Suddenly Sick 4-month old Silkie

[SilkieMamaSarah]

Hello, I am a first year silkie Mom and I have a terribly sick chick. She had no signs or symptoms until Monday afternoon I found her laying down in the straw. I picked her up and her head was drooping, eyes shut, could not balance, her mouth was also full of crumbles. I pulled the crumbles out of her mouth, figuring she was unable to swallow them. Then I immediately brought her inside and her mouth was wide open, I could tell she was having trouble breathing. Our local Avian vet got us in within the hour. Our chick Lucy was on oxygen for an hour and a half, received a shot of Lasics , and an antibiotic shot of Doxycycline. We continued to give her 0.1ml of doxy through a syringe every 4 hours. Yesterday, she was able to balance, had her beak shut (no more issues breathing), was drinking and even eating small amounts of food. This morning, she took a turn for the worse and we are right back at the beginning. I just gave her a small dose of nutri-drench and she is laying down, resting comfortably. I don’t want to lose her, is there anything else I can do? All advice is so much appreciated.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your silkie. I would try to get her drinking water. The NutriDrench can be given 1 ml daily for about 5 days without side effecfs of diarrhea. Since your vet gave her the diuretic, Lasix, she might be dehydrated now. It may take some time to figure out what has caused her illness. Did the vet do any fecal float to look for coccidiosis or worms? At 4 months, she would be at the age that Mareks might show up, but hopefully it is something less serious. Was she vaccinated for Mareks? Is her neck still held down or can she lift it up? Is she passing droppings, and what do they look like? How does her crop feel—empty, full, hard, or puffy? You could get some aquarium air tubing from Walmart, and a large 35 ml syringe, and learn how to tube feed her water and thin liquids, if you are interested. Here is a good thread about tube feeding:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/go-team-tube-feeding-updated-12-29-2019.805728/

 

[SilkieMamaSarah]

Thank you kindly for responding so quickly. I do not think the vet checked for worms or coccidiosis, but I am unsure. She was not vaccinated for Mareks. My other two (her siblings) are both healthy and not showing any signs or symptoms. I also contacted whom I got her from and she has never heard of anything like this nor has issues with her chicks. Her neck has been down all day and she cannot hold it up. Her droppings are often and white mixed with grass green colors. Her crop is a bit hard.

 

[Eggcessive]

The crop should not be full and hard if she hasn’t been eating anything. Sometimes they can get an impaction from eating grasses or bedding. I would try getting her to drink water, and you can try massaging her crop in a downward motion. Also make sure that it is the crop that you are feeling, compared to the others. If her head is weak, that may be the dehydration or illness, but if she cannot lift her head, that can be wry neck, a neurolgical symptom. Vitamin E can help with that. The Poultry NutriDrench has some, but she can have a 400 IU softgel daily if she cannot lift her head.

 

[SilkieMamaSarah]

The crop should not be full and hard if she hasn’t been eating anything. Sometimes they can get an impaction from eating grasses or bedding. I would try getting her to drink water, and you can try massaging her crop in a downward motion. Also make sure that it is the crop that you are feeling, compared to the others. If her head is weak, that may be the dehydration or illness, but if she cannot lift her head, that can be wry neck, a neurolgical symptom. Vitamin E can help with that. The Poultry NutriDrench has some, but she can have a 400 IU softgel daily if she cannot lift her head.

Thank you. She just drank a few sips of water and she is still talking to me when I say her name. Her eyes are still shut though. I mixed some of the NutriDrench into her water. This is similar to how she was when I found her, but then yesterday she was doing much better , holding her head up and standing. Then downhill again. I will continue to try my best to help her. Thank you again.

 

[SilkieMamaSarah]

The crop should not be full and hard if she hasn’t been eating anything. Sometimes they can get an impaction from eating grasses or bedding. I would try getting her to drink water, and you can try massaging her crop in a downward motion. Also make sure that it is the crop that you are feeling, compared to the others. If her head is weak, that may be the dehydration or illness, but if she cannot lift her head, that can be wry neck, a neurolgical symptom. Vitamin E can help with that. The Poultry NutriDrench has some, but she can have a 400 IU softgel daily if she cannot lift her head.

I was just reading about Mareks and she has every symptom.