[Jellyhead]

Hello everyone hope you had a good Christmas.

As you may or may not know, Pepper, one of my Silkies came indoors for Christmas, I thought at the time she was poorly because when I found her on Christmas eve it was just getting dark,(I had been in the pen an hour or 2 earlier and she was ok) but she was laying on her side in the mud. I didn't think anything of it at the time but now remember that I picked up a ladder that lays in its side in the pen, she normally nestles in the corner with one of the others. It had been knocked over and I think it may have fallen on her    she is eating and drinking normally, but she topples over and her wing hangs down. I thought yesterday morning she seemed better, she was walking round my bathroom. I put her back with her friends yesterday and kept checking her but this morning she was struggling again. Her wing is sort of floppy, if I position it for her its okay and she can walk but if she topples, that's it, she loses her balance again. She is obviously better on even ground so she is now back in the bathroom.
HELP...what can or should I do :?

[Vember]

Hi Jelly sorry to hear about Pepper

There is a post somewhere on here about strapping wings I shall see if I can find it


Here we go
http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?t=25331

Aggy's post explains things

How old is she Jelly :?
My other thought was Mareks


Sarah

[Jellyhead]

I got her in February from a breeder but I am not sure how old she was when I got her  I initially thought Mareks too but there would be other symptoms would'nt there :?

[Vember]

I have 0 experience of mareks Jelly, but got this info from my book :

"Birds with legs stretched out unable to walk or using a wing as a crutch, or birds just looking off colour & not growing. Sometimes they are ravenously hungry & very thin, sometimes gaping, and it appears that mainly hen birds are effected"

Sorry I can't be of more help

Sarah

[Vember]

On the plus side it does say birds more likely to be effected are between 6 & 20 weeks old :?

Pepper is obviously older than that

Sarah

[Jellyhead]

Have just checked the wing and really cant tell whether or not its broken. She really struggles to stay upright, her poo is a bit watery, sometimes dark and sometimes chestnut, she is also a bit pooey round her rear end but that may be cos she isnt upright all the time. I am considering asking my neighbour to do the deed as I hate to think she is suffering. If it is Mareks then its a necessity and if its a broken wing and I cant locate the break..........then what???
* * * :cry:

[Vember]

The only thing you could do is keep her in isolation and strap the wing, then see how she is in a day or two :?

Think that's what I'd do



Sarah

[Jellyhead]

Thanks Sarah, will give it a go

[Porffor]

((hugs)) Jelly - sorry no advice but am thinking of pepper, she's got a great owner who will try their best by her, all a bird could ask.
Hope between you both you can get to the bottom of this. I'd trust you with my birds!

[Bodger]

I'm sorry Jelly but a dropped wing is quite often one of the first symptoms of Mareks. :cry:

[Jellyhead]

I have just been watching her walking round the bathroom :shock: it seems that her wing is slightly dropped and she easily gets unbalanced but she just walked round on an even surface with no problem :?  she is eating and drinking still. I really dont know what to do, she doesn't struggle particularly when I stretch her wing out so does that mean its not broken. I of course dont want to put my other birds at risk but equally want to give her a chance. I shall keep her indoors for a few more days to see if she improves. If it is Mareks, what should I look out for next, does anyone know??

.....and thanks Porffor, kind of you to say so  

[Hawkins]

fingers crossed for pepper her too.

[Foxy]

hi Jelly, just caught up with this thread - she could have Mareks Im afraid -being a silkie they are very susceptible breed unfortunately, if it is Mareks as she is older than six months the deteriation will be slow, her paralysis will just get worse. It is also difficult to diagnose. Sometimes there is evidence of tumours -odd looking eye iris for example.
 It would be a good idea to keep her isolated from the others as it is very infectious however your birds may have naturally immunity away. It could be something else though, really difficult to say Jelly, I am really sorry

[Lost in France]

Hi Jelly, just logged in after not looking for a while!
Mareks...I too have silkies and have lost a couple to Mareks a while back, at least think it was Mareks, from advice on this site!

My girls didn't deteriorate slowly, they seemed to get bouts of weakness and be wobbly for maybe a week or so and then get better for a few months, then eventually I lost them as the wobbles recurred.  :cry: OH dispatched one but the other just died.  :cry: I brought them in and gave them TLC, they didn't seem in pain.

The others are all fine so maybe it wasn't Mareks.  :? We'll never know. They were mature birds too.

Hope yours gets better soon, whatever the problem.

Judi

[kitkat]

How is the patient this morning Jelly.
Kitkat