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

[seminolewind]

Do you quarantine the chicks to see if they get the disease? At what age? Are my two remaining chickens possibly immune? I am pretty sure my other chickens, being barred rocks from a hatchery, have been vaccinated for different diseases.

You have to quarantine the chicks for at least 3 weeks because the vaccine has to have time to grow a big "army" in a little chick before it goes into the Marek's battle.

 

[Soot the silkie]

You have to quarantine the chicks for at least 3 weeks because the vaccine has to have time to grow a big "army" in a little chick before it goes into the Marek's battle.

Ok that makes sense. Does a hatchery have a choice of vaccines when you like fill out the order form? I have not ordered chicks directly from a hatchery before, so I'm clueless.

 

[Kadjec]

Most do offer to vaccinate against Mareks. You usually get the choice at check out. I have seen it for .19 cents a chick.

 

[rebrascora]

If you do have Marek's in your existing flock, quarantine measures do need to be very strict for the chicks as dander dust on your clothes, shoes and skin etc can transfer it from what I've read.
So sorry that Sootie didn't make it but good luck moving forwards with your flock.

Best wishes

Barbara

 

[Soot the silkie]

Does my pet chicken do vaccinations? I know about the quarantine thing and it is going to be a pain because I love to hold and pet my two chickens and they like it too. They cluck furiously if I don't go to their enclosure and give them scratch and let them free range. They will have to get used to it.

 

[Kadjec]

Does my pet chicken do vaccinations? I know about the quarantine thing and it is going to be a pain because I love to hold and pet my two chickens and they like it too. They cluck furiously if I don't go to their enclosure and give them scratch and let them free range. They will have to get used to it.

I have never used my pet chicken so I can not say for 100%. Their website seems to indicate that you can get the vaccine for $1.00 per chick.

 

[Soot the silkie]

I have never used my pet chicken so I can not say for 100%. Their website seems to indicate that you can get the vaccine for $1.00 per chick.

Ok that's good to know. Off topic: my pet chicken says you can get sexed chick silkies but I thought you couldn't sex silkie chicks. Are they grown up and that is why you can get them sexed? You probably don't know but I just thought I'd ask.

 

[Kadjec]

Ok that's good to know. Off topic: my pet chicken says you can get sexed chick silkies but I thought you couldn't sex silkie chicks. Are they grown up and that is why you can get them sexed? You probably don't know but I just thought I'd ask.

Silkies are one of the hardest breeds to sex as chicks, but there are some who have specific things they look for. It is possible they are vent sexing the silkies they sale, which is still not 100%. I would email them and ask how they determined the sex and what is the percentage that you will get a female.

 

[Soot the silkie]

Silkies are one of the hardest breeds to sex as chicks, but there are some who have specific things they look for. It is possible they are vent sexing the silkies they sale, which is still not 100%. I would email them and ask how they determined the sex and what is the percentage that you will get a female.

That is a good idea to email them because it is expensive to get them sexed and I don't want to get ripped off.

 

[seminolewind]

Quote: Even a buck for the vaccine is well worth not having the misery and broken heart that comes with Marek's.

Someone showed me that you can sex silkies early on but I don't know when. You need both male and female and where the comb grows, there will be a deeper dent on the females than on the males.