What’s wrong with this chicken!?

[Ximena]

Hi, two days ago I noticed one of our silkies was walking with her but in the air and was really skinny. She was sleeping outside the coop and in the morning when I went to check on her I put in outside the coop and she couldn’t get back in to get food. When in took her inside to clean her off she was really hungers and thirsty. She’s not making any noise which conservative me because I separated her from her friend. Right know she’s in a bin in my basement where she seems to be eating and drinking. I just have no idea what’s wrong with her, she’s always been abit thin but she was fine a couple days ago.

*this is after I washed her but off, it was covered in green poop, I think it’s because of the ways she’s holding herself

 

[micstrachan]

Poor thing does not look well. How does her vent look up close? Is she laying and if so, when was her last egg? Does her abdomen (area below her vent and between her legs) feel swollen and squishy at all? Is her breathing fine? Does she get bullied away from food by other flock members?

 

[Little Chicken Girl]

Hello! Sorry to hear that your Silkie is under the weather. I am not an expert but I just have a few questions that might help narrow down a few possibilities:

What does her diet consist of?
When was the last time she was dewormed?
Is she at the bottom of the pecking order?
Do you know if she has been laying?
Does her vent smell abnormally icky/have and white discharge around it? (which might indicate vent gleet)
Could you post a pic of her droppings?

Sorry for all the questions! Just trying to help.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, hope you are enjoying BYC!
Sorry your girl is having trouble.

Sounds like possible egg binding, can be deadly fast. Within 48 hours it is a very urgent situation. Here is a link to look at, though I haven't reviewed for accuracy... it should give you a pretty good idea...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/egg-binding-symptoms-treatment-and-prevention.66978/

A symptom checker tool that might help you narrow thing down...
http://www.poultrydvm.com/symptoms

No reason a Silkie should EVER sleep outside the coop. They are easy prey.

She is quiet because she is ill. They will do everything they can to hide that they are in a weakened state because they are prey animals and as such are in serious danger if they are sensed as being week. It makes them an easy target.

Have you seen any regular poo aside from what was washed off? The other questions asked are good ones and will help to narrow down possibilities. Specifically what do you feed including treats and supplement? How many birds in how much space? Any recent changes to diet or additions to the flock?

You keep food in your coop? Do you use a light?

 

[Ximena]

I’m not sure exactly how old she is, Ive had her for about 4 months, neither her nor her silkie buddy that I got her with have started laying yet. Since she can’t get up the ramp at night I have to put her away every night, normally she sleeps at the bottom of the ramp but she used to sleep in the corner of the chicken yard (I still put her away every night). I do keep food in the coop. There is no light in there. We have 10 chickens, the newest one is an older hen we got about a month ago, she was a single chicken and the people who had her couldn’t keep her anymore. She is at the bottom of the pecking order, always a bit scared but she has another silke friend and I at least thought she was getting to the food. Her diet is mostly the mule city chicken food, they forage sometimes but there’s not much growing this time of year plus I recently saw a hawk so Im not letting them out much. For treats I give mostly rasins and oatmeal but she doesn’t really get any. Her vent looked fine to me, no discharge but I’ll get a close up.

 

[Ximena]

Her poop is still green which seems kind of weird to me

 

[alexa009]

She could very well be egg-bound. You should try soaking her in warm water with epsom salts.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you take a fresh sample of poop to your vet for a fecal float?

She does look unwell - you may want to place her where it's warm and provide her with her own food/water. Add some poultry vitamins to her water if you have them. See if she will eat for you after she is drinking. You can offer her normal feed along with a little chopped egg to entice her.

Feel her abdomen for any bloat/swelling or feeling of fluid this may help you determine if she is having a reproductive/internal laying problem. You may also want to give her a soak in a warm epsom salts bath or alternatively place her in a steamed up bathroom on a heating pad to see if that gives her any comfort. If she is pooping, then she doesn't have an egg stuck in the lower part of the oviduct - it's possible there could be one higher up that is giving some problems. Give her a crushed tums or crushed calcium carbonate for Calcium (I find they will take this on scrambled or hard boiled eggs).

Not being able to go into the coop on her own is concerning - can she see well? You may need to trim a bit of the fluff from around her eyes to help her out. It's possible since she is with large fowl, then she might be picked on or kept from food/water and be experiencing some bullying. Silkies have vaulted skulls, so a sharp peck to the head can cause serious injury.

Hopefully by giving her extra supportive care, getting her hydrated and eating, she will start to improve. Please keep us posted.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

mule city chicken food

When I have a mix of personalities, I provide extra feeding locations. Though that probably isn't the issue. Most I've seen still manage to run around any bullies and eat on the run or wait until the coast is clear.

That feed is missing some key points on it's guaranteed analysis. Maybe it isn't required by law so they don't include it. But it's kind of important to know how much calcium is in it. Which feed are you using? Starter, layer, natural layer?

When I suggested egg binding for some reason I thought I had seen she was laying already. That doesn't change that it still could be. First eggs could be double yolkers or more and too large to pass. There can be hiccups as the reproductive system gets up and running. If she isn't familiar with the lay boxes yet, then she wouldn't be staying in there trying to lay as some egg bound ladies do. When I put green poo, reduced vocalizations, and abnormal body posture into that symptom checker... there were a few things that popped up. The ones that stand out most as possibilities are egg binding or diet. And I've never YET seen diet cause a weird stance. Only other thing I could think would be blockage of some sort in the intestines or gizzard/crop.

Some of my Silkies also don't make it up the ramp and require help to bed every night. We consider them special needs! My hubby isn't fond of it since we have to be home at roost which is every sunset. It's a real drag especially when winter days are so short stops us from being able to make trips to city as easily.

Just yesterday a hawk flew into a tree nearby and stayed from 1 pm all the way past dusk.

Agree with Wyorp that hydration is KEY. And note that my assessment is based on the fact that I'm thinking of the green feces that makes it out as runny or liquid and not as a solid. I also agree with wyorp that if it is normal consistency that may not be binding close to vent. The calcium suggested is about supporting the muscles she is going to use to pass the egg and not about trying to harden a soft shell.

If the feces is indeed liquid, I would consider adding electrolytes to the water. Simple recipe is... 2 cups warm water, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and baking soda. Stir until dissolved and serve full strength. Vitamins are a bonus. And scrambled eggs are loaded with nutrients in addition to being easy to digest.

Yes, I have tried trimming my fluffy crest which made it poof much worse (turns out the cheeks are part of they issue), though it did allow some daylight through and we saw some improvement in her abilities. Now we are waiting for it to grow back out, which interestingly it is and I thought feathers would only grow back before molt of they were pulled out all they way. We are gonna try a hair band instead. But even some of my girls who do see well don't make it to roost alone. This is probably something that we created with them being creatures of habit, why change what they are used to (in their perspective).

 

[Ximena]

Thanks, I’ll try the eggs, her poo definitely isn’t watery

I checked her vent no discharge
However she does seem a bit short of breath, I can hear it when she breaths out
Here’s a video, it’s not great but you can sorta hear it

her tail moves when she breathes

also, she seems really unbalanced and just lethargic in general