silkie hen 6 months old unbalanced still eating and drinking

[lbogner]

Hello, I have a 6 month old SIlkie Hen who has become increasingly unbalanced over the last 2-3 days. She does still walk and sometimes looks fine, but then I go out and find her flipping to one side or the other and just laying there. If I put her upright she makes her way to the water and drinks or eats at the feeder. Many times she is just upright and walking around when I have gone to the coop but I notice she doesn't stand as upright as she did before this.
Upon closer examination today I find that she feels like she is losing weight ( breast bone protruding more than usual etc.) also I can feel her crop although its not huge and it is evening here I feel a lot of grainy material in there. Also, I notice she is dirty so probably not preening like her friends, and she has some poo on her backside feathers.
I hesitated taking her out of the pen with her friends because I think she's happier there, and was hoping this might self correct. But I have just isolated her in a box with bedding in the house.
I may take her to the vet tomorrow.
Any ideas what this could be or what measures I could take to correct this? I have had chickens for 5 years and silkies in particular for just 6 months. I used to think chickens were easy but the longer we have them the more unknowns that seem to pop up.

 

[azygous]

It could be something as simple as a form of torticolis or something as serious as Marek's. I suggest treating for torticolis and see what happens. Give one who vitamin E capsule 400iu with a sliver of selenium once a day and see if there's improvement. I would also include B complex to strengthen the legs. You should see it in a few days if this is torticolis or some sort of neurological issue.

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you leave her in the coop in a wire dog crate, with her own food and water? Bring her some treats of wet chicken feed, scrambled egg, tuna, or canned cat food. Vitamins may also help. She might be kept from food and water if she is scared of the other chickens or being bullied. Her symptoms could be from dehydration or no food, but it would be good to watch for sign s of Mareks disease, which include imbalance or lameness in a leg.

 

[lbogner]

Thank you for your valuable insights and information. I did keep her inside for now, she doesn't seem unhappy, decided to keep her in for now. I am trying the supplementation you have both suggested. So far, the improvement I have seen is she seems more energetic if I pick her up. Also, she brings her head up high when I come in the room to tend her. She does seem a bit more capable of righting herself when she gets off balance.

I did take her to the vet yesterday, and the vet said she suspected parasites or worms as her vitals and physical exam were within normal limits, according to the vet.

I did this partly because I have had a couple of other flock deaths in the past 5 months, more than is normal for us. They had different symptoms, more like just lethargic and faded over a couple of days. The whole flock seemed to improve when I added probiotics and ACV to their water a couple of months ago. Until this little one developed the current problem.)

The vet said she didn't think this one has anything resembling Mareks or Newcastle which was definitely encouraging to me. I cant believe how much I love chickens, I don't name any of them but I really do get attached and LOVE them so much.
Time will tell with this little one. In the meantime treating everyone else out there for worms as well. Keeping my fingers crossed for this little Silkie <3 thanks so much will keep you posted as to her progress.

 

[CatWhisperer]

Best of luck to you and your little silkie.

 

[Eggcessive]

I hope she continues to get better. Glad that you got help at your vet’s.

 

[SilkiesnFrizzle]

Did the vet check for mites?

 

[lbogner]

Thank you all for your good suggestionsSilkiesnfrizzle, the vet did check for mites and lice and said she didn't find any. Still I dust for mites with Diatamaceous earth throughtout the coop and clean the coop often.

I still have this little hen in the house and don't see much change at all. I did the worming suggested by the vet with Fendabendazole, gave polyvisol drops without iron (which she loves by the way), Pro.biotics and ACV in the water. This little black silkie continues to be off balance and now wants to offer movement only in a backwards direction She still eats like crazy and drinks water. I'm at a loss for what to try next, or whether to assume perhaps she was treated roughly by another bird in her original coop and now has some kind of neurological problem. Or maybe its genetic? These chickens sure keep me guessing and teach me something new every day!

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry that she hasn’t improved. If she is walking backward, that can be a neurological sign, and can be a part of the wry neck symptoms she has had. In addition to the Polyvisol vitamins, I would try giving her an additional 400 IU of vitamin E daily. E is needed in a larger amount for wry neck.

 

[pozees2]

Sounds like Wry Neck. Silkies are notorious for this. I have treated mild cases with Rooster Booster B12, given directly by mouth with a little 1 cc syringe, just dribble about 1/4 cc down her throat 2-3 times per day and see if it helps, can also add some to the water for extra boost. For more serious cases, I've used Polyvisol liquid vitamins for children - I split the bottle, then to the half I'm using, I add a 1/2 tablet of selenium crushed, and squeeze a Vitamin E capsule into it, shake, and give .25-.5 cc 2-3 times per day, just use a 1 cc syringe and give by mouth. You will want to go slowly so you don't choke her, and try to direct it down the "passenger" side of her throat.