We are having a challenging week. We euthanized one chick a few days ago for what appeared to be Wry Neck. This morning another chicken is sick. Please help us figure out what we're doing wrong! 1) What type of bird , age and weight. Silkie cross, 4 months 2) What is the behavior, exactly. Very weak, puffed out feathers, now laying down with eyes closed but was walking around an hour ago - when there is a loud noise she will open her eyes to look around and peep ever so softly, When you disturb her she lifts her head to look around but then slowly lets it fall until her beak is resting on the shavings 3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? Yesterday she seemed perfectly normal, she seemed weak coming out of the hen house this morning, and an hour later she isn't moving around on her own, just sleeping 4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms? No (not yet) 5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. None at all 6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation. I got worried this morning and and dumped out their food and found a little clumps of food stuck to the bottom of their dish with a little black on them. Could this have caused mold poisoning?? 7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. Eating their normal grower crumbles, Yesterday gave them some fruit/veggie scraps incl. cantelope, squash, apple peels, lettuce, and cabbage. About 1.5 cups total shared between a dozen chickens. We give them scraps every few days. Soft spots on the fruit but no mold that I saw 8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc. Not sure. Don't see any bloody poop inside the hen house under the roost 9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? Separated her from rest of chickens and gave her a little Sav-a-chik with an eye dropper. Not interested in eating/drinking on her own 10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? Don't have access to a vet 12) Describe the housing/bedding in use 7x7 wooden house, completely dry inside, pine shavings that I mix up daily and add fresh shavings Thank you for your help!
Mold could be the problem but I would suspect the others would also be ailing, keep a close eye on them today, and offer plenty and more than usual fresh water.
How sad - this was totally preventable. Assuming that it is mold poisoning, is there anything I can do to help the pullet who is already sick? Every time I look outside I am afraid that I will find more of my babies sick. Also I was wondering...I've been throwing a handful of scratch grains on the ground every day. Is it possible that leftovers (including food that falls on the ground from the feeders) could be getting moldy from rain? Thank you all for your help
