Sick Silkie Skin Problem & TSD

[SilkieSweet3]

Hi,
I have a 6 month old white silkie, I got her from a hatchery. I have two other silkies from a breeder in Texas. My hatchery chick is probably the smartest and most curious and loves to really relax and be petted. One morning, I noticed her eyes almost completely closed. I thought she was sleepy, but later that day, I saw that her eyes were still shut. I made an appointment with the only vet I could find who would see a chicken. It was a one hour drive away. In the meantime, I bathed her just in case she got into something, and I noticed yellow flakes of dead skin coming off around her eyes. The vet prescribed an oral antibiotic and eye drops. Two weeks later, the vet finally said that they got the $400 of tests back and maybe I should try a different antibiotic. I picked up the antibiotic, but something seemed awry. They wanted me to pay for another visit just to get the test results. The silkie's condition was getting worse. She was having a lot of difficulty breathing and would start screeching suddenly and take off running. Soon all the feathers around her face were gone and a good portion of her crest had fallen out. She is still eating Purina chicken feed and has maintained her weight. After 7 weeks now, the skin is peeling off everywhere on her body and her feet are affected as well. I have a new vet now. Her breathing problems are less and are mainly due to a scab over her nares. We can't see any mites or lice. I had kept her in an indoor pen at night and a very small garden during the day. The other two silkies show no evidence of disease. The things we have tried are ...

teramycin eye drops
erythromycin eye drops
permethrin spray -- just in case (no visual evidence of fowl mites or lice)
tylosin powder in water for almost two weeks.
ivermectin drops for 3 days and an ivermectin injection
an antibiotic/anti-fungal topical mousse
triple antibiotic ointment
a silver topical cream
coconut oil on her feet
an anti-fungal/antibacterial shampoo
a NSAID for chickens

Please let me know if you have any ideas. The first photo is a little before she got sick.

 

[SilkieSweet3]

I forgot to mention that she also received four oxytetracycline injections (2 / week)

 

[jewelg]

Perhaps this? Pulled this off another thread- I don’t have Any direct experience with this, but am so sorry your hen is having this problem: https://www.beautyofbirds.com/scalyfacemites.html

 

[jewelg]

Here’s the original thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/skin-condition-not-improved.1464829/

 

[SilkieSweet3]

Here’s the original thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/skin-condition-not-improved.1464829/

Thank you. I just found that post. I'm going to see if I can find some SCATT tomorrow ... well actually later today. Thank you!!! have a good night.

 

[Jeninoz]

Hi! How is your bird now?

 

[SilkieSweet3]

Thanks for asking Jeninoz.

She is still ill. Whatever she has has spread all over her body and she has lost a good proportion of her feathers. I just had her tested for Marek's and it came back negative. Apparently there is a form of Marek's that affects the skin. What she has doesn't really sound like Marek's, but several vets suggested that we needed to rule that out. Her skin scrapes are negative. Monday I'm taking her for a skin biopsy and we may start her on a stronger systemic fungicide. We've tried so many things and I hope the biopsy will give us a definite answer about what kind of disease we are fighting.

She eats well and is active and vocal. She suffers from not being with her flock mates, so I made a paper towel run in front of a very large floor mirror in my living room and she stays there unconfined during the day talking and interacting with the bird in the mirror. I never knew silkies could make such a variety of sounds. It is kind of sad but very sweet. She also "wags" her tail and is happy to see her reflective friend. Never thought I would be living with a bald chicken for a roommate.

 

[Jeninoz]

Hi! How is your bird now?

Thanks for asking Jeninoz.

She is still ill. Whatever she has has spread all over her body and she has lost a good proportion of her feathers. I just had her tested for Marek's and it came back negative. Apparently there is a form of Marek's that affects the skin. What she has doesn't really sound like Marek's, but several vets suggested that we needed to rule that out. Her skin scrapes are negative. Monday I'm taking her for a skin biopsy and we may start her on a stronger systemic fungicide. We've tried so many things and I hope the biopsy will give us a definite answer about what kind of disease we are fighting.

She eats well and is active and vocal. She suffers from not being with her flock mates, so I made a paper towel run in front of a very large floor mirror in my living room and she stays there unconfined during the day talking and interacting with the bird in the mirror. I never knew silkies could make such a variety of sounds. It is kind of sad but very sweet. She also "wags" her tail and is happy to see her reflective friend. Never thought I would be living with a bald chicken for a roommate.

awwww that is so sweet! Looks so bad for her. You’ve tried ivomectin, I went through a similar thing with a young Silkie 3 months when I got her, flakey skin face and body (did not get so bad as yours, but I think yours may have an infection as well). I tried all sorts of things like you then went went to a vet who said nutritional issue. She said give fish or hemp-seed oil daily with food as they have omegas. It worked. Heal from inside out. Amazing! I had to continue this treatment for three months.
I also have another hen she has got favus when I got her, also flakey skin on face only worse in humid weather, have been treating with topical anti fungal but it’s still present so I’ll take her to the vet next week to get oral antifungals. Keep us updated! I hope she gets better!

 

[SilkieSweet3]

Thank you for your note Jeninoz. I am so happy to hear that you were able to cure your silkie. I wish you the best of luck with the favus. That was one of the diagnoses suggested by the vet (#2) who prescribed oral Nystatin for a few weeks, but the vet (#4) told me that it will most likely require something stronger. We will see. I will keep you posted if you wish.

Also, your note gives me food for thought. I have hemp seed oil and fish oil. In fact, as tiny chicks, hemp seeds were one of her favorite treats. I am going to see if I can get her to eat fish or hemp oil. She has had difficulty eating lately as the end of her lower beak broke due to whatever this horrible malady is. Thank you for the idea and thanks for getting in touch.

 

[artsyrobin]

Thank you for your note Jeninoz. I am so happy to hear that you were able to cure your silkie. I wish you the best of luck with the favus. That was one of the diagnoses suggested by the vet (#2) who prescribed oral Nystatin for a few weeks, but the vet (#4) told me that it will most likely require something stronger. We will see. I will keep you posted if you wish.

Also, your note gives me food for thought. I have hemp seed oil and fish oil. In fact, as tiny chicks, hemp seeds were one of her favorite treats. I am going to see if I can get her to eat fish or hemp oil. She has had difficulty eating lately as the end of her lower beak broke due to whatever this horrible malady is. Thank you for the idea and thanks for getting in touch.

Ì know this is an older thread, did she clear up?