Silkie thread!

[marquisella]

I have a question about keeping their top head feathers dry...

I live in New York State, and I 'm seeing my silkies getting their heads wet when they drink. I don't know how to avoid this. It can't be good to have a wet head when the temperatures go below zero like it did this week....

I go out & find almost all of them have wet heads....there had to be a way to give them water that they can't dunk their head in? I have plastic waterers I use in the summer that stops this, but in the winter they freeze up so I have to use bowls or short buckets for water.

Thanks....

 

[NewToFarming]

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I use the plastic waterers year round even when I was in PA. It did help keep them dry.

 

[PamB]

Some of mine do that also. I use the heated dog bowls in the winter and certain ones love to stick their whole head in. It is strange though, I have about three with wet heads & the rest manage to drink without completely soaking their heads.


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[mammat]

Hi - I hope this is the place to ask.....I have some 10-12 week old silkies. Recently 2 of them had one eye crusted shut. When i say crusted i am talking about very little to no drainage, just shut The eye is not swollen and after washing they will open. The eye is kind of watery. Both of their other eyes seem perfectly normal. No sneezing, nasal drainage, resp issues. They all are very active and eating like pigs. So today one of the originals with the eye issue is totally healed. Picked her up and both eyes look totally normal but one of the others now has a closed eye. I started them on tobramycin eye drops from the vet yesterday evening. I have read alot about horrible deadly diseases they get with eye symptoms. I really do not want to give systemic antibiotics unless it is absolutely CRITICAL. Could it just be because they are silkies with feathers in their eyes? The little partridge that is healed only had this issue for 3 days and then it was gone. I want to treat them properly but dont want to go overboard and create more problems with the systemic antibiotics. I have a brand new bottle of Tylan 200 sitting here on my desk staring at me. Any advice appreciated!
Thanks

 

[sager:)silkies]

Don't know if this will help but i get that with my polish its where they get there crest wet and it drys and crust up like u said i just take it off slowly and have no problems hope this helps never had this happen with my silkies tho
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[Brody's Broodello]

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I get a few every winter that do this, they get their heads wet, then a feather sticks to the eye & irritate the eye. Also the cold doesn't help. A little Visine drops in the eye usually clears it up in a few days, or you can put terrimycin eye ointment. It clears them up & they are fine. Good luck!

 

[Brody's Broodello]

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Welcome to the wonderful world of silkies! lol

I find that letting the breeder hens ruin thier hairdo's works best for me, once their feathers get nasty & fall out during molt, which is now, by the time they grow back in, the weather has changed. The girls actually do better with Dreads, thou some do look like Whoopi Goldberg.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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Check the edges of the eyes for teeny tiny mites; yes, feathers can irritate eyes; birds can also have allergic reactions or even get dirt or dust in their eyes. My best guess, though if it seems to be going through them one by one is to check for mites.

 

[mammat]

What do the mites look like? How do I kill them? We hold them all the time and I have never found any crawlys on them. I have heard if you put them on a piece of paper the mites will sometimes jump off and you can see them. My other silkies have never had this problem but one of my polish did. She constantly rubbed her eye on her back and it watered 24/7 but was never infected.

 

[mammat]

Brody's Broodello :

Quote:
Welcome to the wonderful world of silkies! lol

I find that letting the breeder hens ruin thier hairdo's works best for me, once their feathers get nasty & fall out during molt, which is now, by the time they grow back in, the weather has changed. The girls actually do better with Dreads, thou some do look like Whoopi Goldberg.

Two of my current silkies(not the eyeball ones) I got from you at Ohio National! They are the love of my life-too cute. You would not believe how beautiful they are and STILL growing more feathers! They are currently sleeping with the above mentioned babies and I think the splash thinks they are HER babies