Silkie thread!

[Sonoran Silkies]

I'm having a hard time between being fluffed up because it is cold outside or fluffed up because they're sick. how do I tell the difference, ya know?? THe other silkies appear fluffed and sleep outside, which could be normal or could be not. how do I know, ya know??

Look at their behavior. Are they active and alert? Or sit morosely alone without much movement?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I have some tetracycline, should I give it to them as a precaution?

Y E S !!!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

That is the thing, my friend's birds are acting 100% fine. I was wondering that though if they could carry something but be immune. The silkies are about 20 weeks maybe. the other chickens which are LF were hatched in march.

Were they vaccinated for anything? And if so, what vaccines, and more specifically, were they live or killed vaccines, both of which can be contagious as they shed the virus for a period of time after vaccination.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

besides mereks what else could it be for a disease that they could be carrying but don't show symptoms? Also, Would they start to show symptoms in about a weeks time of being exposed?

It depends. The amount of time from exposure to displaying symptoms can vary dramatically...from a few hours to a month or more.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

get some electrolytes in them and probiotics. If their poop is normal looking I wouldn't go deworming them because it will mess with their digestive tract. Give them some sugar or unpasteurized apple cider vinegar in their water, and as soon as possible go get some electrolytes at the feed store. This is only for the meantime until you can get someone out to check on them. It is usually free to have them tested.

Use pedialyte or gatorade. Most chickens turn their beaks up at poultry electrolytes, but willl eagerly drink pedialyte or gatorade.

 

[1chicken fan]

I wanted to share some recent pictures of my little Mia.
This year was my first year hatching silkie chicks, and I only hatched a few for fun.
Mia is the only one I kept from the Spring and Summer hatches.

She was a cute chick!



For a few months there, she was looking so weird!
She looked self blue for the first few months, then she started developing a few splash spots.
Took her away to feather out good too.

Then all of a sudden, here 7 months old, she's look so pretty!

So happy to have a silkie from my own breeding in my little collection/flock!

Oh she is very nice

 

[Kim95037]

Antibiotics do NOTHING for virus caused illnesses; they are effective ONLY against bacteria!

This is true, however my avian vet told me that a lot of times its the secondary stuff that takes them out when they are sick. My chicks had infectious bronchitis, which is a virus but she still went me home with some Baytril. The electrolytes are a big help as well. Check this article out on Oxine. I think this is what helped save my Russian Orloff. I lost 6 baby chicks to IB and I actually did what this guy did with his duck. Im not saying this is what you should do, but I think it made the difference for my baby chick. It was a long haul, it took about 3 weeks to bring him out of it, but he made it. A chicken can be a carrier of IB but not show ANY symptoms. My older chickens just got done recovering from it. All of my baby chicks were healthy so I thought everything was fine, but then all of my older chickens got sick, so my vet and I are pretty sure that they got it from my little guys, even tho the little guys were all better. The good news is once they get it they are immune, but the bad is that they will remain carriers for the rest of thier lives.

http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/oxine.htm

 

[1chicken fan]

I'm having a hard time between being fluffed up because it is cold outside or fluffed up because they're sick. how do I tell the difference, ya know?? THe other silkies appear fluffed and sleep outside, which could be normal or could be not. how do I know, ya know??

You are doing great since we keep chickens and are not vets we do the best we can. From what I am learning birds are so much more suseptable to illness than many other species. I figure if I can keep chickens alive I can keep anything alive! Good luck.

 

[sheeshshe]

I had a thought. If Marek's takes 4-12 weeks to incubate, I got my flock of silkies Sept 1st or a couple of days before. That could potentially line up with this, right? If they started wasting 2 weeks ago? I started noticing the first silkie start acting funny about 2ish weeks ago, at first I thought it was just fluffing up because it was cold outside. I'm going to email the gal I got them from and see if she's experiencing any issues as well.

UPDATE on that, she hasn't had anyone sick or any that died on her. so it can't be that.

 

[sheeshshe]

Upon further examination, the silkie and the LF chicken neither has anythign weird going on with their eyes. they look good. neither are sneezing or anything. they both look good, I don't see mites or lice on either of them. the LF one does have some pecking on her back above her tail feathers, but that could be from Queen who mounts the chickens. I don't know.

The silkie has an empty crop. The one that just died also always had an empty crop, and got thin. this silikie is also getting thin and apparently isn't eating. would worms cause this?? I'm grasping at straws here. I'll be heading to the feed store this morning and I just am not sure what to get them.