Silkie help!

[DWilkins]

My Silkie hen is gurgling when she breaths and shakes her head violently. So violent that last week she”threw up” a tube of food. I thought at first an upper respiratory infection but her eyes are not watering. Her mouth had mucus in it and it’s like she is drooling. I gave her Tylan orally and I wondering if it’s doing any good. Her crop is not hard in fact it’s empty as I don’t think she is getting anything to eat.I thought about it possibly being gapeworm but have been told that is rare. I am at at loss. She isn’t lethargic and does want to eat but I am afraid it’s not getting to her crop. Her breath has a slight order but nothing overpowering. I feel she is loosing weight. Any help would be appreciated . The nearest poultry vet is over 2 hours away. I am worried she is suffocating or will die of starvation/malnutrition.She is about 4-5 years old.I am thinking it may be a crop issue ? Oh! And I noticed some swelling under her beak when she breaths.

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you look into her beak and throat with a flashlight for any white/yellow or gray material? Canker which has a bad odor can cause yellow patches of gunk inside the beak, throat, and crop. A picture of her may help. Have you seen any other birds in the past with respiratory supymptoms? How much Tylan are you giving? It can be given orally and dosage is 0.25 ml per pound given 3 times a day for 5 days. Does she weigh about 2 pounds? That would treat a respiratory disease, such as MG. Have you tried offering food and water up to her beak often? You could mix some chicken feed with a lot of water, making a mash, and also offer some scrambled egg and canned cat food or tuna.

 

[DWilkins]

I just brought her into the house away from the other hens. I will look into her throat( gonna be a challenge lol ) no other birds are in any respiratory distress. I have had birds in the past with it and the Tylan has brought them out of it. I don’t think she weighs two pounds.Yes. She has a yellow patch of yellow half way down her throat.I just mixed up her food with water to make a mash. She has been wanting to eat but is it going down? I started giving her Tylan last Thursday…How do I treat this and is she in pain?

 

[Eggcessive]

You may need another pair of hands to see into her throat. A picture would be good. If she has canker, that is a protozoa that is treated with metronidazole (Aqua Zole 100 mg for a 2 pound bird, twice a day for 5 days.) A vet would be the best person to diagnose what she has.

 

[DWilkins]

You may need another pair of hands to see into her throat. A picture would be good. If she has canker, that is a protozoa that is treated with metronidazole (Aqua Zole 100 mg for a 2 pound bird, twice a day for 5 days.) A vet would be the best person to diagnose what she has.

Unfortunately we do not have any vets within a 250 mile radius that knows squat about birds and we live in a agricultural state.So like many other instances I have had to go at it alone with the knowledge of those on this site. So grateful for Backyard Chickens i have also read about Copper sulfate? Do I need to remove the lesion or does that present a risk of bleeding out?wWill the meds destroy the lesion and should I continue with the Tylan. Thank you so very much for your help. Canker is something I have never dealt with.Aqua zole is a fish antibiotic..correct? Can I use any metronidazole? I have seen some for horses and dogs. Does it also work for birds?I keep editing my post because I think of a question. Lol. I want to give it to her individually… do you know what the dosage would be if I dissolved it in water and given by CCs?

 

[DWilkins]

Would this work?

 

[Eggcessive]

Some people use acidified copper sulfate 1/4 tsp per gallon of water for 3 days each month to prevent infection in other birds. Yes, you can use that metronidazole or any other. I would not put it in the water though, but give a 1/2 tsp twice a day in food or enough water to get it down. Does it say anywhere on the label how many milligrams (mg) in each tsp? Canker or trichomoniasis is a disease carried by pigeons, and is passed by drinking contaminated water. It would be good to disinfect your feeders and waterers with 10% bleach water.

 

[DWilkins]

I am wondering if during the summer months when they free range if the large water container they drink out of could have possibly been contaminated by wild birds. The water container in the coop gets changed often and cleaned.This is the first time I have had a Silkie come down with this. If I give her the Aqua Zole will she be able to swallow it or can I dissolve it in water and give it through a syringe? I am only able to find 250 mg tablets. I do not see on the label how many mg are in each tsp. I only saw it on line .Do I remove the lesion or let the meds take care of it? I am hoping to find metronidazole in any form locally as I want to get it in her ASAP and not have to order it. Thank you again for all your help. I do appreciate it.

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[DWilkins]

Some people use acidified copper sulfate 1/4 tsp per gallon of water for 3 days each month to prevent infection in other birds. Yes, you can use that metronidazole or any other. I would not put it in the water though, but give a 1/2 tsp twice a day in food or enough water to get it down. Does it say anywhere on the label how many milligrams (mg) in each tsp? Canker or trichomoniasis is a disease carried by pigeons, and is passed by drinking contaminated water. It would be good to disinfect your feeders and waterers with 10% bleach water.

Can you look into her beak and throat with a flashlight for any white/yellow or gray material? Canker which has a bad odor can cause yellow patches of gunk inside the beak, throat, and crop. A picture of her may help. Have you seen any other birds in the past with respiratory supymptoms? How much Tylan are you giving? It can be given orally and dosage is 0.25 ml per pound given 3 times a day for 5 days. Does she weigh about 2 pounds? That would treat a respiratory disease, such as MG. Have you tried offering food and water up to her beak often? You could mix some chicken feed with a lot of water, making a mash, and also offer some scrambled egg and canned cat food or tuna.

Took her to a vet that sees birds.. she swabbed her throat and looked under the microscope. It wasn’t Canker. Sent me home with some meds but unfortunately she tried to eat and wasn’t able to pass the food. We tried getting the food out of her throat but weren’t able to as she couldn’t breath. She passed in our hands. I am heartbroken. The vet said she had plenty of space in her throat to swallow food yet she wasn’t able to get it down. The vet also thought it could have been cancer so we don’t know if there were more lesions elsewhere.I am devastated as I didn’t get a chance to even try to make her well.