Hello everyone, I just joined today but have been reading BYC forms for months
I have three silkies living together in a brooder box;
) I noticed a week ago she wasn't eating, slept when others ate, and was very weak. I took her to the vet, they couldn't find anything wrong with her checked her for cocci ect. The vet prescribed and general oral antibiotic to take for 10 day. She drinks very well and only snacks on crumbles. I gave her boiled egg yokes she liked them but still didn't eat enough. She doesn't like sugar water either.
So I started force feeding egg yokes and her crumbles with soaked water and a bit of sugar when I noticed her energy is low. Its going well I feed her about 7 times a day or When ever I feel her crop empty or when I see the other two are eating and she isn't. Shes growing, has more energy then before, but is still lacking. She attempted to fly for the first time ever yesterday ( a week and a half behind the other chicks).
Anyways, my buff had over eaten a lot, looked like an impacted crop so I gave forced oil down. And my god her beak was much harder to open then my partridge girl.
So I'm thinking she cant break the crumbles up, I see her peck at them her crumbles but I doubt she really eating much. I getting some mash tomorrow to see if that helps.I thought at two weeks old she would be able to eat crumbles even thought she's a silkie. When I first got her she was eating medicated mash. I switched to organic crumbles because the vet said the medication could inhibit the absorption of vitamins, which could be causing her weakness. However her anorexia started when she was eating mash.
My other girls have no problems eating the crumbles.
It's her 7th day on antibiotics and I feel her improvement is only because I've been force feeding her.
Can chickens have a weak beak?
I already lost my white silkies (ellen) to crooked beak
. I've wanted silkies for years I cant bare to lose another one.
I'm working really hard to save her but from what?
sorry for the length.
Black silkie being a mommy already
Here's my partridge 2 weeks old
I have three silkies living together in a brooder box;
- Black 4 weeks old
- Buff 3 weeks old
- Partridge 3 weeks old --- weak beak problems?
So I started force feeding egg yokes and her crumbles with soaked water and a bit of sugar when I noticed her energy is low. Its going well I feed her about 7 times a day or When ever I feel her crop empty or when I see the other two are eating and she isn't. Shes growing, has more energy then before, but is still lacking. She attempted to fly for the first time ever yesterday ( a week and a half behind the other chicks).
Anyways, my buff had over eaten a lot, looked like an impacted crop so I gave forced oil down. And my god her beak was much harder to open then my partridge girl.
So I'm thinking she cant break the crumbles up, I see her peck at them her crumbles but I doubt she really eating much. I getting some mash tomorrow to see if that helps.I thought at two weeks old she would be able to eat crumbles even thought she's a silkie. When I first got her she was eating medicated mash. I switched to organic crumbles because the vet said the medication could inhibit the absorption of vitamins, which could be causing her weakness. However her anorexia started when she was eating mash.
My other girls have no problems eating the crumbles.
It's her 7th day on antibiotics and I feel her improvement is only because I've been force feeding her.
- I keep the brooder at 80-83 ' because my partridge is on the thin side and gets cold fast
- The bedding is wheat straw pellets
- water has electrolytes/vitamin mix, I removed probiotics 3 days ago just in case it was interfering w/ antibiotics
- feed is organic non medicated crumbles
- If its a sickness it didn't spread to the over chicks. I never seperated her.
- Her poop is all normal ( I looked at the chicken poop page)
- Ive been home all week and have spent near 13 hours a day with my chicks so I know my obsevations are correct
Can chickens have a weak beak?
I already lost my white silkies (ellen) to crooked beak
I'm working really hard to save her but from what?
sorry for the length.
Black silkie being a mommy already
Here's my partridge 2 weeks old
