Chicken not right, but don't know what's wrong!

[chanamarie]

I acquired a few new Silkies a couple of weeks ago (wrote on another thread about not being entirely happy with them).

I noticed yesterday that one of them kept pecking for food, but missing it. I took her in and we trimmed her eye feathers thinking she just couldn't see well. I returned her to the pen and she went for the food, but seemed quite weak and the others just pushed her aside. So, I brought her in to give her her own food and water so she could get her strength back. She ate a lot and I added electrolytes to her water. She was very chirpy and seemed to perk up.

However, today (still inside) I haven't seen her eat anything. The water level is lower, but I haven't actually seen her drink (and I've been watching!). I took her out because I thought she might want to walk around and she just laid down, leaning to one side. I put her back in the crate and she's just sleeping.

I have no idea what could be wrong with her or what I should try to do now. I've only kept chickens since the Spring. She's a tiny hen (one of my issues with her when I got her). The other chickens seem fine.

Any ideas on what I should look for or try to help poor Rosie?

 

[Eggcessive]

How old are your chickens? Is the sick one passing any unusual droppings? Chickens may stand and drink many times, and then not drink again for a long time. Try add in water to a small bowl of chicken feed, making it runny. Add a little plain yogurt to it. If she is sleepy, hunched, or having runny or bloody droppings, coccidiosis could be a problem. It usually occurs in chickens under 5 months old, but may occur in ones with immunity problems. Corid or amprollium is the best treatment for coccidiosis.
Look at her eyes closely for any unusual color or cloudiness, drainage, or swelling of the eyelids. Can she stand and walk on her own?

 

[chanamarie]

The woman said she was 10 months (she was laying), but I'm not sure how accurate the things the woman said were. Her eyes looked fine, other than feathers being in the way. Her droppings seemed normal. She seemed a bit weak yesterday (why we brought her in), but really perked up in the evenings in the warmth with her own food and water. Today she seemed listless and wouldn't eat. She then started laying down and then laying on her side.

I don't think she's going to make it, but I'm really worried what she had will spread.

 

[Eggcessive]

Silkies can be delicate little creatures. About all you can do is try to keep her warm, get water and some chopped egg or feed into her. There is a thread called "Go team tube feeding" if you enter that in the search box at the top of the page, which can teach you how to tube feed her in hopes that she will recover. If you should lose her, your state vet could perform a necropsy to find a cause of death. That might help in case there is something contagious going around. Since you only got her two weeks ago, she may have been exposed to something either at her previous home or at her new home that she was not yet immune to. Coccidiosis might be a possibility. That is treated with Corid in the water for 5 days, but she must take enough of the water to get the correct dose. I wish I could help you more.

 

[jeanette60]

I had a similar issue with one of my hens. She was close to death. They came from a friend recently and are about 3 years old. I thought the hen would die but perked up after syringe feeding water/softened pellets. It turned out she had a mite/lice infestation. Once I treated her with a dusting product, she improved quickly. We renamed her Lazarus.