Silkie Hen Lost weight, lethargic, disoriented, off-balance - needs HELP asap

[KiloMae]

One of Silkie hens (2 years old) is very ill & I cannot figure out what's causing it or how to help her. She is VERY special to us & I'm doing whatever I can to save her.

I've noticed the past couple weeks she had not gone up the ramp to the coop on her own. And it has become very clear she's unwell. Her symptoms are:
- Very thin & lethargic -- she has lost a ton of weight but I have observed her & she is eating. She is not moving much
- Off balance / disoriented, like she's drunk - she seems to be off balance occasionally, as if she is going to fall over while walking. She is also pecking at food & often in the wrong direction, completely missing the food, as if she cannot see or is disoriented
- Neck bone sticking out in front - her neck is held low so her neck bones are poking out in front of her. I thought at first it was her chest bone, but after feeling, I realized it's her neck. Photos below!
- Diarrhea. Previously may have had some dark red poop - definitely has diarrhea. Also I saw some dark brownish red colored poop last week that is unusual but i can't confirm it was from her. photo below -- it's not fresh though
- Dirty vent feathers - the past couple weeks ive noticed she has more poop than usual stuck on the feathers on her butt, it looks like from runny poop
- White crust & Tiny bugs near vent -- mites? - checked her vent she has some white crust, not a lot, but it is noticeable. She also appears to have some tiny tiny bugs near her vent --- My chickens had lice before & this is NOT the same, the bugs are much much smaller & very hard to make out. I don't see any signs on the rest of her body just near the vent. And im not seeing this on the other chickens. I'm wondering if it's mite. And if so, I'm not sure if this is causing her illness or possibly a side effect because she's maybe not dust bathing as much.
- Side note - has been exploring a new area of the yard lately, idk if she could have eaten something weird or toxic
Here is what I have done for her (I only did this today so I'm not sure yet if it's helping)
- Amprolium in water for possible coccidiosis - she has been drinking some
- Gro-gel to give her some vitamins
- I used a natural spray near her vent in case of bugs


If you have any ideas how to narrow down what this could be, or other things I can give her to help her please let me know!!! Thank you <3

 

[Tookie]

Poor thing!

It almost sounds like she may have wry neck, could you get some pictures of her? Possibly even a video of her being off balance?
For the bugs...they sound like mites. You need to get some permethrin dust that's safe for chickens and treat your whole flock for mites.

You're doing well on treatment, so keep doing what you're doing.

 

[nuthatched]

She likely has wry neck, silkies are prone to it.
Give her 400i.u vitamin E capsule and about a third of a B complex tablet every for a few weeks.
You'll have to stop to amprollium, vitamins and amprollium cancel each other out.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Please post photos of your hen, the crust and bugs and her poop.
Thanks!

Disoriented and not being able to pick at her food, sounds like a neurological problem or could be dehydration.

I'd work on hydration. Get some sugar water into her (1tsp sugar per cup of water) or electrolytes. Gro-Gel is usually for shipped chicks, it's not a product I would give an older bird.

Amprolium treats Coccidiosis, you mention bloody poop - does she have any injury to her vent? When was she last wormed?

I'd offer her wet soupy feed, make sure she's eating and drinking well. If you need to, syringe fluids into her.

Vitamin therapy should be given. Give 400IU Vitamin E and 1/4 tablet B-Complex. You can find these vitamins in store like Walmart.

For the bugs/crusty material - it may be lice - either way, go to your feed store and get a Permethrin based poultry dust or spray and treat her. I like to use spray for housing/coop and dust for the birds. Put the dust in a sock and use it like a powder puff to tap onto the bird, work the powder through the feathers all the way down to the skin.

 

[KiloMae]

Poor thing!

It almost sounds like she may have wry neck, could you get some pictures of her? Possibly even a video of her being off balance?
For the bugs...they sound like mites. You need to get some permethrin dust that's safe for chickens and treat your whole flock for mites.

You're doing well on treatment, so keep doing what you're doing.

thank you for your input! I'll post photos. My understanding of wry neck is that it's more of a symptom than an actual cause of illness, is that right?

 

[Tookie]

thank you for your input! I'll post photos. My understanding of wry neck is that it's more of a symptom than an actual cause of illness, is that right?

Yes, I believe you're correct.
As wry neck is usually caused by injury or a deficiency.

 

[KiloMae]

Please post photos of your hen, the crust and bugs and her poop.
Thanks!

Disoriented and not being able to pick at her food, sounds like a neurological problem or could be dehydration.

I'd work on hydration. Get some sugar water into her (1tsp sugar per cup of water) or electrolytes. Gro-Gel is usually for shipped chicks, it's not a product I would give an older bird.

Amprolium treats Coccidiosis, you mention bloody poop - does she have any injury to her vent? When was she last wormed?

I'd offer her wet soupy feed, make sure she's eating and drinking well. If you need to, syringe fluids into her.

Vitamin therapy should be given. Give 400IU Vitamin E and 1/4 tablet B-Complex. You can find these vitamins in store like Walmart.

For the bugs/crusty material - it may be lice - either way, go to your feed store and get a Permethrin based poultry dust or spray and treat her. I like to use spray for housing/coop and dust for the birds. Put the dust in a sock and use it like a powder puff to tap onto the bird, work the powder through the feathers all the way down to the skin.

thanks for your reply. she did drink quite a bit yesterday and now is not moving but I will make sure she gets more hydration

Poor thing!

It almost sounds like she may have wry neck, could you get some pictures of her? Possibly even a video of her being off balance?
For the bugs...they sound like mites. You need to get some permethrin dust that's safe for chickens and treat your whole flock for mites.

You're doing well on treatment, so keep doing what you're doing.

Please post photos of your hen, the crust and bugs and her poop.
Thanks!

Disoriented and not being able to pick at her food, sounds like a neurological problem or could be dehydration.

I'd work on hydration. Get some sugar water into her (1tsp sugar per cup of water) or electrolytes. Gro-Gel is usually for shipped chicks, it's not a product I would give an older bird.

Amprolium treats Coccidiosis, you mention bloody poop - does she have any injury to her vent? When was she last wormed?

I'd offer her wet soupy feed, make sure she's eating and drinking well. If you need to, syringe fluids into her.

Vitamin therapy should be given. Give 400IU Vitamin E and 1/4 tablet B-Complex. You can find these vitamins in store like Walmart.

For the bugs/crusty material - it may be lice - either way, go to your feed store and get a Permethrin based poultry dust or spray and treat her. I like to use spray for housing/coop and dust for the birds. Put the dust in a sock and use it like a powder puff to tap onto the bird, work the powder through the feathers all the way down to the skin.

Thank you! I've uploaded some photos.

She is drinking quite a bit, but I will add some sugar to her water. Yesterday she was eating but today has not been, I will have to syringe her food.

No I do not see an injury to her vent. I don't de-worm my hens so I'm not sure she has ever been de-wormed. Could worms be causing this?

Going to get her vitamins now!

 

[KiloMae]

thanks for your reply. she did drink quite a bit yesterday and now is not moving but I will make sure she gets more hydration



Thank you! I've uploaded some photos.

She is drinking quite a bit, but I will add some sugar to her water. Yesterday she was eating but today has not been, I will have to syringe her food.

No I do not see an injury to her vent. I don't de-worm my hens so I'm not sure she has ever been de-wormed. Could worms be causing this?

Going to get her vitamins now!

Please post photos of your hen, the crust and bugs and her poop.
Thanks!

Disoriented and not being able to pick at her food, sounds like a neurological problem or could be dehydration.

I'd work on hydration. Get some sugar water into her (1tsp sugar per cup of water) or electrolytes. Gro-Gel is usually for shipped chicks, it's not a product I would give an older bird.

Amprolium treats Coccidiosis, you mention bloody poop - does she have any injury to her vent? When was she last wormed?

I'd offer her wet soupy feed, make sure she's eating and drinking well. If you need to, syringe fluids into her.

Vitamin therapy should be given. Give 400IU Vitamin E and 1/4 tablet B-Complex. You can find these vitamins in store like Walmart.

For the bugs/crusty material - it may be lice - either way, go to your feed store and get a Permethrin based poultry dust or spray and treat her. I like to use spray for housing/coop and dust for the birds. Put the dust in a sock and use it like a powder puff to tap onto the bird, work the powder through the feathers all the way down to the skin.

I looked more into worms & im thinking this could maybe be a worm issue. Is there any risk in giving a weak, sick chicken de-wormer? I don’t want to unintentionally make her worse

 

[Wyorp Rock]

thank you for your input! I'll post photos. My understanding of wry neck is that it's more of a symptom than an actual cause of illness, is that right?

She is drinking quite a bit, but I will add some sugar to her water. Yesterday she was eating but today has not been, I will have to syringe her food.

Check to make sure her crop is emptying overnight. If it's not, then address that symptom.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Can she see well? Sometimes feathers needs to be trimmed away from the eyes.

Wry Neck is the name of a neurological symptom - some common causes are Marek's Disease, vitamin deficiency, injury/trauma and sometimes genetics.