Emergency Nutrition

[bshyrigh]

Hello folks,
I have a bit of a situation and I'm looking for advice. We recently integrated 2 new birds into our small backyard flock. Bird 1 (stevie nicks) had no trouble with the new birds and is socializing quite well, Bird 2 (buffy) has not been accepted. They are all silkies, 2 roosters and 4 hens including the new birds.

Buffy is quite small and I think she has been malnourished for some time,I don't think the other birds are letting her eat. It became apparent when I found her outside laying in the snow yesterday morning. I brought her in the house and made her comfortable. She was unresponsive and very weak and wouldn't eat. I gave her some pedialyte and ensure to try and give her some energy and nutrients which seems to have helped. She's standing, walking and eating on her own after about 24 hours since finding her.

I'm currently giving her veggie based baby food and pedialyte which she seems to be responding well too, but it seems like I'm missing something from her diet maybe.
Any suggestions?

 

[enola]

You need to get her eating chicken food as soon as possible. Is her keel bone meaty or thin feeling?

How long has it been since you wormed your chickens?

 

[bshyrigh]

Fairly regularly we add garlic to the drinking water although it has been a few months since the last treatment. I am probably overdue for that. Her keel bone is pretty boney, she's not carrying much weight.

 

[samidodamage]

Now that she's eating on her own, you can make a wet mash of her regular chicken food. Adding mashed up boiled egg to the wet mash will add more protein. If it were me, I'd start with that, using buttermilk to wet the food, each feeding using less liquid until she's eating it dry.

 

[enola]

Have you ever wormed her with Safeguard or valbazen?

Garlic does NOTHING to remove worms.

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. I agree with the above posters on the food and worming. I would add another feeder and waterer in your coop and run, so that she can sneak off and eat when the bullies aren't around.

 

[SD Bird Lady]

I agree worms can be an issue but until she is eating again worming her may do more harm then good. I would get her eating well again before i wormed them.

 

[casportpony]

If she were mine I would:

Dust for mites and lice with a proper poultry dust, bugs *love* Silkies
Get baseline weight in grams on digital kitchen or postal scale
Keep in 80-85 degree room until acting normal
Provide foods high in protein like eggs and turkey/gamebird starter
Worm with Safeguard at 50mg/kg (.5ml per 2.2 pounds) repeat in 10 days
Inspect poop
Weigh daily

-Kathy

 

[bshyrigh]

If she were mine I would:

Dust for mites and lice with a proper poultry dust, bugs *love* Silkies
Get baseline weight in grams on digital kitchen or postal scale
Keep in 80-85 degree room until acting normal
Provide foods high in protein like eggs and turkey/gamebird starter
Worm with Safeguard at 50mg/kg (.5ml per 2.2 pounds) repeat in 10 days
Inspect poop
Weigh daily

-Kathy

Thanks a bunch Kathy, this is what i'll do

 

[enola]

Safeguard is probably the safest yet most effective wormer to use on a weak animal.