Is there something wrong with my silkie?

[silkiechickies]

Two weeks ago I collected two silkies from a farm. The person told me to pick the two I liked best, I chose I chose a 16 week confident looking one and a 14 week old small one. The small one didn't move away like the other chickens did when the person was picking them up, as the rest went to the back the little one just stayed in the same spot. The person said it need a trim because it couldn't see, that's why it wasn't moving. We brought them both back home and two weeks passed. I've been observing them and the confident one seems completely fine, but the smaller one is worrying me. It is always sleeping and doesn't move around too much, It eats and drinks thankfully, its feathers sometime droop to the ground when it sitting as if it can't hold them up to it's sides, I can pick it up and it now won't squirm and it will just let me put it down wherever and it won't move more than a few steps, it's head barley perks up as often as I hope, it is always drooped in sleep. I am concerned for this little silkie, is it sick? or is it just young silkie behaviour? I really need to know as a first time chicken owner, I want this little silkie to be okay.
Thanks.

 

[azygous]

You likely have a failure-to-thrive Silkie on your hands. It may not be processing it's food calories and nutrients efficiently. It may need a boost. This is only one guess as to what could be wrong. There is a long list of possibilities. We try to easy, obvious things first.

Get some Poultry Nutri-drench and give it a drop directly into its beak, then mix a quarter teaspoon into a quart of water and mix it fresh each day for the next week. It needs some easy to digest food to build its nutritional reserves. Crumbled tofu with a few drops of Nutri-drench on it or some finely minced hard boiled egg with the Nutri-drench are easy to digest and full of protein.

Watch its poop. Keep this thread updated as you treat the Silkie. Hopefully this will help it show some improvement.

In case you haven't noticed, there's a lesson for the next time you go chick shopping. As much as the tiny runt tugs at your heart, it's best to limit your choices to the lively, active, and the self confident chicks.

 

[silkiechickies]

Thank you for all your advice everyone.
Unfortunately she has passed.
Does anyone have any advice on how i can care for my other silkie better?

 

[azygous]

So sorry we were too late to help her. It was probably the failure-to-thrive and it had insurmountable genetic problems.

Keep a close eye on the other in case there was something else going on that might affect the other one in time, such as coccidiosis. Watch for any slowing down or not eating much or have poop that is runny and white or has streaks of blood.

Hopefully, the other one is healthy and will stay that way.

 

[silkiechickies]

Thank you for your help!

 

[GwenT]

Every time I buy a new chicks or chicken I usually give them magic water which is a bit of apple cider vinegar and sugar in the water, it clears all the bacteria. Heating them at a young age helps too!

 

[ChickNanny13]

Thank you for all your advice everyone.
Unfortunately she has passed.
Does anyone have any advice on how i can care for my other silkie better?

You should contact the person you got your chicks from, inform them you chick passed, give them a heads up to check their stock.

 

[tobychicks]

You likely have a failure-to-thrive Silkie on your hands. It may not be processing it's food calories and nutrients efficiently. It may need a boost. This is only one guess as to what could be wrong. There is a long list of possibilities. We try to easy, obvious things first.

Get some Poultry Nutri-drench and give it a drop directly into its beak, then mix a quarter teaspoon into a quart of water and mix it fresh each day for the next week. It needs some easy to digest food to build its nutritional reserves. Crumbled tofu with a few drops of Nutri-drench on it or some finely minced hard boiled egg with the Nutri-drench are easy to digest and full of protein.

Watch its poop. Keep this thread updated as you treat the Silkie. Hopefully this will help it show some improvement.

In case you haven't noticed, there's a lesson for the next time you go chick shopping. As much as the tiny runt tugs at your heart, it's best to limit your choices to the lively, active, and the self confident chicks.

mine has the same issue i found her on the ground after she had been acting strange she is now lying down on the ground not moving when i picked her up she did diarreah.