Choking is a medical emergency whether you’re the one who is choking, or whether your chicken is choking.
This article is a quick look into how to tell if your chicken is choking
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How to tell if your chicken is choking:
A chicken may try to hide signs that it is sick, in distress, or is choking, but knowing the signs of choking may help you keep your bird alive.
Here are signs that your chicken is choking:
Coughing or gagging:
Your chicken will try to get the blockage out on its own and will do this by gagging or coughing.
If you see the bird suddenly doing this then you should worry.
Difficulty breathing:
The foreign object, or the food, that is stuck in your bird’s throat causing it to choke may make breathing difficult for your bird.
You’ll notice that the bird is having difficulty breathing as it’s choking.
Change in comb and wattle color:
Your bird’s wattle and comb can usually tell you how your chicken is doing.
These parts will sometimes change color if the bird is distressed.
The comb and wattles will lighten to become a pale or blush color when the bird is choking.
Behavior change:
If your bird’s behavior overall seems to be off a bit then this may mean that something is wrong.
If you notice this as well as the signs above then the bird may be choking
What to do:
If your chicken is choking, you’d need to start off by looking down your bird’s throat to see how far the object is.
Secure your chicken, open its mouth, and look down the bird’s throat. Youll be able to see how deep the object is this way
Doing this will help you figure out your next steps.
Fish the object out:
If you can see the object in the bird’s mouth, and can reach in and grab the object using your hands, or a pair of tweezers, then you can simply grab the object and pull it out.
Heimlich maneuver:
If the object is too deep to fish out then you can perform the Heimlich maneuver on your chicken to get the object out.
Do this by grabbing the bird around its waist and using your arms to thrust inwards and upwards.
Turn the bird upside down:
Turning the bird upside down may also help to dislodge the object and get it out of your bird’s throat.
Do this by grabbing the bird by its legs and swinging the bird between your legs.
Be careful when doing this, you want to keep the bird’s head from hitting the floor.
The gravity and centrifugal force should help dislodge the item
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Why Does My Bird Put His Head Down?, Why Does My Cockatiel Sit In The Corner?, Cockatiel Swaying Side To Side, Why Does My Cockatiel Flap Its Wings Really Fast?, Cockatiel Sleeping On Me, String Stuck In Chicken’s Throat, How To Save A Choking Chick, How To Stop A Chicken From Choking, Baby Chick Choking On Water
