Skinny sick silkies

[wooklet]

Hi, I posted a couple of days ago about my sick silky but no one replied! I am worried sick about them and would really appreciate some feedback. 6 month old silkie very thin - breastbone feels sharp, I have wormed her, given her a broad spectrum anti biotic, and give her extra feed in the morning. She is eating but I notice it seems to be less and less. I have been giving her as extra hot mash with honey and cat food. She seems thirsty. Her vent was very dirty, but seems to have settled down now and her droppings look normal. With all the extra feeding she has not put on any weight, and now I have heard that her sister who I gave to a friend went the same way and died this morning. The other 4 seem o.k. but I would hate to loose them all. Anyone out there,please, who can help or suggest anything? It has been very,very cold and wet here lately(I am in Australia), and I have been fighting a loosing battle with keeping the pens as dry as I would like. Oh, she also looks a bit"hunched".

 

[wooklet]

No Ideas out there, PLEASE???

 

[posey]

Hi I'm not sure how much help this will be for you but I am trying.

1st, can you bring the sick chick into the house? Place her in a large storage tub with dry bedding, water and feed and maybe a lamp.

2nd, the cat food is high in protein which is good. You can also make her a mash with hard boiled egg yolk mixed with the canned cat food and some of her feed. Add some water or apple sauce to it to get a good consistency. If you can add baby liquid vitamins that DO NOT HAVE IRON in them it helps to give them a nutritional boost.

3rd, To the drinking water you could add 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to 1 gal of water (not sure about the metric conversion - perhaps you could figure that out.) Another option would be to add 1 drop (only 1 drop) of oregano essential oil to 1 quart of water. Oregano is a powerful natural antibiotic and I have used it very successfully with my chickens (we take it too when we are sick.) Try to get theraputic grade or medicinal grade essential oil. Culinary grade doesn't have the same benefits.

4th, if she stops eating you may have to force feed her with a dropper of just dip her beak into a runny mash. I had to do this with a silkie of mine who had 3 things going on at once (she went broody for the first time and stopped eating and drinking, it was 104 degrees here and she needed the water and nurishment, then rogue dogs broke into our property and scared her, chased her into chest high brush and we couldn't find her for 36 hours. She was so thin and couldn't walk when I did find her.) I thought we would loose her for sure but that was 2 months ago and she is still with us. I do have her in the house and she is still very thin but has improved greatly. She eats and drinks on her own now and moves around in the storage tub. She is still weak and can't walk normally but she is shuffling around and that is big progress. Each week she gets better and better. It's just a really long process getting her built back up. Much longer than I wish but I just need to be consistent and patient.

What wormer did you use? Does it just kill the adults or does it take out the eggs and young as well?

I know that this is hard, I've lost precious ones too.
Hang in there and let me know how they are doing and you too.
Blessings,
Posey

 

[wooklet]

thank you so much, I really appreciate the reply.The little pullets sister seems to have lost a lot of weight too so i am treating them both together. I have followed your advice, and they both ate a mixture of boiled egg yolk,grated apple, dog food and rolled oats as if there was no other meal forthcoming, so there is nothing wrong with their appetites at this stage. I have taken ALL the chickens out of that pen, raked out all the straw and will leave it now for 24 hours to dry out and then put fresh shavings in instead of the straw, I have also dusted the pen for lice etc., and tomorrow will spray with disinfectant, in case it is something contagious. We live in the country, so on Monday I will go into town and get the Oregano oil and some apple cider vinegar for them. I have them in a large dog crate in the sun at the moment - as I said it is winter here, and tonight when it gets colder they will go into the spare room in storage bins with a small 25watt light on them. Does that sound o.k.? For the wormer it is called Nilverm, it is a pig and poultry wormer and it kills round, caecal and Hairworms. It dfoesn't say anywhere what exactly it kills eggs or worms, but I can give you the active ingredient which is levamisole. There is also what looks like a slight tinge of blood in their droppings, so maybe I should suspect Cocci? I have put Baycox in their water.
I just love my chickens, especially those two, they have a beautiful nature and their red colouring is stunning, a really rich red, if I lost them I would be devastated, but know that sometimes no matter what you do they can't be saved. I'll certainly keep you posted, and really appreciate you help and kind reply. Thank you.

 

[Elite Silkies]

Have you checked them for mites? Check around their eyes and vent really good. Those mites can kill fast and they are hard to see sometimes. You can also use Ivomec pour on for cattle. It treats worms and mites. I would dust them really well.

If it is really cold and wet, then I would advise a heat lamp in their coop. I always give my silkies heat lamps in the winter. I give my LF heat lamps too. I just can't bare the thought that they are cold and miserable.

But, JMO I think when a Silkie gets wet, it takes much longer for them to dry than regular fowl feathering. So, they could get really chilled if they are get wet.

I would recommend Tylan50 for the antibiotic to use. But, you only want to use an antibiotic if one is needed. If they have blood in their fecal matter, then I would recommend using Corrid, if you suspect Cocci.

 

[wooklet]

Thanks - do I spray on the Ivomec or give it to them in their water? I can't see any mites but that doesn't mean they are not there, especially with MY eyesight! - the heat lamp is a brilliant idea. I have one sitting there doing nothing and will buy a bulb for it tomorrow. I t really has been wet,cold and frosty here,poured with rain for 3 days non stop. I have treated them for Cocci now , don't think I can do much more now except wait and see?I'll let you all know how they are going.

Your help much appreciated.

I just had a look at your website. Oh, I ADORE all your silkies, I am aspiring to have birds similar to yours one day!

 

[Elite Silkies]

Quote:
OH, thank you very much. I'm very proud of them.

On the Ivomec, you'll get a 20 guage needle and syringe. You place about 4 drops for Bantams. Sonoran places her's on the wingwebs. Very easy to find a place under there with no feathers. So, I am going to start putting it there also. Do not let it get on the feathers or it will not work. You have to make sure it contacts the skin.

Heat lamps have been a life saver around here in the winter time.

Hope they get better, keep us updated.

 

[wooklet]

I don't know if you are still following this thread, but here goes!

The 2 girls are still light but I have a set of digital scales and they have BOTH put on weight, so I am really pleased about that. Their droppings are good but still a tinge of pink first thing in the morning. They are living in an old rabbit hutch that I set up as a broody box, it has lights in the sleeping quarters, so they are nice and snuggly at night. I'm just so glad I caught it as I think in a few more days I would have lost them. It is still wait and see, but things are certainly looking more hopeful!

 

[Elite Silkies]

So good to hear they are doing better, keep up the good work.

 

[posey]

This is wonderful news, keep us posted
Posey