AUSTRALIAN POULTRY FORUM™

Hi my poultry peeps. I need some more help. I have a 7 month old silkie hen. Last two days she has not been herself. She just sits around all day and not eating much. The urates in her poo are also yellow. She was wormed 2 weeks ago with Avitrol plus tablets, and dusted about a month ago for lice/mites. Her pen mates are ok. She does live with another silkie who has a respiratory disease (who I posted about previously). However it has been about 3 months since the other hen got sick, so I would have thought if she was sick from a respiratory she would have got it sooner. No other symptoms to note. Eyes clear, no mucus. No breathing changes. Will eat a little of her favourite - cooked corn (which I lace with multivitamins and avian probiotics). First night she went to bed with an empty crop. Last night she had a half full crop after the corn I gave her. She picks at a bit of grain and grass, but doesn't eat much. Acting very lethargic, though doesn't sleep when she's sitting around/hiding away. She has been moulting (white feathers everywhere), though doesn't look ragged. The yellow urates worry me (though poo normal other than coloured). Question - can moulting make a chicken act differently and not eat as much? I have read some possible causes of yellow urates are liver problems, respiratory problems and anorexia. I hope it is the last. Any one else had experience with yellow urates? Her crop is empty so no crop problems, and she hasn't started laying, so shouldn't be repro problems. Only thing is that I had put ACV in their water for about 2 days as routine health tonic before she started showing illness. Have since changed over to fresh water. Any suggestions appreciated - especially about yellow urates.

LJ

Hi, LJ,

Found this information on poop.

http://www.holisticbirds.com/pages/urin ... em0503.htm

Maybe you can post a photo of her droppings so people will have a better idea.

I don't know what can be done if it's liver disease, if it is malnourishment then perhaps boost her condition with a tin of home brand sardines, cat food or cat biscuits or the Rickets diet below.

Rickets Diet

2 tablespoons rolled oats
1 cooked egg yolk mashed
1 teaspoon cod liver oil
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons plain natural yoghurt
2 tablespoons grated apple or carrot
some multivitamin powder

Keep a close eye and take her to a poultry vet if you are concerned.

Thanks for your help Hens and Hobbits. I have tried cat food, scrambled egg and the rickets diet but I can't get her to eat it. She'll eat a couple of mouthfuls of cat food, but not touch the rickets. Even when healthy, my two silkies won't eat anything other than their mash, mixed grain, cooked corn and brocolli! She was out free ranging for a bit this afternoon and did have some food in her crop. Should I try to force feed her, or just leave it if she is still eating a little? She ate a good amount of cooked corn this afternoon also (once again sprinkled with vitamins and probiotics) - certainly not nutritionally complete, but at least it's food! I have attached a photo of her poop. The top two are her poops. The bottom poop is from my other silkie to show the colour difference. I'm not having much luck with these silkies!

Sorry to read about your poor silkies. Do you have any Poly Aid Plus someone else recently used it for their sick Silkie as a pick me up from near death. We bought some at our local Pet Barn and added it to our chookie medical chest for emergencies.

Just a thought, I know that she has been wormed recently, but looking at her poop, maybe she has worms? There was a full moon recently and intestinal parasites are their most active then. Does she have a dirty vent? Maybe their coop/pen also needs to also be disinfected?

Chookies are very fussy, my girls often turn their beaks up and walk off with disdain. Do you feed your chookies red meat? I know lots of people don't. A bit of cooked mince or steak is high in protein and iron did wonders for my Boss Chookie last year along with plain Greek yoghurt and garlic when she caught a cold.

Please take her and a sample of her stool for analysis to a vet if someone else with more experience on this forum than I can't offer you anymore enlightenment as to why she has yellow urates.

Hope she gets better soon.

Thanks Petite Poulet. Not looking good. She was better yesterday... was out free ranging and eating more, and even went to bed with a full crop. This morning I awoke to find her off again, and there was no poop under her roost...her crop didn't empty overnight! I have given her oil and warm water and massaged, multiple times, but crop still feels full. Softer than this morning, but still full. And basically no poop. She just passes a little bit of bright coloured liquid with a tiny little poo in it. No smell from her beak, so I don't think her crop has soured (yet). As of yesterday she now also has a dirty vent. I can worm again, but probably not until I see if I can get this crop working again. I am putting soluvet plus in her water now which is vitamins, salts and energy and is meant to be good for ill chickens. Unfortanetly we live in a rural area and our local vet doesn't know much about chickens. I am just hoping the crop problems are from the fact that she hadn't been eating well and then suddenly got a full crop. Otherwise, I would think it would be tied in with the cause of the yellow urates. If I can't get the crop to clear with home remedies, I don't think it would be fair on her to subject her to surgery to clear the crop given the yellow urates could mean a serious underlying disease. She is starting to look weak (not being able to get food through is so frustrating) Sigh.....

Really sorry about your poor chookie LJ, kind of ironic living in a rural area and a vet who doesn't know much about chooks we have the same problem.

Maybe you should not let her not let her free range, keep her warm and isolate in a sick bay in perhaps your laundry, worm her and make sure she has access to fresh water perhaps continue with the Soluvet plus and chook food.