Trock925
In the Brooder
- Aug 1, 2018
- 16
- 35
- 49
Hi Everyone! I need your help. Last weekend we got a silkie chicken at a poultry swap. I'll admit now that I didn't ask anything about the breeder. I didn't get his information or even ask where he was from. My daughter was ecstatic there were silkies available and people were swarming all the hens. I got distracted by their adorableness and didn't do some important due diligence (bad chicken mama, I know). Anyway, looked over the bird, didn't see any issues and went on my merry way.
Yesterday morning when I let the chickens out, she would not come out of her coop (she's in the quarantine one). I opened the door and the silkie was laying on the floor of the coop breathing heavily and there was a wet spot under her. I picked her up and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary with her vent and her back feathers were clean. I just thought the wet spot was weird, as she's 15 weeks old and shouldn't be laying yet. She was also breathing with her beak closed. Not knowing what to do, I put some water next to her and left for work.
I came home on my lunch break to check on her and she was still in the coop. It was hot out, 87 degrees yesterday, and the chicken was hot too. I put her in the run and got her to drink some water. Unfortunately I wasn't able to do anything else as I had to get back to work.
When I got home from work she hadn't moved from the area I placed her in hours earlier. She feels really skinny, I can pinch her keel bone now. Checking her over, I didn't notice any mites or lice, but she was refusing food and water. Her abdomen felt a little warm, but I'm not sure if that's because she was hunched up all day. Also, her crop felt like it had some fluid buildup. I didn't feel any food or grit.
I didn't see any fresh droppings around her either. Afraid she might have a blockage, I brought her inside and gave her a Epsom salt bath. She really enjoyed this and relaxed. With the quiet, I noticed she seemed to be wheezing slightly. I don't know how else to describe it, but it sounds like a person who is sleeping at a weird angle and is breathing heavily, almost snoring, but not snoring (hopefully that makes sense!).
She has also started a sneeze/cough thing and shakes her head. After she does this, she does a chewing motion, like she's coughed something up into her mouth. There is no discharge from her eyes or nostrils.
After the Epsom salt bath I put her in a large bin and put her in our spare room so she could have quiet. I didn't give her any food or water for the night. This morning she still isn't moving around, but there was some runny/mushy green and white poop in her bin. Also, I felt less fluid in her crop, if any. She also drank some water and ate some applesauce.
Does anyone have an idea what this might be? Sour crop? Respiratory infection? Blockage? All of the above? Suggestions on how to treat and move forward? As always, your help and advice is greatly appreciated! We just started keeping chickens in July, so I'm still very new to raising and caring for chickens. Thanks!
1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.) Silkie, was told she was 14 weeks old when we got her, so probably around 15 weeks now. Don't know how to compare her to the others we have, as she's the only silkie, but she's thinner than when we got her.
2) What is the behavior, exactly. Not moving around, sleeping with her head tucked in her wing. Not really interested in drinking or eating.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? 1-2 days (noticed yesterday morning) She seemed to be acting normal on Thursday
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms? No, she is separate from the flock, but her area is connect to theirs, they are separated by hard wire mesh. I'm really hoping the other birds don't get sick.
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. No
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation. Don't know. Thinking maybe she had a blockage and or respiratory infection?
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. Food available to her: Purina Premium Poultry Feed start and grow medicated, chick grit and any bugs that come into the run. Drinking: water (note: this morning gave her water with apple cider vinegar and small amount of applesauce, she loved this but didn't take much)
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc. Poop this morning was mushy/runny, green and white and stinks really bad
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? Epsom salt bath, small amount of applesauce and water with apple cider vinegar
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? I would like to treat completely myself, as vets are so expensive.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use In her coop the bedding is pine shavings. Currently she is on an old towel.
Yesterday morning when I let the chickens out, she would not come out of her coop (she's in the quarantine one). I opened the door and the silkie was laying on the floor of the coop breathing heavily and there was a wet spot under her. I picked her up and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary with her vent and her back feathers were clean. I just thought the wet spot was weird, as she's 15 weeks old and shouldn't be laying yet. She was also breathing with her beak closed. Not knowing what to do, I put some water next to her and left for work.
I came home on my lunch break to check on her and she was still in the coop. It was hot out, 87 degrees yesterday, and the chicken was hot too. I put her in the run and got her to drink some water. Unfortunately I wasn't able to do anything else as I had to get back to work.
When I got home from work she hadn't moved from the area I placed her in hours earlier. She feels really skinny, I can pinch her keel bone now. Checking her over, I didn't notice any mites or lice, but she was refusing food and water. Her abdomen felt a little warm, but I'm not sure if that's because she was hunched up all day. Also, her crop felt like it had some fluid buildup. I didn't feel any food or grit.
I didn't see any fresh droppings around her either. Afraid she might have a blockage, I brought her inside and gave her a Epsom salt bath. She really enjoyed this and relaxed. With the quiet, I noticed she seemed to be wheezing slightly. I don't know how else to describe it, but it sounds like a person who is sleeping at a weird angle and is breathing heavily, almost snoring, but not snoring (hopefully that makes sense!).
She has also started a sneeze/cough thing and shakes her head. After she does this, she does a chewing motion, like she's coughed something up into her mouth. There is no discharge from her eyes or nostrils.
After the Epsom salt bath I put her in a large bin and put her in our spare room so she could have quiet. I didn't give her any food or water for the night. This morning she still isn't moving around, but there was some runny/mushy green and white poop in her bin. Also, I felt less fluid in her crop, if any. She also drank some water and ate some applesauce.
Does anyone have an idea what this might be? Sour crop? Respiratory infection? Blockage? All of the above? Suggestions on how to treat and move forward? As always, your help and advice is greatly appreciated! We just started keeping chickens in July, so I'm still very new to raising and caring for chickens. Thanks!
1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.) Silkie, was told she was 14 weeks old when we got her, so probably around 15 weeks now. Don't know how to compare her to the others we have, as she's the only silkie, but she's thinner than when we got her.
2) What is the behavior, exactly. Not moving around, sleeping with her head tucked in her wing. Not really interested in drinking or eating.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? 1-2 days (noticed yesterday morning) She seemed to be acting normal on Thursday
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms? No, she is separate from the flock, but her area is connect to theirs, they are separated by hard wire mesh. I'm really hoping the other birds don't get sick.
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. No
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation. Don't know. Thinking maybe she had a blockage and or respiratory infection?
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. Food available to her: Purina Premium Poultry Feed start and grow medicated, chick grit and any bugs that come into the run. Drinking: water (note: this morning gave her water with apple cider vinegar and small amount of applesauce, she loved this but didn't take much)
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc. Poop this morning was mushy/runny, green and white and stinks really bad
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? Epsom salt bath, small amount of applesauce and water with apple cider vinegar
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? I would like to treat completely myself, as vets are so expensive.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use In her coop the bedding is pine shavings. Currently she is on an old towel.
