Country Birds
Chirping
Hi there. I had a Silkie/Ameraucana mix that I hatched this spring from my flock and she just recently started going downhill.
I first noticed yesterday evening, she seemed a little lethargic while out free-ranging with the flock. I checked on her that night while she was on the roost and could tell something was wrong. I felt all over and the only thing that seemed off was that she was pretty skinny.
Today she went out free-ranging again with the flock, but still seemed lethargic. She has been eating and drinking, has access to grit, and has not started laying yet. Tonight I went out to check on her and she was sleeping on the coop floor instead of the roosting bars, so I brought her inside. She was not doing good at all and was trembling, even in the warm house. She was letting her head droop down and had her eyes closed. We decided it was best to put her out of her misery since she was obviously suffering.
My husband and I did an autopsy and found absolutely nothing amiss other than she was very skinny. Her crop was empty, but her gizzard had a lot of mashed up chicken feed in it. There was no impaction, no egg stuck anywhere, no abnormal organs, no signs of parasites, no swelling. On the outside she looked normal as well. She was eating all-flock feed with grit and oyster shell on the side. I have not given scratch or any treats for a few weeks now. They do get out almost every day to free range in the horse pasture. It recently started getting colder here, but not anything drastic.
I just don’t know what happened and I am feeling a bit defeated. I was really hoping the autopsy would help me know what went wrong so I knew what to change or do if another chicken went downhill. Does anyone have any idea of what could have happened to her?
I first noticed yesterday evening, she seemed a little lethargic while out free-ranging with the flock. I checked on her that night while she was on the roost and could tell something was wrong. I felt all over and the only thing that seemed off was that she was pretty skinny.
Today she went out free-ranging again with the flock, but still seemed lethargic. She has been eating and drinking, has access to grit, and has not started laying yet. Tonight I went out to check on her and she was sleeping on the coop floor instead of the roosting bars, so I brought her inside. She was not doing good at all and was trembling, even in the warm house. She was letting her head droop down and had her eyes closed. We decided it was best to put her out of her misery since she was obviously suffering.
My husband and I did an autopsy and found absolutely nothing amiss other than she was very skinny. Her crop was empty, but her gizzard had a lot of mashed up chicken feed in it. There was no impaction, no egg stuck anywhere, no abnormal organs, no signs of parasites, no swelling. On the outside she looked normal as well. She was eating all-flock feed with grit and oyster shell on the side. I have not given scratch or any treats for a few weeks now. They do get out almost every day to free range in the horse pasture. It recently started getting colder here, but not anything drastic.
I just don’t know what happened and I am feeling a bit defeated. I was really hoping the autopsy would help me know what went wrong so I knew what to change or do if another chicken went downhill. Does anyone have any idea of what could have happened to her?
