4th day not eating drinking. Pullet. 21weeks. Silkie. HELP!

[nightowl223]

I mentioned a page about chicken poop, and went looking for it, to post. Turns out there are now multiple helpful pages about it, in fact! So, I'll post them here, to help you learn what is and isn't normal.

(Edited to add the 2 best links)

1) http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=17568.0

2) http://www.fresheggsdaily.com/2016/03/all-about-chicken-poop-brown-black-and.html

 

[Greebo]

She has been outside with the others again this arvo. When she's inside she just sits or stands and ignores the food. When she's outside she is more likely to peck at things, so although I cant monitor what or how much she is having out there, at least it's something. I'm not liking that her crop is never feeling full like the others though. I can barely feel anything. Unless going off their food is something that happens to some of them naturally when they moult? This is her first moult, and I've not had any of the silkies moult before. Only the 2 game bantams, and they didn't really skip a beat except in egg production. I know the other silkies are moulting too coz of the white feathers everywhere in the yard and their roost, but they all seem ok. In fact they have more voracious appetites than usual. Can it be something as simple as a moult getting on top of her?
I just don't want her to keel over suddenly. And I want to catch anything she might have in the early stages coz I know they can go downhill quickly if you don't.
When I called the others down with treats they all came rushing, with noise and kerfuffle, trying to outrun each other, but she meandered. Meandered! No chook walks calmly and sedately to a person potentially exploding into mealworms. They fight to be first like humans at a boxing day sale, throwing children and the elderly into the paths of those behind them. They know if they're not in first it could be gone. Even being timid in nature she has never taken her time like that before. She's just slower, and that worries me coz I know it's not normal. Walks slow, turns her head slowly, pecks gently - I've thrown a treat to her and she's considered it, bent to pick it up, eaten it, the next treat lands, she considers it a bit, bends to peck and one of the juvies comes from nearby and nabs it. Why is she in slow motion?

 

[Greebo]

Yeah, poops look pretty good. Watch for diarrhea and lime green (those are more foreboding).
I read the suggestion that you give her B vitamins - I really, really see great results with a fast-acting vitamin like NutriDrench. Boosting the natural ability to fight disease always is a positive step, even if you have a mystery on your hands.

I found a Vitamin B Complex (as a previous commenter suggested buying - don't mean to not give credit just can't recall their name) that was in tablet form at the stockfeeders, so I've been crushing them to add to her water. She's not eating enough of what I put directly in front of her to give it with food, but I can at least syringe with the water.

 

[Greebo]

I mentioned a page about chicken poop, and went looking for it, to post. Turns out there are now multiple helpful pages about it, in fact! So, I'll post them here, to help you learn what is and isn't normal.

(Edited to add the 2 best links)

1) http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=17568.0

2) http://www.fresheggsdaily.com/2016/03/all-about-chicken-poop-brown-black-and.html

Thank you, I've read them and bookmarked for future reference. I've also registered to join the forum haha

I found this page when I was looking into things to help Little. They don't sell liver in my local store but will travel to the city closest to us tomorrow and pick some up. She says she's had success with it, figured it can't hurt!
https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/sick-chicken-food/

 

[Greebo]

So thrilled with her tonight. Golf ball sized crop! I'm still syringing every now and then, just to be sure she's getting all the vitamins/probiotic/acv/electrolytes she needs. I think that has made the big difference. I'm not sure what the problem is/was but I do think she's on the way up again. She's not 100% yet so I'm going to stick with it and monitor her and feed eggs etc over the next few days, but I feel very optimistic.
Thank you so much for all your suggestions and help, especially @nightowl223 you were my knightress in shining armour and I am very grateful you were there. Unless things take a change for the worse and I need help sooner, I will update the post in a few days with her progress so you get some closing results on all the great advice you have given
Thanks again for your time!

 

[Boonie Stomper]

@Greebo - you mentioned awhile ago "shell grit". I do hope you meant shell AND grit! The shell provides calcium but it does not serve as "teeth" in their gizzards. Rocks are eaten which remain in the gizzard helping to grind their food and wear down over time needing replacement.
How does Little look today?
Hen Selfie request.
Happy Valentine's day

 

[Greebo]

@Greebo - you mentioned awhile ago "shell grit". I do hope you meant shell AND grit! The shell provides calcium but it does not serve as "teeth" in their gizzards. Rocks are eaten which remain in the gizzard helping to grind their food and wear down over time needing replacement.
How does Little look today?
Hen Selfie request.
Happy Valentine's day

Don't buy grit, they free range all day through a huge yard and garden, eating bugs, dirt, veges and as many rocks as they please lol. If I ever had to keep a chook inside for an extended period I'd bring in some soil etc for them as well, but otherwise I would be giving the sick chooks daily outdoor time in a fenced section in another yard area on the other side of the property so they could still dirt bath and get their natural scratching around happening.

 

[Greebo]

Update

Little is doing marvellously. She is still her quirky odd self, but she is happy, healthy and I think she may have laid an egg the other day as I found one randomly in the middle of the yard, and I know at least 2 of the other 3 silkies have been laying in the dog kennel (dog gave up on it, she has another kennel and couple of beds, so I filled the 'chook choice' with hay and they are happy with that, weirdos), apparently the outside coop is only liked by the D'Uccles and one of the OEGB, go figure. None of the silkies have been laying every day, guess their systems are getting used to the change and plus they are all still moulting so irregularity is to be expected. I'm hoping the odd egg was Little's and it means her internal system works. Being a failure to thrive it has always worried me how she would handle developing into an adult.
For now at least things are going swell for her. She has food in her crop every evening, she looks happy in the yard and is back to trotting around like she used to. I am so relieved and happy.
Thanks for being there everyone. Thank you @nightowl223 we are so happy to have our Little still with us and recovered so well. Very glad this site exists and I hope one day in the future when I have learnt and experienced a lot more, I can return the favour to a new batch of newbies
Cheers!

 

[nightowl223]

Update

Little is doing marvellously. She is still her quirky odd self, but she is happy, healthy and I think she may have laid an egg the other day as I found one randomly in the middle of the yard, and I know at least 2 of the other 3 silkies have been laying in the dog kennel (dog gave up on it, she has another kennel and couple of beds, so I filled the 'chook choice' with hay and they are happy with that, weirdos), apparently the outside coop is only liked by the D'Uccles and one of the OEGB, go figure. None of the silkies have been laying every day, guess their systems are getting used to the change and plus they are all still moulting so irregularity is to be expected. I'm hoping the odd egg was Little's and it means her internal system works. Being a failure to thrive it has always worried me how she would handle developing into an adult.
For now at least things are going swell for her. She has food in her crop every evening, she looks happy in the yard and is back to trotting around like she used to. I am so relieved and happy.
Thanks for being there everyone. Thank you @nightowl223 we are so happy to have our Little still with us and recovered so well. Very glad this site exists and I hope one day in the future when I have learnt and experienced a lot more, I can return the favour to a new batch of newbies
Cheers!

Such wonderful news! And I hope the egg is hers, as well, because that would be just fantastic!


Thank you so much for the update. We are so often left waiting and wondering, when someone we've helped never checks back in with news, good or bad, and we're glad to know the results. Of course, we are very happy when the news is positive!

I hope Little has a wonderful, happy, kooky, little life, full of bugs and worms and interesting plants to nibble on. And maybe someday a little family of her own, as often as Silkies go broody.

 

[Greebo]

I'm not keen on adding to the flock, but if anyone here's going to be allowed to raise some bubs it will be her, even if the egg wasn't hers and she never ends up laying any, if she goes broody I will indulge her
Thank you!