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

[ten chicks]

I am pretty sure it is a combination of respiratory issues (gasping, congested in nostrils, and had watery eyes today) and now some weird neurological issues. She fell off her roost last week or she could have been pecked on her skull by one of the others. I could think of a thousand reasons that this all could be. I dont know if her being clumsy is neurological or because she is so weak.

I have tried to hard to get her to eat anything. Yesterday eggs and yogurt with no luck. Today hot water with her feed so it was very mushy. She will attempt a little bit but she is so far from even touching the food when she tries that I feel like there is no way.

Honestly, right now my biggest concern is causing her to freak out again. She is a sweetie but doesnt like being handled much so she will totally freak out no matter what I do. And that has been causing her to go into little attacks.

Stupid question, do I have to be concerned about her not laying an egg for a few days? If one needs to be laid, will she?

Congested nostrils,did you mention congested nostrils in previous posts,i do not recall reading this,these are symptoms of respiratory issues,treat her for this. If she is not feeling well,there will not be any eggs.

 

[theacw]

I mentioned it at one point. She has always had sort of trouble breathing and plugged noses since I had her for over a year. I soaked her plugged up nostil with warm water and carefully dug out some gunk with a tooth pick the other day.

So far, I have been treating it as if it was a respiratory issue but all that I know is to syringe the antibiotics into her mouth. She still keeps stretching her neck out and gasping.

 

[casportpony]

Sorry, forgot one more thing. Have tried to get her to drink but seems too out of it to even notice its there even when I dip her beak. I have been doing it by syringe a little bit at a time trying very hard to be careful so she doesnt aspirate. 

A 1 pound chicken needs about 30ml of water every 6-8 hours to stay properly hydrated, this is why you should learn to tube, it's fast and way less stressful to the bird.

-Kathy

 

[theacw]

So instead of her willingly taking it every 1/2 hour-1 hour and waking her up/disturbing her, it would be better to maybe traumatize her with a tube and get it over quick so she can rest for a solid 6 hours?

Is there any other antibiotics I can give her with an injection besides tylan that would be in the cattle section for respiratory issues? I am worried I am not getting enough antibiotics in her now, especially if she through everything up this morning.

Also Kathy, would the vet tubing be more flexible and smaller than the aquarium tubing? I worry it is going to be too thick and stiff and hurt her. She is one tiny chicken!

Im off to get polyvisol and cat food here shortly and wondering if I should get anything else such as other antibiotics

 

[theacw]

I have lincomyin and oxytetracline (opened a year ago but rolled up and taped tightly) if those would be better than duramycin.

 

[sdm111]

Does it seem as though her wings or legs ( one or both) are paralizing?

 

[casportpony]

It just took me less than two minutes to tube 130ml to a big rooster of mine, imagine how stressful that would be if I did with just a syringe.
Find a ruler, measure the diameter of the tube and tell me how large your hen is, you would be surprised how big a tube they can tolerate.

-Kathy

 

[theacw]

Ok, I just want to make sure. Its only 30ml every 6 hours that is needed? Because I easily get that much in her every hour, if not closer to 60ml, with the syringe and she has no problem at all with it. If that is all that is needed, I think Nancy would be more than content with continuing our syringe. She has been doing ok with it the past few hours.

I just sat with her and she walked around a little bit. It was a small area but she seemed clumsy still. I gave her a full syringe worth of water/antibiotics and 2 drops of polyvisol. Her eyes have been looking irritated but that could be because she could have gotten yolk or antibiotics in them at one point so i put a drop of saline solution on each one and she didnt even really notice. Was not interested in wet cat food at all, its as if she didnt even see it. Im kind of confused because she saw the syringe laying there and pecked right at it, no problem with her perception at all. Hmmm.

So she is getting antibiotics, water, and the polyvisol. But should I continue to give her water downed yolk so she can have more of a substance in her?

 

[casportpony]

If you do deified to tube, please call me as there are things that I should explain to you and it's easier for me to do on the phone.

-Kathy

 

[HudokFarm]

Is there anything in her condition that indicates coccidiosis? That is what I dealt with in my flock after the last heat wave we had in MN a month or so ago. My sick flock was over a year old. Just a thought in hopes of helping your hen out. One of my hens was uncoordinated as you describe for a few days before she finally died.