Help Please!! Young Silkie slowly wasting away with no apparent causes?

[alliewill]

I am fairly new to chickens, and new to possible diseases/sicknesses. I have two 20 week old silkies in a pen together. They stay in the house at night for the moment and scratch about in an outside pen during the day.

They're eating Purina layena with meal worms, scratch, fruits and veggies for treats.
The black has always been small and thinner but seemingly healthy until the last couple weeks. Her bones have become more and more prominent and she seemed more lethargic. She's always been quiet and doesn't move around as much so it went unnoticed at first.

When we realized her demeanor was changing we took her to the vet and her fecal sample came back negative for parasites and her exam was unremarkable, except that she was extremely thin with no apparent causes.

We started with vitamin and electrolytes added to her water the last few days and a constant supply of food and treats to get calories in her. She's eating more now and her crop is full 2-4 times a day when I check. She feels as if she's gaining a little weight. (She was only 21oz when brought in).

Except now she is showing possible neurological signs. She is only walking backwards, and will back into a corner with her butt in the air and stand there for long periods. On the occasions she steps forward her legs seem shaky. She is still eating and to my knowledge, drinking. She's had no known head injuries and has always had food and water 24/7.

What could this be? We're completely baffled, watching her go downhill slowly and with no apparent cause. I'm afraid if she dies, her sister will as well. If apart they just cry until we put them back together.

Has anyone seen this before?

 

[jbake]

wow ok my rooster had the same problem but not as bad he is still goofy but not bad goofy. anyways one possible thing might be is something called sour crop but i highly doubt it her breath will stink like sour milk and it is where her food is stuck in her crop which is a food pocket and will end up rotting you have two choices you can give her virgin olive oil to help slicken the food in the crop you can try to massage it to help the oil get around the food and either wait till the food goes away but since you said she seems lethargic you can do something risky witch it to wrap her in a towel and when it looks like she needs to puke you tip her upside down and the food will gush out but the reason its risky is because you can get they bile and food in her lungs and she will die. this is just and idea and only do this if her breath smells really bad like sour milk. the other thing is to give her a protien and fatty diet and also keep the electrolytes give her earthworms, mealworms not the big ones the little ones crickets are really good try to give her yogurt plain not non fat, and you can make a mush by mashing the mealworms,crickets, yogurt, medicated chick mash and water im sure she will love it and if not get a syringe and open her beak and slowly give the mash to her. make sure she has clean water at all times clean bedding to prevent upper respitory infections and i know that they will peep but you should seperate them so if this is something serious she wont get sick either. keep her in a smaller pen. check her every day. and if she does pass away then get a new chick for the other chick to play with. ohh and make sure she has pebbles or oyster shells you can buy at a feed store work. i hope this helps and goodluck.