Day 4 of no eating or drinking

[ske1806]

Day 12 -- The silkie is still the same: not willing to move, drink or eat. I am exhausted and frustrated. She was on Trimethoprim Sulfa Liquid, 240mg/5ml and got 5ml twice a day for 4 days without improvement. She has now been switched to Baytril Liquid 22.7mg/ml and gets 5ml once a day for the past 3 days, since the fecal test was negative. The only change is that her poop is getting more substantial: almost black-green slime. I am still feeding her gatorade/water by syringe and some egg/corn/berries which she swallows. She clicks her beak like she is eating constantly, but won't move or bend toward the food or water. Her sqwaks sound hoarse and quiet -- perhaps the forceful opening of her beak is getting to her, though I try to do it sparingly.

How long can this go on? Has anyone experience with a slow convalescence of their chick? I still don't know what the heck is wrong with it. That's after $200 at the vet and nearly two weeks of tending to a chick in my shower. ARG!

 

[ske1806]

Underwhere -- what's going on with yours? Has she recuperated further?

 

[krazychick28]

poor chicky

 

[wbruder17]

Sounds almost like she's broody, but with no eggs to sit on.

 

[seminolewind]

Broody? wbruder, you have a point there. Good question.

One of my silkies stopped eating a few months ago, I noticed the lime green poop, she wouldn't eat, I don't know why.

I took her and a "buddy" to a little coop (bathroom floor is good), and made them french toast (bread, egg, milk, vanilla), and put the plate in there. The "buddy" started wolfing it down, and the non-eater looked interested, and the next thing you know, she started eating. I kept them together until she turned into an eating machine.
You know chickens, one finds an interesting thing to eat and the rest come running.

 

[Underwhere]

Quote:
Yes she has. The past 3 days ago I found her sitting on top of her box (she lives in a cardboard box in my kitchen right now).
This is the first time she has been active.

I was very happy to see this.

yesterday she was found by my girlfriend after having run around the kitchen pooping everywhere (which I considered a good thing).
That same day I think I caught a glance of her drinking out of her bowl which is a first since she has been in the house.

Today my girlfriend said she would make an attempt to put her back out in the coop to see how she would do. I think it may be a day or two too soon but my girlfriend doesn't want to clean up the poop anymore.

She seems much more alert, her head much more actively moving about, standing up straight and tall. I think she is almost ready.
She is still not anything close to what she was before. This was the girl that I always had to chase after. Always very quick and energetic. I am hoping that once back in the environment with her friend she will continue to get better and back to normal.

note that she moved into my kitchen on 2/19 a bit more than 2 weeks ago.
I gave her Safeguard for Gapeworm on Sat or Sunday I forget which. She may have gotten better from that, or just because time has healed whatever issues she was having.

 

[rockinpaints]

Quote:
I have seen some very strange things with chicks and chickens over the years that really can't be explained too. I don't think chickens are studied enough (no money in it for veterinarians to research their illnesses...) Not a lot of people who will spend very much to get their chickens better

. What I have found is antibiotics are good and useful but at the same time you should replace the good bacteria that you are eliminating as well. What I like is GroGel plus B ('B' being bacteria) and Bene-Bac (Bac for bacteria). It is really important to replace the bacteria, I can't stress that enough. If you do not ,they can literally starve due to kindness with antibiotics. They are unable to digest even a liquid diet without the beneficial bacteria. Most yogurts do not provide the type of bacteria that can make it where it needs to go.

A good drench that I have found will keep them alive until they beat what ever it is that they have is Poultry Nutri-Drench (1 ml per 3 pounds of body weight orally for quick response) plus dextrose (pretty much pure glucose/sugar -energy). You can give them together orally with a syringe until she is drinking on her own then mix it with her water. I don’t think you can overdose them with it.

I use GroGel from the time they are just hatchlings so they love it. If they get sick it is like a treat for them and when they will not eat anything else they will usually eat the GroGel mixture. It is packed with vitamins, bacteria and electrolytes . I mix it up with scrambled eggs (mashed up very fine) and oatmeal (from my cupboard) and a little honey -I try to give this mixture to all my chickens weekly as a treat and they go crazy for it.

Sometimes they just get better by them selves with supportive care and some extra warmth. And sometimes they don’t get better no matter how hard you try. And in most cases you never really know what was wrong with them.

Good luck, I hope she gets better!

 

[rockinpaints]

I forgot to mention the items in my last post can be given to any chicks or chickens and should not hurt them. It is not medical it is nutritional and very beneficial. Excellent for supportive care.

 

[Underwhere]

Just to update on my bird. I glanced from the window on the way to work this morning: The sick girl was up walking about in the coop which is a drastic improvement over her initial condition. I am hopeful she will make a recovery as long as the other birds don't beat up on her.

 

[Miss Lydia]