Please help! My Silkie is sick....

[MamaNice]

We have a backyard flock of 7 hens. Each is a different breed. Our Silkie chicken is about 9 months old and is in bad shape. we brought her inside yesterday to see if we can get her strength back before braving the cold again. She was huddled in a corner of the hen house and when picked up and put down again she just fell over. She seems so week and doesn't move much at all. She's always been the bottom of the pecking order, but i'm thinking this cold has been too much for her this year (we are in PA). Anyone out there have Silkies that can give suggestions on what might be wrong with her? She's been inside for 24 hours and she is eating a little bit and she's still alive. Help!!!

(She's in our basement with light, but should I put her near a window for more natural light??)

 

[TwoCrows]

You might want to get a brooder lamp on her for some heat. Get her circulation going. Keep her inside with plenty of food and water for a day or so and see how she does. It is possible that she has to compete for feed and water and is not getting enough. If she does recuperate inside, then this is probable they cause. You will need to add more water and feeding stations to give her more opportunity to eat and drink. You also may need to add more room to their environment. Aggression is always more present with chickens that are cramped in. Get them out to free range if you can for things to do and give this bird on the bottom of the pecking order a chance to be herself.

 

[ten chicks]

We have a backyard flock of 7 hens. Each is a different breed. Our Silkie chicken is about 9 months old and is in bad shape. we brought her inside yesterday to see if we can get her strength back before braving the cold again. She was huddled in a corner of the hen house and when picked up and put down again she just fell over. She seems so week and doesn't move much at all. She's always been the bottom of the pecking order, but i'm thinking this cold has been too much for her this year (we are in PA). Anyone out there have Silkies that can give suggestions on what might be wrong with her? She's been inside for 24 hours and she is eating a little bit and she's still alive. Help!!!

(She's in our basement with light, but should I put her near a window for more natural light??)

Yes,definitely keep her warm,make sure she is eating/drinking,check her crop to ensure there is not crop issue.

I actually brought my silkies into my home b/c of the severe cold weather i have. You will read that no birds ever need additional heat,this is very incorrect info,some birds do require heat.

 

[casportpony]

Yes,definitely keep her warm,make sure she is eating/drinking,check her crop to ensure there is not crop issue.

I actually brought my silkies into my home b/c of the severe cold weather i have. You will read that no birds ever need additional heat,this is very incorrect info,some birds do require heat.

X2

-Kathy

 

[MamaNice]

Looks like our silkie has an impacted crop. I had never heard of this before. We gave her some olive oil and massaged the crop. Nothing came out, but suddenly she is drinking again. She is very skinny and I fear we have let this go on too long. I had no idea about this issue! Our old property had rocky soil and we didn't need grit, our new home has clay soil and I guess I need to up the grit some more. She seems to be perking up. We will add do more olive oil over the next few days and I also read about the keifer. I will try that too. We have nothing to lose. This little gal is suffering and I don't want to cull her. Thanks again for all your input.

 

[casportpony]

She doesn't need grit, she needs water to break up the mass of food.
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/04/answers-from-chicken-vet-on-impacted.html

-Kathy

 

[TwoCrows]

Looks like our silkie has an impacted crop. I had never heard of this before. We gave her some olive oil and massaged the crop. Nothing came out, but suddenly she is drinking again. She is very skinny and I fear we have let this go on too long. I had no idea about this issue! Our old property had rocky soil and we didn't need grit, our new home has clay soil and I guess I need to up the grit some more. She seems to be perking up. We will add do more olive oil over the next few days and I also read about the keifer. I will try that too. We have nothing to lose. This little gal is suffering and I don't want to cull her. Thanks again for all your input.

Do NOT add oil. It will make a sticky mass in the crop and it will never move. Do NOT add grit either at this point. She needs to be given water and have her crop massaged every hour or two. That will help break up the mass so that it starts to pass. Don't feed her any hard foods, seeds, free ranging or anything like this. Damp layer feed only.

 

[TwoCrows]

Just to make sure, is the crop hard like a soft ball or soft and squishy? Hard would be impacted, soft would be sour. There are two different treatments for these two issues.

 

[MamaNice]

I'm changing the diagnosis now. What we thought was the crop, was actually her neck bones (we think). She is so weak, she isn't holding her head up and it's causing her neck to protrude out the front - at least I think so. I can't think of any other bone that would stick out like that. Nothing seems to be broken anywhere so this is the only conclusion I have right now, After putting water (and some oil because we thought the lump was something impacted) we can now feel where the crop is. She must have had nothing in the crop, because now we can tell things are getting into her. She is under a heat lamp with food and water and she is drinking and eating. She is still very weak, but she seems to be getting a little bit better. She is such a little bantam, it's hard to tell what's going on!

 

[TwoCrows]

I would keep her there under heat until she improves or doesn't make it. She may just be starving from too much competition. However if it is something else, it will no doubt show itself in the next 24 to 48 hours.