One of my silkies passed last night :(

[chknlittle17]

I'm so glad I kept strict biosecurity and ignored my husband who said to combine all the chicks together. They seemed sickly within hours after I got them, I swear these backyard breeders that are selling sick chickens locally get me so mad! I had two silkies and kept them separate from our other chicks. I'm still not sure exactly what happened. Because this happened, I am starting corrid later today when it is delivered and am going to deworm just in case. I don't want to lose the other one.

I feel bad because now our surviving silkie is alone. I would like to combine her with our other chicks, but now need to wait longer to make sure she isn't sick too. This just sucks

 

[Homesteadermomma6382]

Can you put her near the other chicks so she can see them? She probably wont stop chirping until she can be put in with them but it may help a little

 

[feather13]

I'm so sorry about your Silkie. In our experience, they've had more health issues/been more susceptible to diseases and predators. How old were yours? We had a really bad outbreak of Marek's in southern California, so that's something to check for.

 

[chknlittle17]

I'm so sorry about your Silkie. In our experience, they've had more health issues/been more susceptible to diseases and predators. How old were yours? We had a really bad outbreak of Marek's in southern California, so that's something to check for.

They were 6 weeks old. The surviving one now has bloody poop, so I'm thinking coccidiosis. I looked at poop pictures online and her poop looks much like what I googled. Their behavior the last day or so suggests it too.

I'm in Florida and it has been non-stop raining for weeks. Getting chicken supplies and medications here has been difficult too, everything is constantly sold out. I cannot even get the chick feed I use locally anymore. I get off work at 1 and am going to go looking for corid since my shipment is now delayed and will not get here until Saturday.

 

[Lovem all]

I am so sorry for your loss. Losing chickens is horrible.

 

[feather13]

They were 6 weeks old. The surviving one now has bloody poop, so I'm thinking coccidiosis. I looked at poop pictures online and her poop looks much like what I googled. Their behavior the last day or so suggests it too.

I'm in Florida and it has been non-stop raining for weeks. Getting chicken supplies and medications here has been difficult too, everything is constantly sold out. I cannot even get the chick feed I use locally anymore. I get off work at 1 and am going to go looking for corid since my shipment is now delayed and will not get here until Saturday.

That's really tough. I'm so sorry. It looks like you just joined in May, so what a hard way to start chicken keeping. It's really rough to lose birds, especially young ones like yours. We have lost so many to predators, stray dogs, illness and old age over the years and it never gets easier. Unlike dogs or cats, chickens are also less treatable since they show signs of illness once they're pretty sick.

We are now very careful about who we buy chickens from after an unethical breeder sold us Mareks-infected chicks. I wish I had read the Yelp reviews about his business beforehand since many have reported this issue. You might also want to leave a review of the business that sold you your chicks if they have a web/social media presence.

We've never had coccidiosis in our flock. Is there any way you could take one of the sick chicks to an avian vet? I know they're hard to find (only one vet in our area will treat chickens) and expensive, so that might not be an option.

Good luck with the rest of your birds ❤

 

[chknlittle17]

That's really tough. I'm so sorry. It looks like you just joined in May, so what a hard way to start chicken keeping. It's really rough to lose birds, especially young ones like yours. We have lost so many to predators, stray dogs, illness and old age over the years and it never gets easier. Unlike dogs or cats, chickens are also less treatable since they show signs of illness once they're pretty sick.

We are now very careful about who we buy chickens from after an unethical breeder sold us Mareks-infected chicks. I wish I had read the Yelp reviews about his business beforehand since many have reported this issue. You might also want to leave a review of the business that sold you your chicks if they have a web/social media presence.

We've never had coccidiosis in our flock. Is there any way you could take one of the sick chicks to an avian vet? I know they're hard to find (only one vet in our area will treat chickens) and expensive, so that might not be an option.

Good luck with the rest of your birds ❤

We don't have a local avian vet, but I think there is one in the next town that sees birds. I did find some corid and all our chickens have been dosed. The silkie did seem to perk up a lot after the first dose, so I feel like I am doing the right thing so far. The rest of the chickens have been fine.

Mareks scares me so bad. I'm sorry that happened to you. The breeder doesn't have a page, but I did warn people on the local Facebook group. There's been several individuals selling sick chickens in my area. I will be more careful from here on out.