Force feeding a chicken

Hey all,

I have a simple question... How to properly force feed a chicken? What time of the day should I do it? Is it better during the evening?

I have a sick hen. I've done everything. Not eggbound, no impacted crop (totally empty), gave her anti worms. Went to the vet 2 days ago. He checked her poop and found nothing, also nothing on her aswell - no lice etc

Now i've been given antibiotics to make sure its nothing bacterial.
In the meantime she's incredibly skinny. She sits and sleeps 90% of the day. She often shakes her head and picks at her feet, but nothing is there (no lice or impacted feet).

We picked up fresh mealworms and she eats a few but then goes back to being sleepy. No red mites in the coop.

This has been going on for 2 weeks now. I've occasionally try to force feed her but its so hard (for me). I watched youtube videos and cover her head with my hand and try to open her beak but she shakes her head uncontrallebly, and I'm afraid I might hurt her.

We got some laying pellets and water in her occasionally doing this for 30 mins a day, but it's too little.

Can somebody please point me in the direction hox to properly do it, and what time during the day etc. This is getting so incredibly frustrating. I love her so much. Please, help.

I would not force feed her, there are worse things than dying. I would give her the coup de grace. I think you are only prolonging it.

Mrs K

I'm in the same boat with one of my hens. For some reason, mine just stops eating and drinking. She drops from her normal 4.7 lbs. to 3.2, just standing around, sometimes sitting, eyes closed. This has been going on since February. Since then, I have done a lot to force feed her food and water, using a catheter and syringe, and she has recovered after about two week of doing that twice a day for those two weeks. She will then go on happily on her own, eating and drinking, and after about 5-6 weeks, the process starts all over again. I cannot figure out what is going on with her.

This started again earlier this week, and this time, I decided to let nature take its course with her. She is my oldest hen, from my very first flock. She is over 4 years old. I hate to see her waste away, but sometimes, you just can't keep up with the heroics to save a bird.

vantain said:

I'm in the same boat with one of my hens. For some reason, mine just stops eating and drinking. She drops from her normal 4.7 lbs. to 3.2, just standing around, sometimes sitting, eyes closed. This has been going on since February. Since then, I have done a lot to force feed her food and water, using a catheter and syringe, and she has recovered after about two week of doing that twice a day for those two weeks. She will then go on happily on her own, eating and drinking, and after about 5-6 weeks, the process starts all over again. I cannot figure out what is going on with her.

This started again earlier this week, and this time, I decided to let nature take its course with her. She is my oldest hen, from my very first flock. She is over 4 years old. I hate to see her waste away, but sometimes, you just can't keep up with the heroics to save a bird.

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Thank you for the reply. Please keep me posted on her progress if you do it like that. I'm seeing some light improvements in my hen aswell. Slowly but steady.

Recently I had a hen that stopped eating for about a week. To keep her going I was scrambling eggs, cutting it up and rolling it into large pill size pieces, and pushing that into her mouth twice a day. Poultry Nutri-Drench twice a day as well. After a few days with no improvement I started her on enrofloxacin for a possible bacterial infection (she had salpingitis last year, and her poop looked consistent with poop from chickens with bacterial infections). She was drinking on her own so I didn't have to worry about that.

She began eating again on Sunday so I've stopped everything except the enrofloxacin which should be done tomorrow. If she hadn't shown any improvement by the end of the enrofloxacin doses I was planning to cull her.

Best of luck with your bird!

rosemarythyme said:

Recently I had a hen that stopped eating for about a week. To keep her going I was scrambling eggs, cutting it up and rolling it into large pill size pieces, and pushing that into her mouth twice a day. Poultry Nutri-Drench twice a day as well. After a few days with no improvement I started her on enrofloxacin for a possible bacterial infection (she had salpingitis last year, and her poop looked consistent with poop from chickens with bacterial infections). She was drinking on her own so I didn't have to worry about that.

She began eating again on Sunday so I've stopped everything except the enrofloxacin which should be done tomorrow. If she hadn't shown any improvement by the end of the enrofloxacin doses I was planning to cull her.

Best of luck with your bird!

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Oh man, what does poop from a bacterial infection look like? Yes, i do really want to know! Gonna look it up now.

My Very First 6 Chickens said:

Oh man, what does poop from a bacterial infection look like? Yes, i do really want to know! Gonna look it up now.

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In this case, her poops were like a dark pine green color, which can be indicative of bacterial infection. After the enrofloxacin treatment my hen fully recovered from whatever was ailing her and is eating on her own again and pooping normally again.

New to chickens, so I can’t offer much advice. Just feel for you - I’d be a mess. All I can say is follow your heart. It will tell you what the best plan of action. Went through this with a chihuahua for over a week. Emotionally draining and still kills me to think about it. Sometimes it’s good to know when to be humane and do what’s right for the animal. Even though we want to save them, sometimes it’s more kind to know when to let go. Sincere best of luck to you and everyone involved