Advice Please - Silkie Hen - Very Sick

[Novice Chicken Mum]

Hi all
I'm brand new to this forum and looking for advice.... a bit of an emergency with one of my Silkie hens
My newest chicken is still young only about 9 months old and she did not shelter from the rain in the last few days. My older hens go back to their coop.
On Monday I found her scratching in the mud for worms, bugs etc. and she was soaked.
I came home from work on Tuesday and was shocked how wet she was and she was shivering. She was towel dried and put into the top of their pen which is dry.

Today she is so sick and droopy and not really eating or drinking. Tonight my daughter and I took her in bathed her in warm water with mild soap and blow dried her dry, she had a white scaly colour on her face yesterday but that's gone and i checked legs for mites but legs look good. On the outside she looks fine but her eyes are drooping and her voice is croaky
So I guess she has a respiratory disease. We gave her 15 mL. of water in a syringe. I put her in a padded dry straw box with a hot water bottle - warm wrapped in a towel and she is sitting on it. She is nice and warm and separated from the others - she looks comfortable and content

Any other advice would be welcome - I have broad spectrum antibiotics - should I try those?
Does she have coccidiosis? I haven't seen diarrhoea. She has her eyes half closed and very droopy and slow..

I would really appreciate help in diagnosing chicken diseases - its so hard. Should I take her to the vet tomorrow?
We have turkeys and birds getting into their food and probably giving them diseases?

Can anyone recommend foods to help her build up her health. Any treats I can give her to encourage her to eat?
My chickens love corn and rice - I know that's not good for them but I add shell grit to it to help digest and its only a treat.
What can I give my sick chicken that has a cold I guess? Mashing up her normal nutritional chicken layer feed with water is not enticing her to eat?

Thanks all and I am so glad to be part of this forum thank you.
Look forward to advice - I have a feeling looking at her that she is not going to survive the night.

 

[Novice Chicken Mum]

Sorry for late email but the problem got serious 3 hours ago and the Vet is closed, I am worried she will not survive the night

 

[Obsessed With Silkies]

I'd try to give her an elder berry tablet. That worked for one of my chickens when they were sick.
@LadiesAndJane

 

[LabMomma]

Hi all
I'm brand new to this forum and looking for advice.... a bit of an emergency with one of my Silkie hens
My newest chicken is still young only about 9 months old and she did not shelter from the rain in the last few days. My older hens go back to their coop.
On Monday I found her scratching in the mud for worms, bugs etc. and she was soaked.
I came home from work on Tuesday and was shocked how wet she was and she was shivering. She was towel dried and put into the top of their pen which is dry.

Today she is so sick and droopy and not really eating or drinking. Tonight my daughter and I took her in bathed her in warm water with mild soap and blow dried her dry, she had a white scaly colour on her face yesterday but that's gone and i checked legs for mites but legs look good. On the outside she looks fine but her eyes are drooping and her voice is croaky
So I guess she has a respiratory disease. We gave her 15 mL. of water in a syringe. I put her in a padded dry straw box with a hot water bottle - warm wrapped in a towel and she is sitting on it. She is nice and warm and separated from the others - she looks comfortable and content

Any other advice would be welcome - I have broad spectrum antibiotics - should I try those?
Does she have coccidiosis? I haven't seen diarrhoea. She has her eyes half closed and very droopy and slow..

I would really appreciate help in diagnosing chicken diseases - its so hard. Should I take her to the vet tomorrow?
We have turkeys and birds getting into their food and probably giving them diseases?

Can anyone recommend foods to help her build up her health. Any treats I can give her to encourage her to eat?
My chickens love corn and rice - I know that's not good for them but I add shell grit to it to help digest and its only a treat.
What can I give my sick chicken that has a cold I guess? Mashing up her normal nutritional chicken layer feed with water is not enticing her to eat?

Thanks all and I am so glad to be part of this forum thank you.
Look forward to advice - I have a feeling looking at her that she is not going to survive the night.

Are her eyes or nosy mucousy/runny? Is she sneezing or coughing? You could try scrambling some eggs and try to get her to eat those. It would be a good source of protein for her.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

These issues are so difficult. I am sorry you are going through this with your sweet bird. I would try to give her some nutradrench undiluted. I am sorry I do not know enough to recommend giving antibiotics. Encourage eating and drinking as much as you can. I also give my sick birds plain scrambled eggs. I also make a gruel out of their crumble feed. If you feed pellets, these can ground easily in a blender. I add a little nutradrench to this as well and some slightly warm water. Hope she pulls through.

 

[Novice Chicken Mum]

Are her eyes or nosy mucousy/runny? Is she sneezing or coughing? You could try scrambling some eggs and try to get her to eat those. It would be a good source of protein for her.

Are her eyes or nosy mucousy/runny? Is she sneezing or coughing? You could try scrambling some eggs and try to get her to eat those. It would be a good source of protein for her.

Her eyes are half closed and she had a croaky throat (sounds sore) a few days ago when I first noticed it her face was white and her comb. since washing her its all gone. My guess is coccidiosis her special antibiotic arived today'
Yesterday I had given her a broad spectrum antibotic
since then she perked up
and today she wanted to escape isolation box.
shes very calm though.
I gave foods and vitamins today and shes eatin well
her eyes are still half closed

Are her eyes or nosy mucousy/runny? Is she sneezing or coughing? You could try scrambling some eggs and try to get her to eat those. It would be a good source of protein for her.

 

[Novice Chicken Mum]

I think the fact her eyes are half closed and she's croaky is a clue she is sick - but I'm no expert.

 

[LabMomma]

Her eyes are half closed and she had a croaky throat (sounds sore) a few days ago when I first noticed it her face was white and her comb. since washing her its all gone. My guess is coccidiosis her special antibiotic arived today'
Yesterday I had given her a broad spectrum antibotic
since then she perked up
and today she wanted to escape isolation box.
shes very calm though.
I gave foods and vitamins today and shes eatin well
her eyes are still half closed

I’m so glad that she’s doing better! I hope she continues to improve

 

[Novice Chicken Mum]

Her eyes are half closed and she had a croaky throat (sounds sore) a few days ago when I first noticed it her face was white and her comb. since washing her its all gone. My guess is coccidiosis her special antibiotic arived today'
Yesterday I had given her a broad spectrum antibotic
since then she perked up
and today she wanted to escape isolation box.
shes very calm though.
I gave foods and vitamins today and shes eatin well
her eyes are still half closed

Hi all my chicken got better and now worse again the scale is really only on her face her legs look fine - but she is now looking mangy and is losing her feathers
its so sad to see my best looking hen look so scrawny and sick looking.
I have to take her to the vet - which in Sydney is very expenisve.

Any advice would be welcome.....
I gave her a bath today and used some soap and scale treatment and used a bit of oil on her and a bit of Vaseline. The rain in NSW made their living space so damp - I kept trying to add fresh and dry hay every second day but they look like they have something. Their legs look paler than normal but there is no crusty scale on their legs or feet?

 

[Novice Chicken Mum]

Hi all my chicken got better and now worse again the scale is really only on her face her legs look fine - but she is now looking mangy and is losing her feathers
its so sad to see my best looking hen look so scrawny and sick looking.
I have to take her to the vet - which in Sydney is very expenisve.

Any advice would be welcome.....
I gave her a bath today and used some soap and scale treatment and used a bit of oil on her and a bit of Vaseline. The rain in NSW made their living space so damp - I kept trying to add fresh and dry hay every second day but they look like they have something. Their legs look paler than normal but there is no crusty scale on their legs or feet?

Its more that their faces have a pale scale on it. Now peeling from my treatment - looks like sunburn peeling. I now worry its not scale but something else? Can any experts out there advise me?