I think my chicken might be dying

[nancyinatx]

Hi everyone,

I have a sweet 5 month old silkie that is displaying strange behavior and I am very worried each morning that I am going to find her dead. She has always done this weird thing with her head, just like Stevie Wonder or Ray Charles! And recently, any time I pick her up she stumbles when I set her down. In the last month, she has started having a very messy butt- I even gave her a bath and trimmed her tail feathers! But today was the worst. I noticed that her butt feathers were full of poop, in just a few days since her bath. So I picked her up to look and make sure nothing was clogged. When I put her down, she just fell over!! Her best buddy, a serama, squwaked like crazy. So I picked her up - because I thought she died right there- and set her down again and flop! right over again! The second time she moved her feet a little but that's all. And then tonight when I got home, she was sleeping on the floor of the run, she didn't manage to make it up in the coop. Agh! Anyone know what is happening?! I don't know what to do.

 

[CLSranch]

At 5 months she could have an egg stuck. If it's been going on previously it maybe natures culling.

I hope some1 else can help you more than me.

 

[Elaine Wright]

Have you checked for a stuck egg?

 

[CLSranch]

No. I don't know much about it. Not sure that's not what got 1 of my bantams the other day. After hind sight. I separated her and she got worse. There may be a thread on it. There is one for everything else.

 

[CLSranch]

Or you could start 1 just the same as you did this 1.

 

[Elaine Wright]

Use the search function for egg bound or other symptoms. Be specific. Good luck. It's awful when someone is ill.

 

[aart]

Hi everyone,

I have a sweet 5 month old silkie that is displaying strange behavior and I am very worried each morning that I am going to find her dead. She has always done this weird thing with her head, just like Stevie Wonder or Ray Charles! And recently, any time I pick her up she stumbles when I set her down. In the last month, she has started having a very messy butt- I even gave her a bath and trimmed her tail feathers! But today was the worst. I noticed that her butt feathers were full of poop, in just a few days since her bath. So I picked her up to look and make sure nothing was clogged. When I put her down, she just fell over!! Her best buddy, a serama, squwaked like crazy. So I picked her up - because I thought she died right there- and set her down again and flop! right over again! The second time she moved her feet a little but that's all. And then tonight when I got home, she was sleeping on the floor of the run, she didn't manage to make it up in the coop. Agh! Anyone know what is happening?! I don't know what to do.

Sounds like a combination of things...or could be mareks or some kind of neurological issue because of the head thing.

Is she eating and drinking?
What are you feeding?
Have you wormed them?

 

[pippo]

Sounds like a combination of things...or could be mareks or some kind of neurological issue because of the head thing.

Is she eating and drinking?
What are you feeding?
Have you wormed them?

What colour are her droppings? Runny or normal? The poop can tell you a lot.

If she is eating try scrambles eggs. The crazy head is common in silkies and can be from a vitamin deficiency, particularly vitamin E I believe. Eggs are good and leafy greens like kale and spinach are good sources.
Or try a vitamin supplement in her water. Not sure where you are located so check your local farm shop for what they carry. Some pet barns in Oz carry some stuff like that too.
Stumbling and loss of balance can also be symptoms of a vitamin deficiency. I hope it's not mareks disease! Silkies are amazing chickens

hope she improves

 

[nancyinatx]

What colour are her droppings? Runny or normal? The poop can tell you a lot.

If she is eating try scrambles eggs. The crazy head is common in silkies and can be from a vitamin deficiency, particularly vitamin E I believe. Eggs are good and leafy greens like kale and spinach are good sources.
Or try a vitamin supplement in her water. Not sure where you are located so check your local farm shop for what they carry. Some pet barns in Oz carry some stuff like that too.
Stumbling and loss of balance can also be symptoms of a vitamin deficiency. I hope it's not mareks disease! Silkies are amazing chickens

hope she improves

We did the scrambled eggs and spinach and it worked great for a few days, but now she's all stumbley again. Just picked up some powdered electrolytes to add to the water to see if it helps. Also we started feeding her separately from the other two. One of them has really started picking on her; I assume they sense the weakness in the pecking order. Thanks everyone for your help- I'm definitely still open to suggestions!
Princess says thanks, too!

 

[aart]

Quote: Quote:
Originally Posted by aart

Sounds like a combination of things...or could be mareks or some kind of neurological issue because of the head thing.

Is she eating and drinking?
What are you feeding?
Have you wormed them?


Didn't see your answer to these questions asked twice.