Wobbly, Off-balance Silkie

[krissyweso]

I am writing about my 2 year old silkie hen, Sneaker, who is acting strange: wobbling and standing off-balance. She is eating and pooping totally normally, and she still runs around and acts normal. She seems strong, fighting with a lot of gusto to get down if she doesn't want to be held.

I'm wondering if she could have hurt her leg?

This weekend, I began introducing three new silkies to my current flock; Two of the silkies (Chili and Turnip) are the offspring of Sneaker, and one (Purd) is a 2 year old silkie I adopted and have had in quarantine for three weeks.

Sneak is definitely near the bottom of the pecking order, only above her two babies, so she has been getting picked on (as well as picking on others... and losing).

I also know that introducing new birds can put stress on the chickens emotionally, and they can get ill.

I brought her inside and she's confined to a small dog crate.

Anyone have any ideas or experience with this?

Here are some videos of her:

 

[krissyweso]

So, we have an update (as well as some general, helpful info)!!

Verdict: Spinal Trauma

So I took my girl to her vet (whom I really trust. There are a lot of closer, more convenient aviary vets I could go to, but I drive far and go out of my way to go to this vet.), and, right away, he thought it was a back injury. He does not think it's Marek's or a vitamin deficiency.

He believes strongly that it is spinal trauma because of the way her legs go out to the sides, not front and back as he says is nearly ubiquitous for Marek's. Also, her legs are strong where they would be paralyzed if it were Marek's.

He also does not think it is a vitamin deficiency because, if it was a vitamin deficiency, it would only have taken a couple days for her to improve.

We did x-rays, and there is no fracture.

He says he sees the same signs and symptoms often in female ducks who often experience spinal trauma from mating. This would also make sense for my Sneaky, as she is the favorite girl and is ridden hard and often. That coupled with fighting with the new girls is a recipe for a bad back.

One other tidbit of info he gave me is that chickens can very easily overdose on vitamin D. We should never give them much or it could cause a harmful over build-up of calcium. He also mentioned that it would be difficult or impossible for them to overdose on vitamins B, E, and calcium, but we shouldn't need to give them more than a couple doses to get them caught up on anything they are missing.

So, Sneak will be living in the house for the near future, as there is really no telling how long it will take to heal. But she now has anti-inflammatory medication along with a mom and dad who love her very much, so I am sure she will be better soon enough!

 

[nuthatched]

Silkies are prone to a vitamin deficiency known as wry neck, give her 1 400.i.u vitamin E capsule and about 1/3 of a Vitamin B complex tablet every day for about two week or until conditions improve. Just pull down on her waddles and pop it into her mouth. These are found in the vitamin section at the grocery store

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you tell or show me what I'm looking for with an ear infection?

There's a small tuft of feathers on the side of her head, it may be harder to find since she's a Silkie, but if you look behind the tuft, you will see the ear canal. It should be clean with no yellow gunk, bugs, etc.

Photo Credit

 

[krissyweso]

Update:

In the beginning, Sneaker wasn't eating well... hardly at all, really. I think she was in a lot of pain. Just a little bit of corn on the cob or a little feed, but I was getting really worried, so I was going to tube feed her. I got ready to do it, but, before I did, I mixed the Harrison's Recovery Formula (made into a paste) with some of her feed crumbles, made little balls out of them, AND SHE GOBBLED THEM UP!! She's been eating great ever since.

Her walking has not improved much in the last two weeks, but she is definitely trying more than before.

She is also still happily spending time in her chickie chair, which the vet said was fine for her to use.

 

[krissyweso]

Silkies are prone to a vitamin deficiency known as wry neck, give her 1 400.i.u vitamin E capsule and about 1/3 of a Vitamin B complex tablet every day for about two week or until conditions improve. Just pull down on her waddles and pop it into her mouth. These are found in the vitamin section at the grocery store

Great. I'll do that. I think I already have them from a chicken I had with Marek's.

 

[puddle_drinker]

I am writing about my 2 year old silkie hen, Sneaker, who is acting strange: wobbling and standing off-balance.

Make sure the lid is on for any hard cider bottles in the area.

 

[krissyweso]

There's a small tuft of feathers on the side of her head, it may be harder to find since she's a Silkie, but if you look behind the tuft, you will see the ear canal. It should be clean with no yellow gunk, bugs, etc.

Photo Credit

Thank you!

Her ears are clear and no mites.

I felt her legs, and her right fibula feels like it's swollen, so I do think she may have pulled a muscle. I'm going to look around the site for tips, but if you all know anything off of the top of your head that could help her heal, I'd love to hear.

I know I should keep her pretty still (so keep her in the crate), and I'm thinking of maybe making her a chicken sling swing (We had to do that for my chicken with Marek's). I also know that I should give her Vitamin D and B to help her muscles and bones. Anything I'm missing?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If her leg is a little swollen, limiting activity for a few days may help.
1/4 tablet B-Complex daily would be good to give.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The puppy pads are too slick for her. Try a rubber mat instead.

It very well could be Marek's. I would start adding in 400IU Vitamin E as well.
Silkies seem to be their own kind of special, they can suffer from a number of issues, Marek's is one of them unfortunately. Even if that's the case, then vitamin therapy is usually what most apply since there's really no treatment/remedies.

Hopefully your vet can give some insight and make some suggestions. Let us know what you find out.