Wasting Silkies

[casportpony]

Do you have a digital kitchen scale? Are you able to get one? They have them at WalMart for fairly cheap and it would really help you with this question.

When I have a bird that is wasting, the keel bone will start to stick out and there are hollows on either side of it. The skin seems loose on these birds as well. Their gait tends to be slower and more deliberate when walking and will start avoiding the roost and instead keep to the floor. They start to become lethargic and show no desire to eat or drink after a while.

I'm not there so I can't see how your birds are doing on a daily basis but I'm not seeing anything in the pictures to make me think it could be one of the nasties that are the usual culpirts with this symptom. Usually they start to look dull and scruffy. Let me ask this...have you actually seen this bird at the feeder? Does it get pushed away because of pecking order? You'll have to stand and watch for a bit to see. It really may be that simple. Here's what I would do first, I would get a small bag of a game bird or a show bird feed and mix it into their regular food. This will have a higher protien % and also some extra 'fats' that will help with any weight loss that could be due to lack of feeder time. I'd try to get one of the scales as well. If you have it, believe me, you'll use it. Eventually you'll wonder how you did without it, lol.

I wish more people would get baseline weights on their birds.

 

[Haunted55]

I wish more people would get baseline weights on their birds.

I'm as guilty Casportpony, hiding my head in shame, I have it and use it for the hatching eggs, but forget when it comes to the full grown ones sometimes. I am trying to really make the effort to do so, especially with what is going on here.

 

[casportpony]

I'm as guilty Casportpony, hiding my head in shame, I have it and use it for the hatching eggs, but forget when it comes to the full grown ones sometimes. I am trying to really make the effort to do so, especially with what is going on here.

Just want to be clear, I'm not suggesting that everyone weigh *all* of their birds, that would be nuts! I just think everyone should have a scale and that whenever a bird looks off, weigh it. Since I have had issues with histomoniasis, I do have a baseline weight on all 14 of my peafowl and my 6 turkeys.

 

[sheeshshe]

I have a scale. I;ll go ahead and weigh her. She eats, i saw her eating the chick food yesterday. she does't' have a messy bum. just the rooster does. she is a tiny one. she is just very small. much smaller than my other girl. she laid her first egg the other day but hasn't laid one since. she's out in the run where I can see her now. some of the snow has melted and I shoveled it out enough so they can at least get outside a bit now. it isn't a big space, just enough to hop out and look around really. she's been out. she doesn't sit around, she's pecking at the ground etc. when I had one that died before, she just sat there and looked fluffed. I knew something was off with her, that was the one who kept getting cocci over and over. I should have quarantined some chicks that I brought in last year, they brought the cocci and it all started from there I don't see any signs of cocci now though.

I'll go ahead and try weighing her, but I don't know what her baseline is and she is quite petite. But, I can at least see if she's losing weight further.

 

[Haunted55]

Excellent! That's all you can do.

 

[casportpony]

I have a scale. I;ll go ahead and weigh her. She eats, i saw her eating the chick food yesterday. she does't' have a messy bum. just the rooster does. she is a tiny one. she is just very small. much smaller than my other girl. she laid her first egg the other day but hasn't laid one since. she's out in the run where I can see her now. some of the snow has melted and I shoveled it out enough so they can at least get outside a bit now. it isn't a big space, just enough to hop out and look around really. she's been out. she doesn't sit around, she's pecking at the ground etc. when I had one that died before, she just sat there and looked fluffed. I knew something was off with her, that was the one who kept getting cocci over and over. I should have quarantined some chicks that I brought in last year, they brought the cocci and it all started from there I don't see any signs of cocci now though.

I'll go ahead and try weighing her, but I don't know what her baseline is and she is quite petite. But, I can at least see if she's losing weight further.

For me, the baseline is the first time I weigh them.

 

[sheeshshe]

Ok, so Lucia is running around outside and acting great. she doesn't act ill at all. My rooster though, the one from the same batch that my other 2 came from, is acting sick. He's just sitting there in the run not moving. just sitting there acting sick. why would only the ones I got from that lady last sept be getting sick and dying?? why aren't any of the others affected??

 

[casportpony]

Ok, so Lucia is running around outside and acting great. she doesn't act ill at all. My rooster though, the one from the same batch that my other 2 came from, is acting sick. He's just sitting there in the run not moving. just sitting there acting sick. why would only the ones I got from that lady last sept be getting sick and dying?? why aren't any of the others affected??

Disease or parasites.

 

[sheeshshe]

but I've had them since Sept.. wouldn't the other ones catch it by now? why only them? ya know? just doesn't make sense to me. Help me make it make sense please?

 

[casportpony]

They could have tapeworms, Safeguard doesn't get tapes. They could have mites/lice. If it's a disease like Marek's, some birds just seem more resistant than others.