[nwoodrow]

Well I know I'm not the only one who dreads this, and it can happen so quickly that everything seems lost. Last Night I went to give my clutch of 4 week olds their bedtime feeding, everything was gonna great, until baby number 5's turn, i'm not sure exactly what happened one minute his head was bobbing for food and i was giving it to him and the next he was withering and convulsing on the table, thankfully because of Susannes Advice on another thread I had read the baby is fine. I was so scared for a moment, and then my brain remembered and I just picked up that baby put his little beak in my mouth and gave it 2 quick but soft breathes, i then held him and checked him over once he was back to crying and being himself, i placed him in with his clutch members, he then proceeded to do the kissing motion with his siblings and seems to be back to his normal self. It can be such a scary experience, and even the most experinced breeder will aspirate a chick, and being fearful of aspirating another is not the way to go especially when you have 8 others who depend on you. Just thought Ide share my experience in hope that it can help others.

 

[srtiels]

Congraulations on reviving and saving your little one Good job. Aspiration happens so fast...I've done it myself in the past. What happens when the chick goes down is the esophagus is blocked, and the chick collapses from lack of a clear airway. You would think breathing into it would force the food into the lungs but it doesn't because the chick has already closed of the opening...therefore when breathing into the mouth...quick gentle puff or two.....moves the food from blocking the airway....and the chick instinctively knows that it is gone and breathes.

It is a scary experience but due to your quick actions you did good. Take care when feeding the next few days. You will be extra nervous, so have a good firm grip on the babies head when feeding, which will be helpful in decreasing the risks of it happening again.

 

[srtiels]

Does this happen if the parents are feeding them

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Yes...this can happen sometimes (rare instances) when parents are feeding chicks in the nest. I have found that many times soft foods tend to be more sticky and can gunk in the babies mouths and impact in their throats preventing food from going down the to the crop. The next time they feed the airway gets blocked and the chick smothers and dies.

it is always best to check the inside of the babies mouths for the first 10 days to make sure they are clean and free of any buildup inside the mouth, or face/head.


Bedding such as Carefresh or corn cob can also be cause for aspiration in the nest.