Ill silkie

[Keriann]

I went out to let my girls out Monday morning and found my little silkie laying in the middle of the coop. She is 4 1/2 months old, not laying yet, eyes clear, just slight pecking from curious hens that morning on the top of her head but nothing HORRIBLE...She is free range with layer crumble now along with the rest of the flock. The water had been tipped over during the morning, so I'm not sure if dehydration can set in that early. I have an enclosed coop/run Florida-style with three walls and roof solid for half the length. I started her on rooster booster probiotic/electrolyte water and have given her aces to medicated chick starter crumble. Her crop was empty, no mites, no visible injuries... It took her until Monday night to have a bowl movement and no blood in the stool. Since she wasn't eating out drinking on her own I feed her handheld baby parrot food along with the water via eye dropper. I felt for a possible egg and even soaked her, but nothing. her vent is clear by the way. She is not chirping, however, she takes a few steps around (she is in isolation in my bathroom on a towel). She seems tired and keeps dropping her head to sleep. When she has wide awake moments, she keeps turning her head from side to side repeatedly. I'm at a loss other than to keep doing what I'm doing. Any ideas?

 

[Eggcessive]

You are doing everything right to correct dehydration if that is the problem. She may have been kept from food and water or bullied by the others since silkies are usually at the bottom of the pecking order from my experience. Even though she has no blood in her stool, I would watch for the symptoms of coccidiosis--lethargy, puffing up or hunching, diarrhea, ruffled feathers, and poor appetite, which may be similar to other illnesses. Treatment is Corid or amprollium for 5 days. It won't hurt her to get Corid, but you will have to be the judge. Look her over for mites and lice, and worming her with SafeGuard or Valbazen 1/4 ml once and again in 10 days, incase it could be that.