Wobbly Bantam

[Blondiechic]

Hello!

I am new to the site but have been looking about (lurking) for a bit.

I have a silkie (Fizz) and a half silkie/bantam (Shaggie) sharing an aviary and outside run together and they get on very well. Last night my half bantam was roosting up higher where she sleeps and she was being nosy trying to see what was going on in the garden and fell off her perch - she did it in slow motion and backwards. She had a snack whilst on the ground and got back up to resumer her sleeping

Today she is very unbalanced, she staggers when going forwards and seems happier to go backwards. If she goes forwards she tips over and a wing will come out (presumably for balance?). She is eating and drinking normally and her droppings appear normal.

I have put her in a cat traveller with hay and a towel over her with food and water and she seems quite happy there. Her legs don't appear to be broken, I have checked and her feet are seemingly normal...

Does anyone have any suggestions? I have written the recipe down your recommend with the yoghurt and will give her that this afternoon. My silkie Fizz, (the sweet thing she is) is sitting beside her and not being aggressive in anyway.

Like I said, Shaggie seems to be ok within herself personality wise...My husband says she probably needs rest. All the forums I have read say its very stressful for them to visit the vet - Shaggie isn't the most tame of all my girls either and I am sure would take exception. They also all say a 'normal' vet probably isn't knowledgeable enough - is this true?

Thank you for any help!


Christine

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

Your chicken could have a slight case marek's disease. How old are your chickens? Usually it doesn't occur when they are over 1 or 2 years.

 

[Blondiechic]

Hello! What IS that disease exactly? I looked it up on the net as its mentioned a few times on the site but I am clearly being dim as I still dont understand it - would it make her fall off her perch? Literally?! She is currently sitting happily, but sitting backwards, like she is on a chair or like a dog sits - not flat how they usually are...I just got all the ingredients for that meal I saw - of course, having a dim day I forgot to write the amounts so am about to trawl looking for those! It won't hurt her to have that will it? Can Fizzy have some too or is

 

[Blondiechic]

Ok...sorry - still getting used to this forum.
She is not sitting normally and has moved around the cage - I read more about Marek disease but it says that she ought to have one leg out and once they sit down they can't move about? I am not sure how old she is but she will be young - she came from a local nursery who sell chickens...she was a bit sad there so we brought her home.
I just made the Ricketts meal for her so hope she eats that.

 

[Blondiechic]

Well, it turns out she was vaccinated from mareks disease, but this morning she was in a bad way, she wasn't eating at all and totally unbalanced, it was so distressing. She was also breathing in gasps - I called a vet as well as my local chicken lady and all agreed that she was unlikely to recover. I just got back from the vet where she was put to sleep - so very very upset.
Now my silkie is on her own (with the big girls visiting outside her run) and, for some reason, in Sydney Silkies are very hard to get, so I am hoping the universe sends her a friend - the odd thing being, my silkie came along as a friend for my bantam...