Sick Silkie not eating

[pearsam]

I have a Silkie almost 5 months old. She was fine this morning but this afternoon she stopped eating. She separated herself from the other 2 chicks I have. She just lays or stands not moving and when I offer her food she'll pick it up then laid it down. The only outward sign that's different from the others is her little comb has turned red up next to the hairline. The other Silkie's is all black. today she's let me pick her up with no protest before she'd run and play before letting me pick her up. Can anyone help? Thanks.

 

[peepblessed]

She is at the age where she could be egg bound. Does her bottom feel swollen compared to the other pullets?

 

[pearsam]

Up around the tail is bigger than down to legs. Her feces is milky looking. The other Silkie is male he's not too much bigger around the tail compared to down around the legs.

 

[peepblessed]

Quote:
Sometimes you can feel a hardness behind the vent. Pullets can have an egg to large to pass. Is the vent red or irritated looking? Here is the treatment for "egg bound". Hope you get some other options for her condition.


Separate her.
Plan on keeping her separated from the other hens for a couple days so that
you will know if she passes an egg, what condition the egg is in (although a
broken egg will often be eaten right away) and so that the other hens do not
peck at her vent if she has egg yolk or blood in the area.
Examine her externally.
Examine her by gently feeling her belly from the outside. Can you feel a hard
egg? If so, you
can give her a warm bath (see instructions below) and massage her belly
towards her vent to help move the egg out.
Examine her internally.
Now, I can understand that you might not feel that you know your hen well
enough to check inside her vent for an egg or shell pieces, but it really
might be necessary. You could put on a pair of surgical gloves if that makes
you feel better and put some
vasoline or mineral oil on your finger and then just gently feel around inside
her vent to see if you can feel a hard egg or sharp shell pieces.
This will not only give you an idea of what might be going on, but it will
also apply some lubricant where it might do some good if there is an egg stuck
in there. If you feel any broken pieces of shell, see if you can carefully
slip them out without cutting her.
Unfortunately, they sometimes get twisted inside and it becomes impossible for
the egg to come out without surgery, or it causes the reproductive tract to
prolapse (invert itself outside of the vent). If that happens then you need to
gently push the prolapsed part back inside and hope it stays, but often that be
comes chronic and requires culling.

Giving a chicken a massage bath:
You can use rubbermaid tote, a baby bath, a 5 gallon bucket or an old dishpan
for the bath. I use the sink on my back porch or the laundry sink. (Some folks
use their kitchen sink but I dont suggest that for sanitary reasons... )
Check the water temperature the same as you would for the baby, good and
warm but not hot.
Lower her gently in the water. It should come up to her back. Keep your hand
over her back to prevent sudden escape attempts and to keep her from losing her
footing and panicking. Either one will result in her flapping her wings and
you will get soaked.
Massage her belly gently moving in the direction of her vent. She should
relax in the warm water. Some birds even fall asleep.
Getting her dry.
After the bath, wrap her in an old towel and put her under a warm lamp or
inside the house to keep her warm. Keep her wrapped in the towel for at least
15 minutes, or longer, to absorb as much of the water from her feathers as
possible. Then move her to a rubbermaid tote or a dog/cat carrier with a lot
of shavings to help dry her. Again, keep her inside until she is dry, it
will take overnight, and she needs to be in a warm place. It takes a long
time for them to get dry all the way to the skin unless you want to speed the
process with a hair drier. Amazingly, after the first minute or two, they

dont seem to mind the hair drier. Just be sure to frequently use your other
hand, between the hair drier and the bird, to be sure that it isnt too hot.

 

[pearsam]

She doesn't look iritated around the vent. My mother said she was eating good at noon then just stopped and walked off.

 

[peepblessed]

You might also check for mites and lice. They are very tiny and hard to see, but can be a serious problem.

 

[pearsam]

could she get those in the house. she never goes outside.

 

[peepblessed]

Quote:
Probably not.

If you haven't had her long, she could have gotten them before.

 

[pearsam]

she also act like shes a little hot. when I picked her up she opened her mouth almost like she was panting. she also looks like the inside of her mouth is sobbery.

 

[pearsam]

I got her when she was a day old.