My silkie is dying! Whats wrong with her? Please reply!!!

[Eggcessive]

Sooty died peacefully in her sleep of what after all must have been Mareks.

Sorry about losing Sooty. Could you possibly try to get a necropsy by your state vet to get a diagnosis. It would be important to know whether or not she just had neurological symptoms, since it can affect your other chickens in the future.

 

[Soot the silkie]

Sorry about losing Sooty. Could you possibly try to get a necropsy by your state vet to get a diagnosis. It would be important to know whether or not she just had neurological symptoms, since it can affect your other chickens in the future.

I already buried her. What are neurological systems and can you tell them from how the chicken behaved when it was alive? I do not no much about chicken health.

 

[Eggcessive]

Neurological symptoms would be signs that her nerves were not working properly. Sometimes it can be from brain inflammation or brain damage. She may have just had a birth defect that caused all of her problems. Necropsies are good to get if you suspect diseases, such as Mareks and others. Nutritional or vitamin/mineral deficiencies in the parents can cause a lot of hereditary problems.

 

[Soot the silkie]

I suspect it was mareks because in the days up to when she died her left eye (the same side with her weaker leg) didn't work. But I don't know. Is there any way to clean my coop so my other chickens don't get the disease? Or is that a stupid question? Like I said I don't know much about chicken health. But I am getting more chicks soon and I don't want them to get the disease. I know mareks sometimes doesn't affect current chickens but will affect chickens later on.

 

[Eggcessive]

You can't clean Mareks out of your environment--it's in the dust and dander and spreads everywhere. It lasts at least 7 years and I have read much longer in some links. You really need to get any new chicks vaccinated for Mareks at the hatchery--they have the strongest availale vaccines, and then keep the chicks away from the disease for 2 or more weeks to develop immunity. The new chicks would not get Mareks, but would be carriers (if that is what Sootie had.)

 

[Soot the silkie]

I am planning on getting some chickens not from a hatchery. Can you buy a vaccine? Is it expensive to buy? And are all breeds at hatcheries vaccinated, even less bought breeds?

 

[seminolewind]

You can ask for vaccines on any chicks from a hatchery. I have done them myself. It's about $20 for the vaccine and I think shipping is about $10-15. It has to be kept cold. You have to vaccinate them in the first 48 hours and keep them quarantined for 3 or more weeks.

 

[Soot the silkie]

thank you. I will probably now get all my chicks from a hatchery. This is something I've been trying to avoid since chicks die in the mail and I have limited space and I can't have to many. In your experience, how many chicks do die? I know this conversation is steering farther and farther away from soot, but you people are really helpful!

 

[ChickenPox]

Any time I deal with a lethargic chicken, I always treat for coccidia first. Some might think it's an overkill, but it's been the number one killer of my birds, and I have brought many a bird back from near death by treating for it. Might not be a bad idea to treat your remaining babies just in case. Follow up with some pro-biotics.

I"m sorry you lost your little bird. RIP Sooty.

 

[cafarmgirl]

thank you. I will probably now get all my chicks from a hatchery. This is something I've been trying to avoid since chicks die in the mail and I have limited space and I can't have to many. In your experience, how many chicks do die? I know this conversation is steering farther and farther away from soot, but you people are really helpful!

It's not a given that chicks will die in shipment, I haven't rec'vd a dead one yet. I've had a few slow chicks that perked up with warmth, rest and electrolytes. If you want to place a small order check out My Pet Chicken. I live in CA, they ship via Express mail to me, my chicks are in my hands in less then 24 hours.