Help! I have a traumatized Silkie pullet...

[drumstick diva]

Since you can't keep him separated, I would rehome him. When you are given birds, you never know their background. Sometimes they are given away just because they are "trouble." Every flock does not need a rooster. But somehow everyone(new members especially) tell us they just got 1 hen and 1 rooster thinking they needed a matched set. Unless you need fertile eggs for hatching or selling - there is no need for a rooster. Even tho you wanted the silkie as an incubator - you could just buy fertile eggs of any breed you wanted & put under her.

You can't tell absolutely whether he injured her or not. Silkies are very prone to damage from a bump or peck to the head. It can cause neurological symptoms like her tic. If she has swelling of the brain - sometimes a vet will put on prednisone. You may want to check this out.

 

[AriadneCastro]

Good morning/good afternoon/ good evening, depending on the time zone...!

Today, my cutie had a normal appetite and ate reasonably well after waking up. On the menu: cereals with egg, tuna, yogurt, veggies and vitamins (again). She is with her designated group since yesterday and seems to be a little less lethargic.

About the "nervous tic", it seems more and more likely to me that it should, indeed, be just a nervous reaction and not internal damage. Or maybe it's my wishful thinking!! But consider this under your experience: she simply forgets about the shaking every time she is distracted with something. Plus, today I've noticed a substantial decrease in frequency of this "tic". She still does it, but not every single time she is idle. Call me insane but sometimes it's as if I could see it in her face, that she remembers the event, is re-living the shock and loses her confidence every time she thinks of it.

 

[AriadneCastro]

Since you can't keep him separated, I would rehome him. When you are given birds, you never know their background. Sometimes they are given away just because they are "trouble." Every flock does not need a rooster. But somehow everyone(new members especially) tell us they just got 1 hen and 1 rooster thinking they needed a matched set. Unless you need fertile eggs for hatching or selling - there is no need for a rooster. Even tho you wanted the silkie as an incubator - you could just buy fertile eggs of any breed you wanted & put under her.

You can't tell absolutely whether he injured her or not. Silkies are very prone to damage from a bump or peck to the head. It can cause neurological symptoms like her tic. If she has swelling of the brain - sometimes a vet will put on prednisone. You may want to check this out.

Hello drumstick diva, and thank you for your advice. I must think it over with a clearer head... The rooster and his two girls came to us because they are all mixed-bred from Silkies, and I had hoped they would grow into some intermediate size. They came from a friend's flock and were known to be gentle, inhabiting the same space as a number of tiny week-old chicks and never having harmed a single one. Even so, the rooster was on death-row by the time I brought him home, because my friend is simply growing them for meat (as most people do around here) and doesn't want to keep hybrid males. Obviously, rehoming the boy implies a 99,9% chance of him landing in a pot. I had promised myself to *at least* let him have some offspring, if not enjoying the rest of his natural life. Ok, I admit I see chickens as intelligent, non-human people...!! Who just happen to be prey to a number of species, including ours. We *do not* really have to look at them as utilitarian objects all the time. I decided to have poultry because I like the bird's company, and I don't want to continue colluding, in silent hypocrisy, with an industry that causes such an abysmally great flood of suffering, every single day, and without necessity.

 

[TwoCrows]

Good morning/good afternoon/ good evening, depending on the time zone...!

Today, my cutie had a normal appetite and ate reasonably well after waking up. On the menu: cereals with egg, tuna, yogurt, veggies and vitamins (again). She is with her designated group since yesterday and seems to be a little less lethargic.

About the "nervous tic", it seems more and more likely to me that it should, indeed, be just a nervous reaction and not internal damage. Or maybe it's my wishful thinking!! But consider this under your experience: she simply forgets about the shaking every time she is distracted with something. Plus, today I've noticed a substantial decrease in frequency of this "tic". She still does it, but not every single time she is idle. Call me insane but sometimes it's as if I could see it in her face, that she remembers the event, is re-living the shock and loses her confidence every time she thinks of it.

Aww...she is adorable! Well, time will tell if there has been any damage to her brain. I have had "head cases" of other orientations before and they can heal if given time. Bacterial infections and knocks to the head can heal over time...the brain can reroute blood supplies.

However with Silkies, it never hurts to keep up with not only standard vitamins, but extra B, E and selenium. One gel cap of E squeezed out and 50 micrograms of selenium a day along with a vitamin regiment. All of these will help prevent wry neck which Silkies are prone too.

Good luck with your girl! I am happy she is feeling better today and I hope she continues to make a full recovery.

 

[AriadneCastro]

Could someone explain to me why the vitamins should not include iron? The brand I bought is specific for birds and *does* include iron, namely 3,420mg per 100g. I was giving them to the chicks, mixed in their food, but now I'm full of doubts... Should I suspend the treatment?

The complete composition of the brew, in case you can decipher it:

80% vegetable yeast
10% malt extract
5% honey
5% orange juice
260,5 kcal per 100g

minerals:

6,470 mg silicic acid
0,890 mg calcium
0,001 mg chromium
0,040 mg cobalt
0,260 mg copper
0,016 mg tin
3,420 mg iron
0,100 mg germanium
17,100 mg magnesium
0,010 mg manganese
0,008 mg molybdenum
0,008 mg nickel
300,000 mg phosphorus
217,500 mg potassium
0,001 mg selenium
4,740 mg sodium
28,110 mg total sulfur
0,016 mg vanadium
0,780 mg zinc

amino acids:

352,6 mg arginine
63,2 mg cysteine
778,9 mg glutamic acid
215,8 mg glycine
121,1 mg histidine
478,9 mg isoleucine
257,9 mg leucine
486,5 mg lysine
47,7 mg methionine
210,5 mg phenylalanine
210,5 mg proline
373,7 mg serine
168,4 mg threonine
52,6 mg tryptophan
52,6 mg tyrosine
257,9 mg valine
57,9 mg choline
31,6 mg glutathione

Vitamin B1 - 0,3000 mg
Vitamin B2 - 0,7900 mg
Vitamin B3 - 3,7400 mg
Vitamin B6 - 0,1800 mg
Vitamin B8 - 67,5000 mg
Vitamin H - 0,0030 mg
Vitamin B12 - 0,0002 mg
Vitamin C - 3,1600 mg
Pantothenic acid - 6,9000 mg
Folic acid - 0,5300 mg
Ergosterol - 610,5000 mg

 

[TwoCrows]

Chickens have a high toxicity level to iron and don't need much. It's not that you can't give chickens iron. Obviously they need SOME iron to live, for hemoglobin etc... It's just that because the birds are so small, they are easily overdosed to toxic levels. So it is best not to give them vitamins or whatever else that has *added* iron, because you can accidentally kill them that way.

Is what you purchased made for chickens or just birds? If it says its for "chickens" then I would say go ahead and use it. If it's for just "birds" in general, you might cut the dosage in half? I try to buy vitamins without iron in it, but sometimes this is not possible.

 

[AriadneCastro]

Is what you purchased made for chickens or just birds?

Actually, it's for a number of animals: dogs, cats, chickens, turkeys, pigeons, rabbits, pigs, cows and horses. It's supposed to be 100% natural. Ok then, I'm going to add them to their evening meal again, just a few drops. Thank you for the explanation! ***

 

[TwoCrows]

Quote: I would then just follow the directions on the bottle. If it's labeled for chickens, it shouldn't be too powerful for them.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[AriadneCastro]

Greetings for the day ***

Just to keep it up-dated: Silkie is looking better, the shaking almost stopped. She still does it when she gets frightened by sudden noises, but I think she is going to make it, if nothing else comes along.

Bad news is, I lost another of my barred rock cross chicks. This makes it the 4th in the last couple of weeks. They did not respond to the antibiotics. I'm making quite an effort not to break down in total dismay over this whole idea...

One thing is for sure, I'm never going to buy poultry on a market *ever* again.

 

[TwoCrows]

Greetings for the day ***

Just to keep it up-dated: Silkie is looking better, the shaking almost stopped. She still does it when she gets frightened by sudden noises, but I think she is going to make it, if nothing else comes along.

Bad news is, I lost another of my barred rock cross chicks. This makes it the 4th in the last couple of weeks. They did not respond to the antibiotics. I'm making quite an effort not to break down in total dismay over this whole idea...

One thing is for sure, I'm never going to buy poultry on a market *ever* again.

Good to hear Silkie is improving! However sad to hear about your BR chick. What exactly is going on....what symptoms are you seeing and what meds do you have them on? One of the most common causes of chick deaths is Coccidiosis which requires Amprolium to treat, not an antibiotic but a thiamine blocker to kill this protazoa.