Anniebee
Crowing
Hi Everybody. Hope someone can help me here..
My little Silkie ( Moppit ) became ill almost 2 weeks back. Scouring badly with a milky watery bowel, not interested in food, and preferring to sit or squat for most of the time. She hardly walked anywhere but was alert enough. She would stand or sit for a long time staring at a fence or some other structure in front of her. She still does a bit of that. As though mesmerised.
Anyway, I took her to the Vet, who applied .04ml ivermectin ( Ivomec) to her skin which is of course very thin and absorbent, to kill off any and all parasites and nasties that might have been affecting her, and prescribed a 1/2 Baytril anti-biotic pill down her throat twice a day, which she has the last of today. At times I thought I would not see her the next morning alive, but she is still with us, a little more alert and drank a lot of water last night - which I am not sure is a good or bad sign. This morning she is waiting to be let out with her friend Mindy ( Australian Araucana ). Yesterday, she had a dust bath, although she might have just sat next to the Araucana while SHE dust bathed. I have seen her do that before, getting second hand dust, and not bothering to do it herself.
She was 'hospitalised' in our bathroom for 4 days - WITH the Araucana as she had shown absolutely no signs whatsoever of whatever got into little Moppit. All my other 4 chickens are healthy and doing everything they should be. I administered her meds. and kept a close eye on her. She still doesn't walk very far at all - and when she does, it is very slowly - she prefers to sit - and digs a small 'nest' for herself in the dirt, but not in the coop. I cut away the terrible mess around her backside near the vent initially, and I think she has managed some very soft more normal poop - but that has turned a little green in colour yesterday, although she has been in a slightly grassed area and may have been picking at that. Yesterday she was attempting to preen herself and clean her vent area. She is a lot cleaner there now, than she was at the beginning. I have cut away the messes as they have occurred. It is almost impossible to wash the area as the feathers stick together when wet, and makes it worse.
The Vet said she may have picked up an infection - which seemed to be not only upper respiratory, but in the gut as well
(gastro ) and it more than likely would have come from a juvenile rat we have seen in the area they used to be in. That area is now off limits to all my chickens - and the larger group of 3 have shown no signs whatsoever either, of picking up whatever Moppit has had. She was not egg bound and did not have an impacted crop. There was nothing unusual about her vent, nothing that the Vet could detect that shouldn't have been there ( like a crushed egg - she layed 1 egg about 4 weeks back ).
There was no sign of anything like coccidiosis.
I have no idea whatsoever, how much she eats - and this is my main query. How much do Silkies eat - are they voracious eaters normally ( like my big girls - they are healthy, large and laying eggs, but always run to me as though they are starving !! ).
Or do Silkies survive on very little food. I must say, since the arrival of the Silkie and Araucana who live separately to the others for safety reasons ( the big girls don't like them at all ), their food intake is very small compared to the other 3.
I am a newbie at having chickens, but love them all. Sorry that this is such a long query, but thought I should tell you the whole story. They all would be quite immune to coccidiosis, as they have been fed high grade pellets right through their age stages, which is laced with something that immunises or prevents cocci.
I also have no way of telling if she is becoming broody ( don't know much about that ) ... and the Vet was more concerned with her infection than anything else.
Trust someone who is far more experienced than I am with Silkies, can shed some light on it all - especially how much they eat.
Thanking you in anticipation,
Cheers
Anniebee.
My little Silkie ( Moppit ) became ill almost 2 weeks back. Scouring badly with a milky watery bowel, not interested in food, and preferring to sit or squat for most of the time. She hardly walked anywhere but was alert enough. She would stand or sit for a long time staring at a fence or some other structure in front of her. She still does a bit of that. As though mesmerised.
Anyway, I took her to the Vet, who applied .04ml ivermectin ( Ivomec) to her skin which is of course very thin and absorbent, to kill off any and all parasites and nasties that might have been affecting her, and prescribed a 1/2 Baytril anti-biotic pill down her throat twice a day, which she has the last of today. At times I thought I would not see her the next morning alive, but she is still with us, a little more alert and drank a lot of water last night - which I am not sure is a good or bad sign. This morning she is waiting to be let out with her friend Mindy ( Australian Araucana ). Yesterday, she had a dust bath, although she might have just sat next to the Araucana while SHE dust bathed. I have seen her do that before, getting second hand dust, and not bothering to do it herself.
She was 'hospitalised' in our bathroom for 4 days - WITH the Araucana as she had shown absolutely no signs whatsoever of whatever got into little Moppit. All my other 4 chickens are healthy and doing everything they should be. I administered her meds. and kept a close eye on her. She still doesn't walk very far at all - and when she does, it is very slowly - she prefers to sit - and digs a small 'nest' for herself in the dirt, but not in the coop. I cut away the terrible mess around her backside near the vent initially, and I think she has managed some very soft more normal poop - but that has turned a little green in colour yesterday, although she has been in a slightly grassed area and may have been picking at that. Yesterday she was attempting to preen herself and clean her vent area. She is a lot cleaner there now, than she was at the beginning. I have cut away the messes as they have occurred. It is almost impossible to wash the area as the feathers stick together when wet, and makes it worse.
The Vet said she may have picked up an infection - which seemed to be not only upper respiratory, but in the gut as well
(gastro ) and it more than likely would have come from a juvenile rat we have seen in the area they used to be in. That area is now off limits to all my chickens - and the larger group of 3 have shown no signs whatsoever either, of picking up whatever Moppit has had. She was not egg bound and did not have an impacted crop. There was nothing unusual about her vent, nothing that the Vet could detect that shouldn't have been there ( like a crushed egg - she layed 1 egg about 4 weeks back ).
There was no sign of anything like coccidiosis.
I have no idea whatsoever, how much she eats - and this is my main query. How much do Silkies eat - are they voracious eaters normally ( like my big girls - they are healthy, large and laying eggs, but always run to me as though they are starving !! ).
Or do Silkies survive on very little food. I must say, since the arrival of the Silkie and Araucana who live separately to the others for safety reasons ( the big girls don't like them at all ), their food intake is very small compared to the other 3.
I am a newbie at having chickens, but love them all. Sorry that this is such a long query, but thought I should tell you the whole story. They all would be quite immune to coccidiosis, as they have been fed high grade pellets right through their age stages, which is laced with something that immunises or prevents cocci.
I also have no way of telling if she is becoming broody ( don't know much about that ) ... and the Vet was more concerned with her infection than anything else.
Trust someone who is far more experienced than I am with Silkies, can shed some light on it all - especially how much they eat.
Thanking you in anticipation,
Cheers
Anniebee.
hope she recovers ok!
