Silkie doesn't seem right!

[dawg53]

Should it have made a differeo in 24 hrs? I just checked on her and she is shaking head and stretching gaping her neck and mouth again. Still eating but I can't catch her drinking. Poop is small but normal. I saw her trying to reach her bum and wiggling her tail like something was bothering her back there also. Can I give another dose of wormer this early?

It's not gapeworm if she's eating and drinking. How old is she?

 

[scratch'n'peck]

It's not gapeworm if she's eating and drinking. How old is she?

@Mcranton Those of us who have been around these forums for a while have come to trust Dawg's judgement, maybe the vet did not ask if your silkie was eating. Gapeworm isn't all that common either. In addition to her age, I was wondering how long you have had the Silkie hen. As I said before, I don't think Safegaurd is considered a risky treatment and it is possible that intestinal worms were weakening her I suppose. BTW, wormers do start to work pretty quickly.

What kind of water soluble antibiotics did you get?

 

[Mcranton]

She is approximately 5 or 6 months old. I got her in August. She definitely has a decreased appetite and I can't catch her drinking. I tried to offer different enticing treats and she only samples and quits. Only eats sunflower seeds and goes back to sleep. I soaked pieces of bread to get some liquid in her but she only ate one small piece.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I know how frustrating it can be to figure out what is going on with a sick chicken and to figure out the best things to do to help. Did you add the water soluble antibiotics yet, or did you decide to hold off on that until seeing how the Safeguard worked?

 

[Mcranton]

I did the water antibiotics also, but not sure she is drinking. I had soaked the bread in it and got one piece in her.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I did the water antibiotics also, but not sure she is drinking. I had soaked the bread in it and got one piece in her.

I know, that is one of the draw backs of soluble antibiotics- when the chicken is not drinking much because they are weak or don't like the taste, the dosage is questionable. I am guessing that you are using the Druamycin 10.

It sounds like it is time to syringe the medication directly into her esophagus. I have had to tube feed one of my hens and it is not as bad as it sounds. Here is a photo of where the tip of the syringe should go:


This is a peacock (not my photo), but it is the same idea. Point it past the airway opening in the middle ( which will of course is much smaller in your silkie) You might as well add some vitamins like polyvisol without iron or some avian vitamins. If she isn't eating enough then you could tube feed her as well, either by blending her feed with water or getting hand feeding formula at the pet store. In that case you would need a larger syringe with a plastic tube. Some people have used thin plastic tubing from the plumbing section. The most important thing is to insert the tip past the airway to inhaled liquid.

Wrap your hen in a towel. I have tube fed without another person assisting, but it is easier if someone is holding her the first time you try it.
Here is a thread on tube feeding that might help. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/805728/go-team-tube-feeding

 

[Mcranton]

Should I add some selenium and vitamin E also?

 

[cafarmgirl]

I'm surprised the vet decided on gape worms without seeing her. Kind of random since this could be so many things. I would be very careful about adding too much extra "stuff" like selenium or vitamin E etc. Birds need very little of vitamins and trace minerals and it's very easy to give too much. I would just get a good water soluble poultry vitamin and give her some of that in her water.

Check her body condition carefully, see if she's very thin or if she has any swelling or bloating in her lower body. Check her first thing in the morning and make sure her crop is emptying over night as it should. I'd go easy on the sunflower seeds, don't want her getting an impacted crop from all that if that's all she's eating. Try making a mash of her regular feed, chopped hard boiled egg or scrambled egg is a good idea as well.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

S

Should I add some selenium and vitamin E also?

Since she does not seem to have wry neck, just a bit of avian vitamins to make up for her poor appetite is enough. My chickens get scrambled eggs as a treat occasionally and they love it, and if one of them seems sick that is one of the first foods I offer because it is loaded with nutrients. But I know if your hen isn't used to eating eggs, she probably wont be in the mood to try anything new. I totally know what it is like to offer various foods to a sick chicken encouraging them to eat. But now I know that in less than half the time I spent holding food in front of her beak (usually with little success), I could have successfully syringed what she needed down her throat. Maybe after getting a few doses of antibiotics she will seem a little better and start eating more on her own.

 

[Mcranton]

For syringing the water antibiotics what is the formula for mixing amounts. I will add the polyvisol drops also. I also picked up some baby parrot formula powder in case I need it.