More silkie troubles - constipated, now listless. What to do? HELP.

[ellebelle]

I while ago, I posted about our poor silkie, Soup. (https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=414017&p=2). She is nine months old. She has been pecked by the other chickens, so I removed her and put her in the tub in our spare bathroom with paper shavings, food and water to recover. She seemed to be doing well and we were talking about getting our other silly back and moving her outside again until this morning. We woke up, and she was screaming. She had been sleeping in her poop and her vent was stuck shut. We put her in a warm bath, and cleared the obstruction. Then another large poop appeared and we sprayed it with warm water until it crumbled up enough and she passed it. She seemed to still be pushing, so we gave her a warm water enema to try and soften up anything else that was in there. We added electrolytes to her water. Her crop feels empty.

When we put her back in the tub after gently blow drying her, she kind of listed over and fell asleep. She lets us pick her up with no struggle at all. I tried moving near and putting her on her feet, but she slowly fell over and closed her eyes. Her eyes and alert when she is awake and she can move her head around. When I dipped her beak in water, she drank. She has slow rhythmical breathing while sleeping. She has stopped making distressed sounds.

She has had layer pellets, raisins and maybe a little bit of celery to eat in the last few days. No bedding and no access to anything other that fresh water. She has been inside for almost a month.

.... So what do we do? I'm worried about the listless behavior. Is this a waiting game?

 

[Lollipop]

Well, a month is a long time in a chickens life, to be sick. Two things I would suggest. Get some mollasses and mix it in her water to look like weak tea. Mollasses is a natural laxative for birds. Give it to her for one day. The second thing is to build her up. Red Cell is a blood fortifying vitamin supplement for horses and it works well on chickens , too. It`s in the equine section at the feed store. Mix it in her water to look like weak tea, just like the mollasses, but not on the same day. Don`t overdo the Red Cell or you will create more problems, it only takes a few drops. The Red Cell mixture can be given to her until she is back to normal, then a couple times a week is good. Other folks may have other ideas, but what I have suggested should get her back on track. the only thing that concerns me is the length of time she has been sick. Good luck.......Pop

 

[ellebelle]

She hasn't been sick for a month, she's been isolated for a month while the wound on her head healed and we figured out what to do with her. She was acting normally as of Friday morning. I worked late yesterday and the problems started this morning.

The poops that came out were hard and about the size of a large grape or shooter marble.

Thanks for the advice - I have molasses and will try that.

 

[ellebelle]

She is looking worse and worse - flopped over on her side, not moving. I tried dipping her beak in water again and it took two tries before she was able to open her eyes and drink. Then her eyes closed again. She won't stretch on her legs to stand - if I try to stand her up, she flops over on her side.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Could she have worms? Does she have any lice/mites?

Do you have any vitamins and electrolytes to give her? I would give her some. Mix up a high dose of it and dip her beak in it.

How old is she? Maybe she has Maerks disease?

 

[ellebelle]

She is 9 months old and she's been a house chicken for the last month. I don't see how she could have gotten worms. I have certainly not seen any, nor seen any lice or mites.

I already mixed some electrolytes into her water and have been dipping her beak in it periodically.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

My guess would be Maerks disease.

Symptoms are:
Paralysis of leg{s} or wing(s)
depression, weakness, diarrhea
tumors on feather follicles
blindness - often in one eye
pale, shriveled comb

There is no satisfactory treatment for it.

 

[ellebelle]

She came from a hatchery and is vaccinated against Marek's. She doesn't have diarrhea - the opposite and her eyes look fine. The paralysis part fits though.

 

[bad_coffee]

It's worse than that it's DEAD, Jim.

Silkie died today. We're thinking the other chickens knew there was something wrong, and that's why she got pecked a month ago.

RIP Soup.

We're discussing silkie options for the spring. I kinda want to get show-grade from a breeder, rather than hatchery chicks. But we'll see what happens in the spring.

B