Hi all! We have a silkie that has been losing weight over the last few weeks that just has me stumped.
Shes bearded and has a pretty epic poof, and is probably about 6 months old at this point. I trimmed her feathers back from her face and she mostly lives inside as the winter has been tough and her and my other silkie were not being allowed in the coop. We let them out a few hours a day.
So our grey silkie poult, Kiwi, and her buddie- a silkie hen a couple of months older than her, were purchased in November at a poultry swap. We had them with two 8 week old chickens who I moved out with the rest of the flock about a week before Kiwi started acting ill. She had been playing and acting like a chick with these other two babies
Kiwi started losing weight and acting a little lethargic, but I watched her and she was eating. Shes getting Kalmbach’s flock raiser. She’ll drink too, but I dont see it as often. Right now I’ve been going between adding a little bit of sugar to the water. She stands with her head tucked back into her chest very far or it droops forward awkwardly. She’ll kinda snake her neck from side to side occasionally.
I wondered at first if the lethargy wasn’t because she was about to lay (her buddy got kind of “meh” before laying but only a day or two) but she hasn’t yet.
Her body condition is poor but her feathers are full and healthy, if I didn’t hold her regularly I probably wouldn’t look at her and think she was skinny. She has had a little bit of messy tail feathers but her droppings seem normal otherwise.
When I feel her body there is no swelling her crop never feels full, nothing to suggest an egg is stuck. But there is a bony protrusion of her neck, like a hard s curve. Is this a way wry neck can present?? If it’s been going on a few weeks is there any chance I can help her? Her buddy is fine, keeping an eye on her though.
Shes bearded and has a pretty epic poof, and is probably about 6 months old at this point. I trimmed her feathers back from her face and she mostly lives inside as the winter has been tough and her and my other silkie were not being allowed in the coop. We let them out a few hours a day.
So our grey silkie poult, Kiwi, and her buddie- a silkie hen a couple of months older than her, were purchased in November at a poultry swap. We had them with two 8 week old chickens who I moved out with the rest of the flock about a week before Kiwi started acting ill. She had been playing and acting like a chick with these other two babies
Kiwi started losing weight and acting a little lethargic, but I watched her and she was eating. Shes getting Kalmbach’s flock raiser. She’ll drink too, but I dont see it as often. Right now I’ve been going between adding a little bit of sugar to the water. She stands with her head tucked back into her chest very far or it droops forward awkwardly. She’ll kinda snake her neck from side to side occasionally.
I wondered at first if the lethargy wasn’t because she was about to lay (her buddy got kind of “meh” before laying but only a day or two) but she hasn’t yet.
Her body condition is poor but her feathers are full and healthy, if I didn’t hold her regularly I probably wouldn’t look at her and think she was skinny. She has had a little bit of messy tail feathers but her droppings seem normal otherwise.
When I feel her body there is no swelling her crop never feels full, nothing to suggest an egg is stuck. But there is a bony protrusion of her neck, like a hard s curve. Is this a way wry neck can present?? If it’s been going on a few weeks is there any chance I can help her? Her buddy is fine, keeping an eye on her though.