9 week silkie seems a bit "off"

ChickoletteW

In the Brooder
Apr 28, 2023
8
6
14
Hello... I bought a 9 wk old silkie pullet (Pepper) at a poultry show 2 days ago because I just loved her right to pieces the second I saw her.
But now I'm a little worried about her, something seems a little bit "off," and I know chickens hide sickness well but I'm not sure if i'm just anxious or what?
A. her head is angled ever-so slightly down, and
B. she doesn't move much.

A. Head:
My husband says he wouldn't have even noticed it if I didn't point it out. I had a chicken with wry neck this spring and it doesn't seem like that, not nearly as bad. I have a picture attached below... Pepper's beak is just always angled a little down. Not sure if it's just her bone structure or what?

B. Activity. Pepper mostly sits like a blob. Awake, not sleeping... Just chilling. Tried to put her on the grass and she acted like she had never seen grass before? Maybe she hasn't, it's unclear what her living conditions were like before. Takes like 2 steps and then is just done, stands or lays back down. I guess not super different from what my other silkies used to do at that age when they were outside (I think they were afraid).... but she doesn't even move all that much inside her pen either.

She is eating and drinking a lot. Her poops look perfect. Her feathers are lovely. Her breathing is normal. She puts up a decent fight when I try to pick her up, lot's of flapping.

No runny nose or sneezing or wheezing. No nasal or eye discharge. Comb is black and slightly dry. Crop is soft.
I gave her a bath, and no evidence of mites. No skin lesions. No bumble foot. No tremors or anything like that.

Not sure if she's just sad that she's alone for a while for isolation? Doesn't know what to do? New environment, new people?
Or... is she sick with something?
I have added electrolytes to her water today.... not sure if I should go through the process of trying to supplement Vitamin E too? Any opinions or suggestions??
IMG_5990.jpg
 
Silkies are prone to vitamin deficiency and neurological issues.
Try giving 400i.u vitamin E capsule and about a third of a B complex tablet every day for a few weeks. You can get these at the grocery store, any brand is fine.
Pull down on her waddle and pop it into her beak.
 
She may be stressed or depressed by the move and by being alone, you can try a small stuffed animal or a small, safe mirror for 'company'. It may just be the angle of the picture, but I can't see her eye, sometimes all those feathers on the head can block vision so check to make sure she's seeing ok, if not you may need to trim some feathers back to help her see better. That she's eating and drinking well, and poops look normal are all good signs.
 

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