Help please ASAP or gonna put her down :*(

[horseyjess]

I have my favorate and only splash silkie hen. She started acting funny about 4 days ago. I went to the coop she was in and she was laying there puffed up with her head in her wing. Figured she would be ok cause after some holding and poking she went on her way eating and drinking then laid down. Next day she was fallling over sideways when she tried to walk. I figured dehydrated so we took her from the coop and brought her inside. She was eating and drinking and when picked her up was acting fine put her down would fall on her side. Gave some dyramiacin in her water and put a heat lamp in one side. Today she is just laying there with a kind of tic to her head. I can get her to respond if I pick her up she will lift her head but nothing more. I need help ASAP I dont want hubby to have to put her down when he comes home from work PLEASE HELP!!

 

[speckledhen]

I'm sorry, the symptoms are just too vague to know which way to turn. Sounds quite serious. I'm so sorry.

 

[hinkjc]

Sounds like she may have gotten into a toxin or mold. Botulism would be my guess and by the stage of paralysis is usually not reversible. I'm so sorry.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

How old is she? Is she a tiny chick? Under 8 weeks?

I had the very same thing happen to one of my silkie chicks around 8 weeks old once. It was coccidiosis. I delayed treating until I saw the bloody poo of other chicks (I didn't know). The weird thing was, I picked her up from her side and she could stand at that point.

She died the day after I started the Corid.

If she is older, then I really have no other suggestions.

 

[flowergirl60]

Gosh. I'm so sorry. I haven't had any experience with a sick hen, so I can only offer.

 

[GoldenCometLover]

if you think she got into something have you tried to flush it out - there's an epsom salt or a molasses flush that is supposed to help...are you giving her polyvisol or some poultry drench to boost her strength? It sounds like she got into something she shouldn't have maybe?

 

[CityChick15]

Im so sorry to hear about your girl. I had a VERY SIMILAR occurrence with my 5 week old Silkie (who died 2 days after symptoms first appeared) and then my little polish bantam Pom died last week with the same symptoms. I took Pom to the Vet (a visit that costs $100), said Pom did not have botulisim because she still had strength, for example, when I tried to feed her with a syringe she would really protest and wiggle out of my hand, but them be too weak to stand up (wobble from side to side).

Once Pom stopped eating her days where numbered, she died 24 hours after she could not eat on her own. I did contact my local Department of Agriculture and they took the body and did a necropsy and they got back to me less than a week later. Unfortunaly they do not have a definative diagnoses yet, they have sent nerve samples to another lab for additional testing.

Good luck and consider calling the Dept of Ag in your area for assitance, they will most likely pay for the testing and all you will have to do is store the sample in the fridge until they can pick it up.

GOOD LUCK!!

 

[tammye]

how old is she? in a chick/ young hen it may be Marke's disease a viral infection. if she is older, like a year she may be ill from food or a vitamin deficiency, give her some electrolyte solution and chicken vitamins in her water/food may help her. good luck