Debbie's Silkies

[2ndTink]

You named that one! See Pg. 1

@Patiocoturnix named Maxwell

I saw the picture of her and thought, wow, that's a great name for that chick! I need an Ember, I like that name then I realized I'd named her

 

[Debbie292d]

A story of turnaround.

I've hatched a couple of batches in the past few days. As you might have known or seen, one small batch of eggs I bought was just to get me one bearded/vaulted white silkie hen and rooster.

I found 6 eggs for sale, she sent 7. Shocking that 5 of those hatched, the other two appear to have died around the midpoint. Nothing notable occurred that would explain that but they had been growing with aircells on both ends. Among those were some other shipped eggs and some of mine.

One of the white ones, a little yellow chick, wasn't doing so well. To my dismay, it appeared it had not just splayed legs but probably legs out of joint. He was fluffy and dry, but just laying there crying, trying to scoot around. That was this morning so I put it back in the incubator for the day as it was crying like it was cold but temp was fine, as were all of its siblings. It slept most of today. When hubby got home, I told him about it and I was a little stressed because we're going to be gone all day Saturday, and I sure didn't plan to have a disabled/sick chick. We have backup water bottles and feed for both brooders, so they'd be fine, but not this one. I couldn't leave it, so I had to devise a way to bring it along with us.

I got the Vet Wrap strip cut and went to open the incubator to bind its legs. Except, it was sitting there without splayed legs.

Very weird as it sure had issues 10 hours earlier!

Yet, it wouldn't stand. It was scooting around on its haunches. It still had something wrong with its legs. I brought it out to the kitchen table to look it over and get it to drink w/ Nutradrench. Hubby didn't like how we stick their beaks in the water, so got a spoon. The little one drank from his spoon. I crushed a little feed, and it ate from his hand. Then, it stood up to eat from his hand. I was excited! He's using his legs!! Hubby said it just hadn't found its legs yet. That must be what it was. There is nothing wrong with this chick.

Well, we now have so many I didn't even count, yet. There are also 8 in the other brooder that are to be sold. Some of these will be sold but some are claimed and some I'm keeping to grow out.

The chick who recovered is the yellow one in the middle. I'm going to keep that one.

Note: I caught them while they were sleeping. They're all alive.

View attachment 3842025

I'm so proud that another newly hatched chick out there with supposed wry neck and disjointed hip, magically is better after I convinced the owner to put it back in the incubator for a while. I think sometimes people see deformities on a newly hatched chick and think the worst, take them out, and ask for help to fix their chick, that merely needs more time to rest.

I would still always say that splayed/spraddled legs should be bound asap as that's not just going to go away.

P.S. I'm not the one suggesting "a splash of ACV" btw.

 

[2ndTink]

I'm so proud that another newly hatched chick out there with supposed wry neck and disjointed hip, magically is better after I convinced the owner to put it back in the incubator for a while. I think sometimes people see deformities on a newly hatched chick and think the worst, take them out, and ask for help to fix their chick, that merely needs more time to rest.

I would still always say that splayed/spraddled legs should be bound asap as that's not just going to go away.

P.S. I'm not the one suggesting "a splash of ACV" btw.

I agree, I think we rush nature sometimes, we don't have enough patience, and we also want things to be just so, when in reality, life is anything but cut and dried.

 

[Debbie292d]

I agree, I think we rush nature sometimes, we don't have enough patience, and we also want things to be just so, when in reality, life is anything but cut and dried.

That said, now I am facing having an "attacked" 3-month-old hen.

I didn't see it happen, and it was right in our backyard in broad daylight with our two dogs and a good rooster, all who would have broken this up, and maybe they did, but too late. I didn't see it but hubby was mowing yesterday early evening and yelled at me that one of my chickens was dying. She was laying in a ball up against the house. I found her feathers over by the temp coops so she must've run to the house from there.

She's been in the house since and is almost completely unresponsive. I see no injuries but for the feathers pulled on her head/neck. No blood, nothing. I made a mix of Poultry Cell and Hydro-Hen (electrolytes), dribbled that on her beak and she swallowed only twice, then the rest just runs out. I rolled up old wash rags to hold her head up. I am assuming they gave her a head injury and I doubt she's going to make it, but I'll keep trying.

When I find out which chicken did this, they are meeting my 20-gauge. I have two suspects; one old hen (the black mini-silkie) and one newer rooster, Maxwell, the Odoban one. I'm watching like a hawk now to see if I see anything like this happening. Those two I've seen being mean to other chickens but the chickens just run away from them so I've left it be.

 

[TwoCrows]

I'm so proud that another newly hatched chick out there with supposed wry neck and disjointed hip, magically is better after I convinced the owner to put it back in the incubator for a while. I think sometimes people see deformities on a newly hatched chick and think the worst, take them out, and ask for help to fix their chick, that merely needs more time to rest.

I would still always say that splayed/spraddled legs should be bound asap as that's not just going to go away.

P.S. I'm not the one suggesting "a splash of ACV" btw.

Thats fabulous Debbie! Always rewarding to be able to heal them.

 

[TwoCrows]

That said, now I am facing having an "attacked" 3-month-old hen.

I didn't see it happen, and it was right in our backyard in broad daylight with our two dogs and a good rooster, all who would have broken this up, and maybe they did, but too late. I didn't see it but hubby was mowing yesterday early evening and yelled at me that one of my chickens was dying. She was laying in a ball up against the house. I found her feathers over by the temp coops so she must've run to the house from there.

She's been in the house since and is almost completely unresponsive. I see no injuries but for the feathers pulled on her head/neck. No blood, nothing. I made a mix of Poultry Cell and Hydro-Hen (electrolytes), dribbled that on her beak and she swallowed only twice, then the rest just runs out. I rolled up old wash rags to hold her head up. I am assuming they gave her a head injury and I doubt she's going to make it, but I'll keep trying.

When I find out which chicken did this, they are meeting my 20-gauge. I have two suspects; one old hen (the black mini-silkie) and one newer rooster, Maxwell, the Odoban one. I'm watching like a hawk now to see if I see anything like this happening. Those two I've seen being mean to other chickens but the chickens just run away from them so I've left it be.


View attachment 3849444

Oh poor baby!! I hope she recovers, keep her warm and comfortable and hopefully she is ok!

 

[2ndTink]

That said, now I am facing having an "attacked" 3-month-old hen.

I didn't see it happen, and it was right in our backyard in broad daylight with our two dogs and a good rooster, all who would have broken this up, and maybe they did, but too late. I didn't see it but hubby was mowing yesterday early evening and yelled at me that one of my chickens was dying. She was laying in a ball up against the house. I found her feathers over by the temp coops so she must've run to the house from there.

She's been in the house since and is almost completely unresponsive. I see no injuries but for the feathers pulled on her head/neck. No blood, nothing. I made a mix of Poultry Cell and Hydro-Hen (electrolytes), dribbled that on her beak and she swallowed only twice, then the rest just runs out. I rolled up old wash rags to hold her head up. I am assuming they gave her a head injury and I doubt she's going to make it, but I'll keep trying.

When I find out which chicken did this, they are meeting my 20-gauge. I have two suspects; one old hen (the black mini-silkie) and one newer rooster, Maxwell, the Odoban one. I'm watching like a hawk now to see if I see anything like this happening. Those two I've seen being mean to other chickens but the chickens just run away from them so I've left it be.


View attachment 3849444

Oh no! Poor girl, I hope she recovers, and I agree, no need to keep whoever did that to her

I'm getting real tired of quite a few of these young cockerels I have, as soon as the chicken tractor is done they're going in there and awaiting their processing date. There's some cuties, but goodness, Fizzy passed on some serious raging hormones I've had to removeboth oldest Chonkers cockerels from the gen pop grow out pen, the only 14 wk old cockerels left in there are 1 SFH and the silkie boys. The 8 and 10 wk old Fizzy chicks are getting annoying.

 

[Ponypoor]

That said, now I am facing having an "attacked" 3-month-old hen.

I didn't see it happen, and it was right in our backyard in broad daylight with our two dogs and a good rooster, all who would have broken this up, and maybe they did, but too late. I didn't see it but hubby was mowing yesterday early evening and yelled at me that one of my chickens was dying. She was laying in a ball up against the house. I found her feathers over by the temp coops so she must've run to the house from there.

She's been in the house since and is almost completely unresponsive. I see no injuries but for the feathers pulled on her head/neck. No blood, nothing. I made a mix of Poultry Cell and Hydro-Hen (electrolytes), dribbled that on her beak and she swallowed only twice, then the rest just runs out. I rolled up old wash rags to hold her head up. I am assuming they gave her a head injury and I doubt she's going to make it, but I'll keep trying.

When I find out which chicken did this, they are meeting my 20-gauge. I have two suspects; one old hen (the black mini-silkie) and one newer rooster, Maxwell, the Odoban one. I'm watching like a hawk now to see if I see anything like this happening. Those two I've seen being mean to other chickens but the chickens just run away from them so I've left it be.


View attachment 3849444

Awww I am so sorry to hear this. They sure do like to stress us don’t they. I am hoping for the best, sometimes some quiet and dark will help.

 

[Ponypoor]

I definitely ping pong between being disappointed everyone laid to excited everyone laid the layers are laying like crazy, so if they have a slack day it's almost a relief. Eggs just aren't selling well so I keep ending up giving them away yet feed prices don't match that

It doesn't help I have all those growing chicks with their hollow legs. We're going through feed like crazy. The boys will be going into a tractor next week so that should help, they'll be grazing on plants and bugs along with their feed for the next 2 months the until they are freezer ready. We'll start with the big bullies and see if we have any pretty and nice ones remaining to keep as pets. It will be interesting to get a cocokerl count going into the tractor. I think all boys except the silkie boys will go in there. Hopefully the silkie boys can keep themselves together enough to not terrorize the girls.

My young cockerel Bert seems to just glory in terrorizing my two silkies Henny and Marty. Tonight he chased Henny into the stall I was filling water buckets in, he didn’t know I was in there - Henny ran to me she knew I was there - so I trapped him I. There to catch him but like a ninja chicken he leapt over my head

Little flocker!

And I got it on my barn cams haha

Excuse the swearing…

 

[Debbie292d]

That said, now I am facing having an "attacked" 3-month-old hen.

I didn't see it happen, and it was right in our backyard in broad daylight with our two dogs and a good rooster, all who would have broken this up, and maybe they did, but too late. I didn't see it but hubby was mowing yesterday early evening and yelled at me that one of my chickens was dying. She was laying in a ball up against the house. I found her feathers over by the temp coops so she must've run to the house from there.

She's been in the house since and is almost completely unresponsive. I see no injuries but for the feathers pulled on her head/neck. No blood, nothing. I made a mix of Poultry Cell and Hydro-Hen (electrolytes), dribbled that on her beak and she swallowed only twice, then the rest just runs out. I rolled up old wash rags to hold her head up. I am assuming they gave her a head injury and I doubt she's going to make it, but I'll keep trying.

When I find out which chicken did this, they are meeting my 20-gauge. I have two suspects; one old hen (the black mini-silkie) and one newer rooster, Maxwell, the Odoban one. I'm watching like a hawk now to see if I see anything like this happening. Those two I've seen being mean to other chickens but the chickens just run away from them so I've left it be.


View attachment 3849444

She didn't make it. She had a convulsion and then was gone. I'm livid I was probably sitting right here when it happened and didn't see it. I let Michael know the first chicken I see going too far with another chicken is going.

He feels bad too. I have no other cuckoo hen as her sister is sold with the clown nn rooster on 6/3 to a repeat customer, so I can't renig. I'll deal with it some other time as I'm still so darned mad at myself and whoever did this.