Please help! Sick silkie and seems to be progressing quick! What should I do?

[theacw]

Eek! She made it through the night! Im surprised to be honest, I noticed she was quite thin later last night.

Can I administer Tylan between the shoulder blades? Ive never given an injection and would feel more comfortable that way. How much for a little bantam chicken?

 

[ten chicks]

Eek! She made it through the night! Im surprised to be honest, I noticed she was quite thin later last night.

Can I administer Tylan between the shoulder blades? Ive never given an injection and would feel more comfortable that way. How much for a little bantam chicken?

Is she a new addition to your flock? Is she eating on her own? My silkies do walk like your girl,in mine it is caused from feathers hanging in their eyes or if they are walking on terrain that is different from what they are use to. Does she have grit?

 

[theacw]

No, I have had her over a year and no one since her.

I cut her feathers in her face 2 days ago thinking that was it but no changes

Not eating on her own but is being a good sport with the syringe feeding and opens her mouth for me. I gave her mac and cheese (i know, no nutrients) last night as both a test to see if she was willing to eat her FAVORITE food and also as a possible last meal. She gave it a couple tries but whatever is neurologically going on has really messed with her perception and she gave up

I havent put out grit in a loooong time, and assumed they got enough free ranging. I am going to start adding some in again to be safe!

Also, she did poop a little through the night, looks somewhat normal but a bit more green probably from lack of eating. Her crop also still had liquid/eggs in it from last night. Would organ failure be causing her crop to not drain?

 

[theacw]

No tylan in town! Is it worth making an hour drive to get some for her?

 

[ten chicks]

No, I have had her over a year and no one since her.

I cut her feathers in her face 2 days ago thinking that was it but no changes

Not eating on her own but is being a good sport with the syringe feeding and opens her mouth for me. I gave her mac and cheese (i know, no nutrients) last night as both a test to see if she was willing to eat her FAVORITE food and also as a possible last meal. She gave it a couple tries but whatever is neurologically going on has really messed with her perception and she gave up

I havent put out grit in a loooong time, and assumed they got enough free ranging. I am going to start adding some in again to be safe!

Also, she did poop a little through the night, looks somewhat normal but a bit more green probably from lack of eating. Her crop also still had liquid/eggs in it from last night. Would organ failure be causing her crop to not drain?

Yes,the green in poop is probably from not eating enough. Check her for sour crop,look up information for wry neck(silkies are susceptible to wry neck),the reason i mentioned grit is even though you are tube/syringe feeding her,she still needs some grit to digest liquid feed as it is different from water. No issues with her beak or her eyes? What kind of feed container are you using? Reason i am asking this is i have one silkie roo who has issues with perception(my vet tells me it is an issue with one eye,he just does not see so well out of one eye)to compensate for his perception issue he as a very wide feed bowl(plastic container) which is easier for him to eat out of.

 

[theacw]

Its hard to tell if it is sour crop or not but I know her crop was ok yesterday. It felt squishy but didnt have much in there and I have been feeding her liquid food so it would have that feeling whether it was sour crop or not.

Her beak looks ok, is there something I should be looking for? Eyes seem ok for the most part, sometimes I think they look a little glossier than usual.

I am worried about her perception being waaaaay off when trying to eat. I laid out a ton of mac and cheese so it would be easier to find and eat some but she really struggled. She cocks her head when she goes after it and is a solid couple inches away from her target.

I dont think she has wry neck, I looked into that yesterday and she seems to have ok strength because she usually has it more pointed up when out of it and tucked in and every so often extends it to gasp.

Should I try to force feed some grit in her? There is no way she is going to ingest it herself!

Do you think I should try to find some Tylan an hour away, would that be beneficial for her? I want to do anything I can for this little lady.

 

[ten chicks]

Its hard to tell if it is sour crop or not but I know her crop was ok yesterday. It felt squishy but didnt have much in there and I have been feeding her liquid food so it would have that feeling whether it was sour crop or not.

Her beak looks ok, is there something I should be looking for? Eyes seem ok for the most part, sometimes I think they look a little glossier than usual.

I am worried about her perception being waaaaay off when trying to eat. I laid out a ton of mac and cheese so it would be easier to find and eat some but she really struggled. She cocks her head when she goes after it and is a solid couple inches away from her target.

I dont think she has wry neck, I looked into that yesterday and she seems to have ok strength because she usually has it more pointed up when out of it and tucked in and every so often extends it to gasp.

Should I try to force feed some grit in her? There is no way she is going to ingest it herself!

Do you think I should try to find some Tylan an hour away, would that be beneficial for her? I want to do anything I can for this little lady.

I cannot advise on the Tylan as i have never used it,all i have given is Tetracycline,but someone will give Tylan information. My silkie eats his food sideways,this is a result of his perception issue,that is why he has a wide bowl. Try giving her feed in a small wide container,you can add warm water to feed,so it resembles oatmeal all chickens usually love this,and it is easier for them to eat,mix some grit in with this(i normally would not advise this,but she needs the grit). Are you giving her vitamins? Keep an eye on her crop,even though she is on liquid feed,her crop should still empty.

 

[theacw]

agh, I think its that time to stop feeding for awhile and just let her be alone in complete darkness with no noise. She isnt going to pull through. I brought her outside to observe her and try to feed her hot mushy feed and she was extremely clumsy, started throwing up and having seizure movements/sneezing violently. I let her calm down and wrapped her back up in a blanket and she started quacking and fighting me and stopped quickly, gasped, went limp and then slowly started breathing again. I thought for sure I had lost her. I put her back in her basket and she had some more neuro freakouts, calmed down and thats where I am now.

I know she is suffering but I am a wimpy 25 year old that has never culled and am terrified to do so. I just want her to pass on her own and quickly! This is torturous to watch.

 

[ten chicks]

agh, I think its that time to stop feeding for awhile and just let her be alone in complete darkness with no noise. She isnt going to pull through. I brought her outside to observe her and try to feed her hot mushy feed and she was extremely clumsy, started throwing up and having seizure movements/sneezing violently. I let her calm down and wrapped her back up in a blanket and she started quacking and fighting me and stopped quickly, gasped, went limp and then slowly started breathing again. I thought for sure I had lost her. I put her back in her basket and she had some more neuro freakouts, calmed down and thats where I am now.

I know she is suffering but I am a wimpy 25 year old that has never culled and am terrified to do so. I just want her to pass on her own and quickly! This is torturous to watch.

Throwing up and seizures/sneezing are probably a result of the hand feeding,food going down the wrong way. Have you tried the Vitamins,in particular vitamin E? The only safe way to feed is tube feeding,Casportpony gives excellent advice on tube feeding and will explain exactly how to do it. I would not give up on her just yet,she appears to be a fighter.

 

[theacw]

Its hard to tell if she has a lot of fight in her still or if it is involuntary movements. Either way, I am so freaked out by this and feel so alone and helpless!

I am scared to tube feed with her rapid movements, do you think it is safe to try? Should I get just a vitamin E supplement, I saw some liquid vitamins at fleet farm yesterday that had different combinations of specific ones. They were in the cattle section and looked like they would have to be injected or were in that type of bottle. I was doing electrolytes but I guess it cant be mixed with duramycin so I stopped last night. Is it safe to do a vitamin only mixture?

Thanks for your help. I really have no idea where I would be without you guys helping me through this.