Sick Silkie

[jmike]

I have a silkie hen I think around 6 months old. She has a runny nose and her head is nodding up and down like she is nodding off to sleep. When she is up and moving around she seems fine but shakes her head quite a bit. Still eating fine. I have Vi-tal and Terramycin powder But not sure how to mix the Terramycin. any help would be great.

Mike

 

[silkiechicken]

Vitamins would be good, but I wouldn't give antibiotics unless you really think it is bacterial and not viral. Could she have gotten picked on her head? Head bobbing sounds a bit neurological there.

 

[jmike]

Quote:
I don't think she got pecked but not for sure. I just went and checked her now her eyes are running and one is either stuck or swollen shut.

 

[dlhunicorn]

it could be an ear infection (which usually only happens with mites or respiratory illness) ... she sounds very ill with those symptoms and in that case I would not take any chances. I rarely suggest meds but WES and many others feel terramycin is not sufficient for anything other than vERY mild symptoms and Tylan 50 is then recommended...here is an article on that from a vet:
http://www.afn.org/~poultry/newsletr/1996/psep96.pdf
Chicken Medications
by Dr. James Barton and Clarence Gillihan
(excerpt)
".....Bacterial Diseases:
Purchase a bottle of Tylan 50 and several 3cc
syringes with 25 to 30 gauge 1/2" needles. Give your hen 1 to 1 1/2 cc. of Tylan under the skin of the neck .........Continue daily injections for three days but not more than five. Withdrawal time is one month. Tylan does not have much activity against coccidia, but it is very good against Mycoplasma bacteria which is responsible for some respiratory diseases.

To inject Tylan 50, pull the hens feathers back
to reveal the skin on base of the the neck on her back.
Lift the skin up and insert the needle gentlty but firmly into the skin just far enough to allow the Tylan to be injected. You will be able to feel it. Be careful that you do not inject yourself. Make certain that you do not push the needle through the skin and out again not injecting
at all...........................
Because Tylan is so powerful, it is recommended
that you purchase some Beneficial Bird Bacteria
and feed it to your chicken after she recovers.
Tylan wipes out all the benficial bacteria that is normally present in a chickens digestive system. Also, Tylan can kill skin cells near the site of the injection so you should not use anything stronger than Tylan 50 - a stronger variety, Tylan-200 is also available at your local feed store, but this will likely do more harm than good.

When purchasing syringes, get them from a
local drug store. The 'human' grade needles are a little sharper than the vetrinary grade. The cost is about the same and your hen will thank you...."

 

[amystours]

Quote:
I guess our drug problem here in La. is so bad, they won't let you buy syringes without a prescription for them.

Best of luck with your baby, I know it's frustrating to have a sick one and not know what to do to help them.

 

[dlhunicorn]

You can purchase syringes etc from the online suppliers like JEFFERS and such.

 

[jmike]

Well, I haven't forgotten about you guys and all your help. I ended up with 3 sick girls (runny nose, runny swollen eyes). Turns out the head shaking on the one seems to be unrelated. I gave Tylan 50 for three days to all 3 and they look to be on the road to recovery "Thank God" and yall. So that leaves me with only one question. When will their eggs be OK to use? Only one of them was laying but they are in with other hens so I cant keep up with who's is who's so I have been trashing them all.

Thanks again.
Mike

 

[dlhunicorn]

withdrawal periods (waiting to eat the eggs) vary from one to three weeks...not sure the exact period for tylan but if you wait three weeks I think that will be more than sufficient.
So glad to hear they are on the mend! BTW... antibiotics will also kill off the good gut flora in addition to the pathogenic (which made them ill)...it is always a good idea to offer them free choice live culture yogurt for a few weeks daily after such medication.

 

[Gersbud]

Glad to hear that your girls are on the mend. I have found that here in MI you can not purchase a syringe at at drug store either with out a script. When I am in need of one I just go to the local feed store or TSC. Never needed on there.

 

[d.k]

*Glad your girls are improving; I only wanted to add that the head shaking was likely the hen trying to clear her eyes or nostrils-- but that I just read on the forum that it may also indicate a niacin deficiency, so if they keep that up after the illness clears, you may want to look into that further. Take care.