Dead silkie :(

[Tigerbait Farms]

We lost our buff silkie, Lucy, today. Not sure what happened, but I checked on her last night and she was fine - frisky (she pecked me when I tried to pet her) - but fine. This morning, I went to feed them, and she was laying still in the nest box (which she never gets in). When I got home, my fiancee had buried her. Yesterday, it rained all day with higher than normal winds, and last night the temp dropped to 30 degrees. Are silkies more susceptible to cold weather? Our black silkie seems fine so I don't know if I should give the rest of them vitamins just in case Lucy was sick or just hope that it was the cold?? I am unsure as to whether I should put any type of heater in there since it really doesn't get that cold - only once every couple weeks. Any advice (other than necropsy)?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I wouldn't use heat, just my thoughts on it. There must have been something else going on that just wasn't noticeable, as far as what could have been wrong it would just be hard to guess, might want to go up to the sticky and fill out the info, but if she wan't showing any signs last you saw her, then I'd say a necropsy would be the closest to finding out. How old was she? was she laying?

 

[welasharon]

I would make sure to check everyone for bugs and check their poops to see if there are any warning signs. I know lice can be overwhelming to chickens almost before you notice them.
sharon

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I am not looking for you to answer the following questions on this thread (I am just giving you food for thought):

Did your silkie have more than one other chicken to huddle with? Is your coop setup such that the wind blows on the chickens at all?

My silkies do act cold earlier than my other chickens. I believe they need more "huddle warmth" than other chickens. If they don't have enough chickens to huddle with when it's cold, I believe they suffer. I have noticed this about frizzles too.

I provide a light bulb in the coops when it goes down in the 20's (we don't have that happen much here). I would think it unlikely that she froze to death unless the wind was on her and she didn't have enough buddies, though. It could have been an illness.

A lot of people provide no supplemental heat for their silkies and they do ok- but I want mine to be not shivering. We get a lot of damp windy conditions where I live.

It is a personal choice, of course. But with a light bulb comes the responsibility IMO to put them in the garage or something if the power goes out- because they will have acclimated to the warmth and won't have heavier down.

If you do choose to use a light bulb make sure you secure it two ways and be aware it is a fire hazard. I use 60-100 watts.

 

[huckleberryfarm]

I have a lot of silkies, as well as other chickens. I'm certainly not an expert, but we've had temps below freezing and all of my silkies seem fine. This morning it was 25 degrees, and they were all running around like nothing. I have no idea but mine at least don't seem to mind the cold. Hope you figure it out! Losing chickens is the worst.

 

[Tigerbait Farms]

Thank you for all the posts. I noticed today that my other silkie has white scaly-looking things (don't know if it is bugs or what) around her neck just below her beak. This is a recent occurrence as I check them twice a day.

 

[welasharon]

It's most likely a bug of some kind. Do they move? Scaly leg mites get on their heads as well. Oil will smother them.
sharon

 

[Tigerbait Farms]

 

[Freckle Face Farm]

I am so sorry

I keep heat lights over mine in the winter just to be safe

 

[welasharon]

I don't see well enough to tell anything from the pic. I will bump you up so maybe someone can tell something.
sharon