Silkie

[catchthewind]

I posted a thread about my Silkies a few weeks ago, because they were so different from my other chicks and I wondered if something was wrong. Mine just stood in one spot all day too, though would go eat and drink on their own. They were half the size of the d'Uccles, who are only a week older, and very slow to feather. They are now seven weeks old and much livelier, though still not as feisty as the other chicks. Howver, they are in with eleven ther chicks (mostly standards) and can hold their own now. I've also caught them going up and down the ramp in our run which apparently a lot of Silkies won't do.

hopefully yours is the same. I considered separating mine because I wanted to put he rest outside, but for reasons Chickensaresweet said, I didn't. They are the smallest and youngest and I'm already worried about integrating them with my other group of chicks. Having to reintegrate the Silkies with no other chicks to protect them would be a nightmare!

 

[drumstick diva]

Do you think she may have a hearing or sight problem - that could account for her not moving around much and also for appearing so calm.

 

[Elite Silkies]

Quote:
If they are getting more lively, then I wouldn't worry too much. The silkie looks healthy to me. They are a docile breed, esp. compared to other standard breeds I have raised. If all the silkies are relatively the same size, then I wouldn't think their is a failure to thrive issue at all.

 

[arockkid]

I have 10silkies that are about 8 weeks old....and one was just as you described....is still far tinier than the others...I would just watch and watch, sure each new day I'd find it dead.
Now, once they are outside, it is this little one that shows the others how to attack and eat worms and bugs (it'll eat 80% of them while the others just get little chunks that fly off). I am not sure we're out of the woods, but this one is definitely the SMARTEST chicken of the bunch and aside from size and feathering, pulled a total 180.

 

[CowgirlPenny]

Update: Well I spent all night making this Silkie wake up for water from a dropper and sitting it near the food, then the next water time moving it back to the stuffed animal. Repeated this most of the night and this morning I heard the distinctive pecking of it eating! Last night when I would try and give it water, it would take a drop then fall asleep in my hand and I'd have to wake it back up for another drop. This afternoon, I was able to hold it upright and it drank several drops in a row without hesitation. It's walking a little and peeping. I do wonder about it being deaf though, is that common? It does not seem to hear us coming. Only reacts when it can actually see you. When it was in the brooder with the others, and I would walk into the room they were in.... They would all stand up from their sleep alert and watch me to see if the big hands were coming. Silkie never did. TV, people, the vacuum...nothing seems to bother it.

Which brings me to my question:


I never ever saw this kind of movement from it when it was broodered with the others. I really believe because they are a good 3 inches taller than the Silkie, it's not able to get to food or water properly, and not able to sleep much because one of the other 9 is always walking on it, or sitting on it. It's like they don't even acknowledge it's alive.

Do I return it? I fear that it will end up like before. Very weak and sleepy even with a food and water dish at it's level. It just seemed to not even have the energy to try to drink or eat from the feeder/waterer in their brooder.

Do I keep it separate? Do I keep them separated BUT together? Like divide the brooder and put someone in there with it?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

*******hoping your silkie will start to be more active*********

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Im not real experienced with silkies but I gave my chicks poly vi sol without iron and it seemed to perk them up a bit. I gave each one a drop twice a day and put some in their water. I saw a difference in my hatchlings in 24 hours. They were more alert and even the tiniest one was more active and alert. Maybe your chick could benefit from it. Its worth a try.

 

[laseterlass]

Our directions said to use sugar water and keep it at about 100 degrees. I had one very lethargic and obviously smaller one out of the box. But after 3 days of making it drink every 10 minutes I can only find her by lifting them all up. She is obviously lighter than the others. Mine are not silkies, but I do remember as a child that silkie chicks had problems and that was back when they were not easy to find. We did have an excellent rooster and he did alot of the chick care. The hens were not the brightest bulbs. But King Tutt made up for them.