silkie troubles

[palindrome_7]

Hi there,

This week my silkies were totally fine, and now they are both dead. One dropped down out of the blue yesterday, and this morning I found the other one dead. They have been so healthy, so idk what's going on. The only thing I did differently was added a little ACV to their water and gave them cottage cheese. After that they started laying for the first time. My husband thinks we kept the heat lamp on for too long and they got egg bound, but idk. Any tips?

Thanks!

Hannah

 

[Cecisflock]

Heat lamps in coops can be really dangerous.

 

[Isadora]

With the absence of symptoms or a necropsy, we can only speculate. I don't see how the heat lamp would have had anything to do with it, though.

 

[Cecisflock]

With the absence of symptoms or a necropsy, we can only speculate. I don't see how the heat lamp would have had anything to do with it, though.

I agree, just something to think about. They could have gone into shock.

 

[MadamContrary]

Sudden deaths are a good time to contact you local agricultural extension to have the corpses tested for things like bird flu. In North Carolina they have had some H5N1 cases popping up in ducks. Waterfowl carry and spread it without getting sick. Sudden deaths can be caused by multiple things, but multiple sudden deaths usually indicate communicable disease. Did you notice any changes in behavior, like just standing around instead of pecking and scratching? Decrease in appetite? Was the cottage cheese just a treat or did you offer because they were eating less?

 

[stargirl]

Bird flu is a good shout.
It seems unlikely that they’d both be fatally egg-bound at the same time tbh. Normally an egg bound hen rumbles on for a few days with symptoms that you would definitely spot.

 

[palindrome_7]

Sudden deaths are a good time to contact you local agricultural extension to have the corpses tested for things like bird flu. In North Carolina they have had some H5N1 cases popping up in ducks. Waterfowl carry and spread it without getting sick. Sudden deaths can be caused by multiple things, but multiple sudden deaths usually indicate communicable disease. Did you notice any changes in behavior, like just standing around instead of pecking and scratching? Decrease in appetite? Was the cottage cheese just a treat or did you offer because they were eating less?

it was just a treat, didn't seem like they were eating any less.

 

[palindrome_7]

Bird flu is a good shout.
It seems unlikely that they’d both be fatally egg-bound at the same time tbh. Normally an egg bound hen rumbles on for a few days with symptoms that you would definitely spot.

Would you treat the remaining chicken with any antibiotic or just give it time? She seems fine so far

 

[stargirl]

Would you treat the remaining chicken with any antibiotic or just give it time? She seems fine so far

I’d give her time and keep her in the coop and run. Bird flu is a virus, so it wouldn’t respond to antibiotic anyway, if that is the cause. It’s a big if though without any confirmation, but them dying so close together definitely is suspicious of something pathogenic (bacteria, virus) or environmental (eating something poisonous or similar).

Just like in humans, some birds are more susceptible to a virus than others. It’s a little like your remaining girl has been living with two covid-positive housemates - right now she should self isolate, practice self care and see if symptoms develop.

It’s a tricky position because if you *do* seek testing for bird flu and it’s confirmed your remaining bird will most likely be destroyed too. That is, if you disclose that you have her…

It’s mainly spread by wild birds, so if your girls have access to an outside area where wild birds might be stealing food or perching and pooping on the ground, it’s definitely possible.

It’s also zoonotic, meaning it can, very occasionally, be spread to humans, so practice extra good hygiene around the coop and the remaining hen.

All of the above is theoretical, so here’s something concrete: if it were me I would thoroughly clean out the coop and run with a poultry-safe disinfectant (Virenza by Johnsons, or similar) and cover the roof of the run with whatever you have to hand (spare bits of wood, roof tiles, a tarp with rocks, etc) to stop any wild bird droppings getting in.

Do a really good sweep around for anything they might have been pecking at that could have poisoned them - a rat that had eaten rat poison will run away and die elsewhere, for example, so it might not necessarily be anything you personally have put down.

Birds always hide their sickness until it’s serious - it’s a pray instinct thing. Sometimes they’ll even pretend to eat! One of the best ways to monitor a bird you’re worried about is to weigh them daily (or thereabouts) at around the same time each day. Daily fluctuations are normal but if you see a steady downward trend over a week or more it’s usually a sign that something is amiss and you can seek more help from there.

Good luck! Most of all, I hope you’re not blaming yourself for this happening. It’s so sad and rotten luck but I promise you there are many people out there taking far less care of their birds, and the resilient things are still hanging on. This was a freak occurrence, whatever happened.

 

[Eggcessive]

Hi there,

This week my silkies were totally fine, and now they are both dead. One dropped down out of the blue yesterday, and this morning I found the other one dead. They have been so healthy, so idk what's going on. The only thing I did differently was added a little ACV to their water and gave them cottage cheese. After that they started laying for the first time. My husband thinks we kept the heat lamp on for too long and they got egg bound, but idk. Any tips?

Thanks!

Hannah

What is your location? Did you have a thermometer inside your coop to see what the temperature was? Do you have any ventilation inside the coop? Hard to know what killed 2 birds without a necropsy or knowing more details. Do have water available at all times? How cold were your temps?If you have a body, you may send or take it to your state vet for a necropsy.