Feeding Antibiotics to a Chicken

Years ago, when I looked after a sick cat for a good friend in New York, I was completely unable to get pills down her frantically squirming Russian Blue. Whenever I thought I’d finally done it, the kitty would go “ptoo” and out would come the little blue pill.

I’m having sort of the same experience with sick Ruby.  I’m supposed to syringe liquid antibiotics and painkillers into her beak, but that’s just a joke. She wiggles her head so much it practically becomes a blur. And a chicken’s head is really, really hard to get a grip on, worse than a cat’s because it’s about the size of a golf ball. I’m afraid I’m going to put her eye out or wring her neck.

So I’m putting the antibiotics into food. I’m not doing too well there, either…I tried yogurt this morning but after a few pecks she’d lost interest. Corn kernels were a bit more enticing, but I’m fairly sure that most of the medicine dripped off and pooled on the plate. Tonight I tried dribbling it onto a tablespoon of bread crumbs.

Go, Ruby!

However, she stopped after a few bites. Exasperating!

Any suggestions? Next I’ll try giving her the most minuscule possible amount, maybe 1/2 teaspoon.