PLEASE HELP! I fear my chicken may be very sick :(

[Fluffy Chick 15]

I have a little silkie hen that is a little over a year old now. She is very small compared to my other hens and always has been. I noticed latley that she is looking smaller and smaller. As I went to feed them tonight I noticed that when she ate she would lift her head and make a strange back and for motion with her neck, and her feathers would frill up, almost like she was choking. Then she would put her head down and proceed to eat. She did this several times in the few minutes I watched her, I'm just really concerned because non of the the other hens do this and I just noticed it tonight. She just looks sick, her nose isnt running but her eyes look icky and she just doesnt look well. I'm wondering of this sounds like something serious to anyone? Also, her underbelly is compleatly bare, she has no feathers there! Is this normal? Anyway, I'm sorry I dont have any pics or videos at the moment, please help, I'm very worried about her.

-Thanks

 

[S.L.Swope]

if I remember correctly reading on here that sounds a gape worm. Do a search on here you have to worm but I don't remember what the med. is called

 

[Fluffy Chick 15]

Thank you Swope, I watched the only video I could find re. gapeworm, and she isn't doing what that hen was doing, and so far she is still eating. But she seems frail and is feels thin and bony when I pick her up. I haven't noticed any of the other hens doing this either, but it sounds possible that just one hen could have the parasite. Also, the bare belly, I haven't actually seen her plucking out her own feathers, and all 5 girls have been together since they were chicks, I have never seen any of them picking on her. Is this a behavior that comes with being broody(the bare belly?). Several of my Silkies get broody off and on, but I ahven't noticed this in any of them before. Anyway, just wondering if there are any other opinions as well.

 

[S.L.Swope]

I hope you get this figured out. I'm a chicken newbie but have done a lot of reading in here and my first thought is worms. With the behavior you mentioned I thought gape but with no practical experience if my own I'm not much more help than that.

I hope someone else can help.

Oh an if you can post pics and videos I'm sure that would help diagnose the problem.
Good luck

 

[psimons2004]

I have a broody camping and she has completely pecked out all her belly feathers!!! Everyone on here assured me that is totally normal broody behavior!
Also she and about 3 others of my hens are molting and very thin right now. I would still really really watch her, but it can def, be a normal thing. As for the head shaking thing. My silkey roo does that too all the time and on several of the silkey threads others mention it time and again as a quirkey silkey habit! For now I would watch her but I wouldn't be overly worried!!!!

 

[chkn]

Sometimes they eat too much dry stuff and what they really need to do is wash it down with some water. If the behavior continues, then maybe I'd be a little more concerned.

 

[Fluffy Chick 15]

Thanks so much everyone! I went out this morning and watched her eat and she wasnt doing her weird head thing, so I'm not sure what that was about. she still looks like she may be a bit ill, not sure. but I feel much better about it all. Thanks I will keep an eye on her.

 

[welasharon]

Check her for lice or mites also. My silkies are prone to them and they can make them sick and eventually die. You may also want to treat or check for worms too. It's always good to rule those out.
sharon

 

[OregonChickenGal]

She may have been adjusting her crop. In the morning feel her crop it should be empty since they don't eat at night. If it's hard she has an impacted crop.