SUDDENLY LETHARGIC YOUNG SILKIE - ANTIBIOTIC QUESTION....HELP!!!

[O.C.Chick]

Hope someone might be able to help offer any suggestion on my 16 week old silkie that suddenly started acting sick...She's acting almost as if she is broody, but is MUCH too young.

I Let her out of the coop at noon today and she was fine, and 1.5 hours later she was nesting in a random area away from her other three cohorts...Very unusual behavior..They are usually inseparable! Anyway, she had been super healthy and energetic up until this. I am baffled...Here's what's going on:

- She won't eat her favorite fresh sweet corn, so I gave her some fresh carrot juice with pro-biotics mixed in.
- She has NO energy and looks as if she keeps falling asleep.
- Her eyes and nose are clear, no sign of respiratory problems
- Poop was normal up until now...Tried to watch for new poop for me to look at under a microscope, I haven't seen her go...God forbid she poops when you want her to!
- No chance of poisoning...My garden is totally organic (for the last 10 years!) and has NO poisonous plants. There's literally no way she could have been injured and nothing she could have gotten into, unless she got stung by a spider or a bee or something.

I am just watching and observing, but my plan "B" is to give her some Minocycline mixed with carrot juice if she gets worse later tonight.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF ANYONE HAS ANY THOUGHTS ON ANYTHING THAT COULD BE WRONG OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT I MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO!!!

THANK YOU!!!

Alys

 

[Barnyard]

I would not start her on anything other than maybe vitamins and electrolytes...... It is very possible that she is broody. Watch her when it gets "bedtime". IF she does not roost with the other's..... I would be willing to bet she is broody!! Goodluck and keep us posted.



Edited to add: I had a silkie that was about that age....never laid an egg and went broody.... so it is possible!

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

do you ever put the carrot juice in with dry crumbles?
making a wet mash and adding some yoguart
thus would give her probiotic help
\\

 

[O.C.Chick]

Thanks, both of you, for the quick input!!!

No, she's definitely acting sick...She is only 4 months...too young for a silkie to be broody - That was actually my first question to the breeder I got her from when I called this afternoon...She said "no way" even though that's pretty much how she's acting. And, she's a typical silkie...She never roosts, just sleeps on the ground in a pile with the others! Boy wouldn't it be a walcome surprise if she does lay an egg though!

I like the idea of mixing the mash with the carrot juice to give her more energy. I think the carrot juice has a lot of electrolites in it, so will try that.

So, do either of you think I should start her on antibiotics if I don't see some improvement by tonight or tomorrow? I want to give the natural probiotics a chance to kick in, but I'm afraid she's declining and that by morning might be too late. I'm torn, because I don't want to mother her to death, but I don't want to hold back if that might help, either!

 

[Barnyard]

The only thing about starting antibotic is ...... You don't know what to treat her for. I would wait if it was me. You said she was not showing any other signs of sickness..... I would still lean towards being broody....


ETA: Trust me..... it is possible that she is broody.

 

[O.C.Chick]

Barnyard, just saw your p.s.! Wow, let's hope that's what it is!!! Thanks for that encouraging info

 

[Barnyard]

O.C.Chick :

Barnyard, just saw your p.s.! Wow, let's hope that's what it is!!! Thanks for that encouraging info

You are welcome.... I would watch her and see how she does. She was eating earlier right? If she is broody she may only get up 1 time to take care if business, eat a little and drink..... then it is right back to the nest, hole, or what ever it is she decides to sit in, lol. I have a broody silkie that is nesting in a hole at the door of the coop...​

 

[Boyd]

I've used Terramycin in the water before, but before giving antibiotics, I would try what the others have suggested first. I always use those as a last resort..... gatoraide pedialite or homemade electrolyte remedies and check her feed to make sure she didn't eat something mouldy.

 

[O.C.Chick]

Thank you all so much!!! Yes, I will resist my temptation to over-mother and keep an eye on her to see how she progresses. Will stick with natural probiotics and electrolytes.

P.S.. Barnyard, Thanks so much for the info and I'm sorry I'm such a bad reader or I would've gotten your point the first time!!!

WISH ME LUCK AND SAY A TINY CHICKEN PRAYER FOR MY BABY!

Take care, everyone. I'm going to check on her now...

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

here is advise as she is a silkie
silkies get a nervous disorder more than other chickens
do this before giving antibiotics



But I think as she is a silkie she needs the
VitE and VitB complex in the wet mash immediately
you could give it the Vit E and Vit B complex she needs neurolodigal vit E and Vit B complex for nervous disorder


(1 in the chickens water put the apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp ACV to pt of water

Do this till after the chicken is better. Should be able to put the ACV water in a small waterer for the chicken put 1 tbsp to pint of water for the chicken
or if she is left with others put 1 tbsp of ACV to 2 qts of watwer

(2 immediately give the chicken 1000 mg capsule of liquid Vit E by cutting the end of the capsule and taking the vit E capsule and let the oil run into the chicks beak

(3 also need to crush a vit B complex pill in a tbsp and put it into a tsp of water and put it in their beaks after it is disolved

(3-B Do both Vit's twice today then for 7 days till you see some improvement in the chicken

then give twice a week for two weeks should see much improvement

(4 I would do step 2 and 3 by giving her some of the wet mash
either with carrot juice and dry crumbles or the one I give here to build up her gut flora with the milk an yogurt

(4-B you can cut the tip off the vit E and put in wet mash
also crush the Vit B Complex in tabsp and put it in the wet mash to get her going now

(5 after today I would see if the chicken will eat a
natural probiotic wet mash
2 tsp of dry crumbles
4 tsp of milk sweet, sour or buttermilk
1 tbsp of non flavored yogurt
mix good and put the
vit E liquid as directed in the wet mash
and crumble the Vit B complex tablet in a tabsp and add to the wet mash

(6 Do this twice a day for 7 days to see if the chicken gets better
then do this once a day for another week then once a week for a while
this should give the nervous system some stability

(7 you can email by PM for more information and include this inf so I remember what is happening