Silkie

[CowgirlPenny]

I have some three week old d"uccles, three week old Ameracuanas and a 2.5 week old Silkie. My Silkie is still so small. It has some wing feathers finally, but it's so tiny. The three week old d'Uccles tower over it. It's trampled, often stepped on to get to the food better, squished in the corner at sleep time,etc. I did not expect it to be so small compared to the others. It looks like my Ameracuans did when they were 4 days old. I know with it being a bantam it will be small but....

so tonight I observed everyone running, playing,etc and little Silkie just sat there, with it's head slightly cocked watching me the entire time. It does not flee when I pick it up or anything. Several times the bigger ones ran right over it.

So I removed him/her. It was just too sad. I don't know if this is failure to thrive (it seems happy otherwise, makes a mess in it's food dish) but it sleeps a LOT. But it does not peep much (hardly ever) does not walk around a lot investigating things like the other chicks. It pretty much just drinks and sleeps. It's not afraid of hands at all, even when it was first hatched. So I don't know if it's sick or who knows! It's tush is always clean, so no issues there. When I first got it, it slept so much I thought it was sick and then it finally began to eat and drink. I brought it in and let my 9 year old keep it in a small brooder in her room. She's always begged to let them come in her room (but of course, there are usually too many in the brooder to stay quiet) I have barely ever heard this silkie make a sound so whether it suddenly grows and thrives, or dies in there...we'll see I guess.

It's hard when there are no obvious signs of distress, but you just KNOW something is a little off.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I would recommend two things:

bring another chick (maybe the smallest) to be with your silkie. They become terribly lonely.

and

If you put her back in with the others, supply a second food dish- even a pie pan- to allow the timid ones another food source.

 

[CowgirlPenny]

Problem is, my smallest ones are the d'Uccle and I believe all three are males. So they are already starting to spat, and be bossy to the other chicks. I've observed them on more than one occassion pecking at the Silkie's eyes and face. They get along well with the Ameracuana and SLW because they are huge, but they are kind of nippy to the Silkie.

Should I get a new chick to live with it?

You are right on the food dish. I had to raise the water to keep them from kicking bedding into it, and it was all he/she could do to climb up on the brick

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
If you are going to keep the silkie, honestly, it will be less stressful in the long run to put her back in there with a second food dish (unless she is being bloodied or otherwise really injured).

The larger they get the meaner they get to a newcomer. If she will be living with them when she grows up it is far better for her to be with them now.

I have noticed that silkies feather out more slowly and she is a bantam, so she will grow more slowly (at least it will appear that way).

Also, silkie chicks are so much more timid and calm (keep in mind I have read posts from others that say the opposite of what I am saying here, lol!). The other chicks tend to run circles around them. However, your little one seems to be especially small from your description, and not very active.

I'm afraid it is a judgement call. But no way would I keep her separated unless real damage was being done when I would have to integrate her back into the flock later (just my opinion).

Chicks do peck at each others' faces and eyes, but it shouldn't persist. And the one being pecked should not sustain injury. If injuries are occurring, separation is vital.

 

[Elite Silkies]

Just because I think they shouldn't be alone, I would get another chick to put with the silkie. Is the silkie growing at all? Sometimes, chicks just fail to thrive. I just lost my lav baby after 2 months. He never grew, stayed soooo small.

 

[CowgirlPenny]

If it was just the size issue, I would have left it. It's the general lack of mobility. When I first got it, I posted because it seemed unable to even walk. Finally a day later I saw it walk to the food dish. I had it living with a Porcelain up until yesterday. It still just seemed to sleep most of the day. Only moving to readjust when the Porcelain would run over it. It usually slept in or near the food dish.


Like today. I brought it in around 9pm est. I put it in a small brooder box under a regular lamp. It's nice and warm and I put a stuffed animal in. It's going on 3.5hrs and it has not moved ONCE. It just sleeps and sleeps. I even vacuumed! Surely this sleepy is not normal.

it pooped right there is laid. Did not even bother to get up to go poop and then lay back down. It just sat there and pooped. Luckily it was sitting a little elevated, so it did not get on it's bum.


I just don't know! I have so many of different ages (I still have to mesh my 13 week olds with my 9 week olds, then the three week olds with the oldest two groups one day) I hate the idea if more meet and greets, but I would feel awful if it was laying in the brooder dead one day because they trampled it.

 

[CowgirlPenny]

Quote:
Growing...a little. Yes. It has more wing feathers now but it's overall size has not changed too much.

 

[Elite Silkies]

That's how mine did. Got a little wing feathers, but never grew much in size. Do you have any pictures we can look at

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
Oh from your description she is just not healthy. Yes I would keep her separated. She might not make it in there.
I did have a runt silkie once. She never seemed to catch up after she had pasty butt that I had to keep cleaning off.

 

[CowgirlPenny]

Here is it. It should be three weeks old Monday. It's whole little body is just fluffy fuzz. When you push the fluff down, it's so tiny.

I got a video of me messing with it. I tried to make it stand several times and it just would not. The second I let go, it slumped back down

For comparison. Here is my then 9 day old Porcelain d"Uccle (which is also a bantam) at just 8 days old. They are almost the exact same size...except the Porcelain would actually stand in my hand, Silkie will not.