Heimlich maneuver on a chicken, and it was recommended so I acted fast and intuitively with shaking it loose. I do believe I saved her life in that moment.

She’s been getting electrolytes sav-a-chick daily. I’m continuing to tune feed her, adding nutri-drench and poultry cell. Should I still add some sugar?

We’ve been trying to offer various foods: oatmeal, scrambled or raw eggs, fruit and veggie scraps chopped into tiny pieces, and both dried and live mealworms. Bugs were always her fav. I’m going to try the other foods you suggested as well.

Since she’s made it through the weekend, I feel like we’re going to make it to the vet Thursday.

 

[thenovicehen]

@thenovicehen are you still tube feeding? Whenever the tube won't go as far as it should, I remove the tube and start over, making sure the neck is straight and the crop isn't being pressed by me or anything restraining the bird. As for seeing what I'm doing, I always use a head lamp and look for the trachea beside the tube before proceeding.
Your hen hasn't become dehydrated has she?

The vet taught me to aim the tube down the correct side and to feel for it in the esophagus. I do try to start over when I feel like I’m caught on something, but I hadn’t thought about perhaps her crop is smushed but the towels we use to prop her up. Poor thing just falls over.

I don’t think she’s dehydrated. I read that a healthy chicken should drink about a pint of water a day, so we’ve been measuring out her liquids for the day to make sure she’s getting enough. I think her excrements have more of an ammonia smell that what feels normal though. They have been pretty watery. I attached of photo because everybody likes poop photos.

 

[azygous]

When dealing with a sick hen, any progress in the right direction is good.