HELP!!!!!! Stumbling sick Silky

[donp2700]

Hello everyone,

We have an 8 year old Silky chicken which has become like part of the family. Within the last 2 months shes been lazy and inactive. she would usually walk around the house and and peck at anything. Now she stands in one place with her tail down or sits on the corner of the living room all day. Today she started stumbling when she tried to walk. She looks drunk almost. She is not eating as much especially her favorite vegies like cucumber and lettuce. Her food consists of crushed corn, cucumber, lettuce, chopped bread, oats, and grated carrots. last week her poop was very watery with a green and white color to it. now its a lot more solid. Some people tell me she is just getting old but i dont understand how she can go from one extreme to another in just a couple of weeks. Please if anyone has any suggestions let us know as soon as possible.

Thank you

 

[ten chicks]

Hello everyone,

We have an 8 year old Silky chicken which has become like part of the family. Within the last 2 months shes been lazy and inactive. she would usually walk around the house and and peck at anything. Now she stands in one place with her tail down or sits on the corner of the living room all day. Today she started stumbling when she tried to walk. She looks drunk almost. She is not eating as much especially her favorite vegies like cucumber and lettuce. Her food consists of crushed corn, cucumber, lettuce, chopped bread, oats, and grated carrots. last week her poop was very watery with a green and white color to it. now its a lot more solid. Some people tell me she is just getting old but i dont understand how she can go from one extreme to another in just a couple of weeks. Please if anyone has any suggestions let us know as soon as possible.

Thank you

She is beautiful,and 8 yrs wow, I can see how she would be your baby. I have white silkies,and love them. As for the issues she is experiencing,it could be several. If it has been hot,the heat is hard on chickens,try giving her vitamins/electrolytes,i am assuming she is done laying,so she is not egg bound or egg peritonitis,but because of her age it could be ovarian cancer. Unfortunately ovarian cancer is a concern in older hens. Check her crop,check her vent area and look at her eyes,if everything looks normal,then just keep doing what you have been. Until there are some indications as to what may be wrong,this is about all you can do. Make sure she is eating/drinking,if she has not been drinking much,she could be a little dehydrated. She could have a vitamin deficiency.

 

[donp2700]

She is beautiful,and 8 yrs wow, I can see how she would be your baby. I have white silkies,and love them. As for the issues she is experiencing,it could be several. If it has been hot,the heat is hard on chickens,try giving her vitamins/electrolytes,i am assuming she is done laying,so she is not egg bound or egg peritonitis,but because of her age it could be ovarian cancer. Unfortunately ovarian cancer is a concern in older hens. Check her crop,check her vent area and look at her eyes,if everything looks normal,then just keep doing what you have been. Until there are some indications as to what may be wrong,this is about all you can do. Make sure she is eating/drinking,if she has not been drinking much,she could be a little dehydrated. She could have a vitamin deficiency.

She's actually in an air conditioned room in my house. I have kept the room cool enough where she would be comfy and not get sick. I will start adding a vitamin mix to her water again. thanks for the advice.

 

[seminolewind]

She's 8 years old? That's old. I think I would treat her as tho she was really old. Does she get any chicken feed? Check her eyes. She is very cute.

 

[donp2700]

She's 8 years old? That's old. I think I would treat her as tho she was really old. Does she get any chicken feed? Check her eyes. She is very cute.

She never liked any of the feed we gave her. She only eats crushed corn, oats and the vegies mentioned on the initial post. She is getting worst, This morning she could barely stay up for 5 seconds. Very sad to see her this way.

 

[realsis]

I'm so sorry! I wish I could be of help. I'd try more vitamins and see if that helps. She's beautiful and I just love silkies! Maybe take her to the vet and see if they can help? I wish you the best .

 

[seminolewind]

It's very hard to see something that you can't help. 8 years old just shows what wonderful care she had. How many chickens get to live that long? Especially silkies. They seem more vulnerable to things. Maybe her diet proves a point as well. I'm going to copy that diet down.

It may seem like she's gone down hill quick, but it's 2 months now. I would imagine she has some type of organ failure or something like that.
I think ten chicks has covered all the health related questions. I don't know what to say aside from what's been said.

 

[donp2700]

It's very hard to see something that you can't help. 8 years old just shows what wonderful care she had. How many chickens get to live that long? Especially silkies. They seem more vulnerable to things. Maybe her diet proves a point as well. I'm going to copy that diet down.

It may seem like she's gone down hill quick, but it's 2 months now. I would imagine she has some type of organ failure or something like that.
I think ten chicks has covered all the health related questions. I don't know what to say aside from what's been said.

You mentioned before to look at her eyes, what exactly should i be looking for?

 

[donp2700]

I'm so sorry! I wish I could be of help. I'd try more vitamins and see if that helps. She's beautiful and I just love silkies! Maybe take her to the vet and see if they can help? I wish you the best .

Thank you for your concerns.

 

[donp2700]

I am running out of options and getting desperate, I was told to give my silky a very small dose of ampicillin just in case she has an infection. Could this help or will it make her worst? please help!