MichelleG77
In the Brooder
- Jun 13, 2020
- 10
- 17
- 49
I have a silkie chick that is unable to walk. I would guesstimate that he/she is around 6-8 weeks old. She was given to me on May 17th so I have no idea how old she is. On the day I got her, she would often close her left eye, but acted like a normal chick other than that. The eye seemed to resolve, but on May 28th, she started limping on one leg. We thought she'd injured it. We made her a stand and made sure she got plenty of food and water (added hydro-hen to her water). Within a couple days she started getting better and seemed to make a full recovery within a couple more days after that. However, a few days ago she started limping again. Her left eye is also shut. She would put her head down and walk backwards. Both legs do not work properly and she uses her wings for balance. She is back in the stand we made. The first day we couldn't get her to eat at all, but the next day I was able to mix her chick food with a raw egg and she ate that. I also added Vitamin E to the mix. Last night, I got her to eat scrambled eggs. I have read a lot of information about silkies and wry neck and I am wondering if that is what it is. I also wonder about bad genetics or an injury since silkies have a vaulted skull. I have read Dr. Stanford's treatment for wry neck (https://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/Crookneck/Crookneck.html). I have prednisone (10mg), but would have no idea how to dose. I have also read about water on the brain that can cause similar symptoms (https://poultrykeeper.com/keeping-chickens/diseases-common-to-silkies/). It recommends an antibiotic injection. The only antibiotic I have is doxycycline capsules (for humans) on hand. Once again, I have no idea how much to dose. I am looking for any suggestions on how to help her. I will attach photos/videos of her from my cell phone.
