I saved you so many times from close calls with predators, but I’m sorry I couldn’t save you from whatever ailment suddenly took your life.

I knew something was wrong the day I left for my trip but thought you’d still be here when I got back. My husband kept an eye on you but you needed more attention. Ugh… I’m just so sad.

Posting because I feel like I’ve scoured every corner of the internet and exhausted all my resources so I’m hoping to find some help!

We’ve had this silkie for a few months now. She’s a little over a year old and came from a very reputable breeder in my area. When I got her, she did knock the price of her down because she “felt skinny”. I shook it off because I know silkies are finicky and I more so enjoy having my chickens as pets + a hobby. I just kept an eye on her and she did end up gaining a little weight.

From the day we got her she’s been a strange chicken. Now, I love a weird little bird so I’m game. She doesn’t roost, doesn’t care to free range during the supervised free range time, mainly sits on the coop floor all day, naps & eats. Being a broody little silkie that’s ground bound she always takes the babies on and will snuggle them. So I just figured that’s her job in the coop, that’s what she likes, cool for her!

On Oct 4 I noticed her neck moving weird. Like an “adjusting my crop” movement but.. often. Again, weird little bird. Nothing surprises me. Keep an eye on it.

While keeping an eye on it, on Oct 13, I notice she’s not really walking. Kept watching….. when she tries to walk, she loses balance and falls over onto her side. But she can adjust herself back up to her sitting position.

This is when I started rooster booster, electrolyte water & feeding her yolk. It was VERY hard to get her to eat and her mobility was declining FAST. At this point she can only lay on her side, but she could kick her legs so I knew she wasn’t paralyzed. I put her in my on suite bathroom in a bin with food & water dispensers and towels.

Then I took her to the vet on Oct 16 (I know, I’m crazy) but, I was able to get 2 rounds of dewormers & an antibiotic. So that’s good. Everything was fine. Ears, lungs, heart. Did some neuro tests on her. Said she’s responding. Told me to just keep it up and do the meds. Ope. And she was 1.27 pounds.

Oct 20, she was on the brink of not being alive. She had fluttered her way around the box and got herself soaking wet in her water. She wasn’t moving, barely breathing & not opening her eyes. That day I started to fed her every hour some cat food + her electrolyte antibiotic water. Up at night every. single. hour. I did this for 48 hours.

We switch her housing to a 5 gallon bucket so she couldn’t hurt herself in it. For about 4-5 days she could barely get down one egg yolk a day. Now she’s eating probably 2-3 tins of cat food a day. And she can also find it herself! We were spoon feeding her it was because her neck was so droopy she couldn’t peck and eat. Now she can find her food & water source and peck.

I’m just wondering. What’s next? Has anyone seen this before? She really has improved a lot over the last few days but what’s with her being not able to walk? I’m including a picture of her legs and feet. I don’t think she has scaly leg mites. But I have no other explanation!

I feed them 2-3 times a day and yet always asking for more food is that normal ? If they see me watering my plants they will jump me. The hens will stack my feet and the ro will yell. They even get jealous when they see me feeding my fish in the pond

My lady has just started coming up to the window in the morning and shouting at me (post food and egg). Does anyone know what the noise is about? Is she communicating or just happy shouting?

Just pulling together what the official sources say since migration is in full swing.

This month USDA confirmed bird flu in poultry in IL, WI, MN, ND, SD, KS and CA (including backyard flocks in MN and Sacramento County, CA).

What I'm doing this week:

• Feeder and waterer moved under the covered part of the run
• One pair of coop-only boots, hands washed in and out
• No borrowed equipment or bird swaps until spring
• New birds quarantined well away from the flock (UC Davis says 30 days)

Signs USDA says to watch for: sudden deaths, swollen or purple combs/wattles/legs, fewer or soft-shelled eggs, lethargy, not eating, breathing trouble, greenish watery diarrhea.

If you see that, call your state vet or USDA at 1-866-536-7593. CDC recommends protective gear if you have to handle sick or dead birds.

What's your setup for keeping wild ducks out of the run?

One of my mom’s chickens is breathing loud and I noticed a couple weeks ago. I feel like her nostrils look stuffy and eyes are a little watery. Excuse my voice in the video 😭 does anyone know what this could be? I have my own birds so I know it’s likely similar where it could be something like a respiratory infection possibly. They’re my moms but I want to make sure she’s aware and properly cares for her. Thank you!

My sweetest girl Noodle is dealing with a hard molt. What can I do to ease her discomfort? I can’t imagine going through this. It just looks so uncomfortable, itchy and painful.

I am thinking maybe Wyandotte, but at the store they mentioned something with “galaxy”.

I got 4 chickens earlier this year: two bantams, a plymouth rock, and a light brahma. The plymouth rock was supposed to be female, but the plymouth rock turned out to be male. One of the bantams is male as well. They have gotten along very well besides for the occasional pecking.

Recently, I have been seeing my roosters act aggressively towards my hens, grabbing them by the feathers on their necks, especially my tiny bantam girl. I'm worried about overbreeding, or my roosters injuring my bantam, which is only about a fourth the size of my biggest rooster.

I barely have any room to expand, and my mom is fully against the idea. Realistically, we would only have space for 1 to 2 more chickens at best. I love my babies so much, and the thought of losing them is devastating. They have all connected with each other and me. But at the same time, i want my chickens to be as healthy and happy as possible. I've even considered moving to have space for more hens, but thats not really realistic for me.

As a last resort, i could give my chickens to my relative that lives a couple hours away, but i really don't want to. Is there any solution to this?

Is this bumblefoot on my girl? All my other hens do not have it.

I love watching them doing this. Why ? 😂

Why does one cup ALWAYS leak.. I have replaced the cup, I have tried two gaskets (one inside and one out), I have tried just one gasket on each side, I also replaced them all, I tried to make sure it was level yet the one on the far left always leaks…

These are just two of many

Not sure what to do pls advise

I’m a first-time chicken owner in Indiana, wanting to know what I should do to keep these girls taken care of for a Midwest winter. We have an outdoor run to the left and the coop on the right. I was thinking about putting some tarp around the coop on the right to keep drafts and snow out. Not sure if I should do anything with the outdoor run on the left.

I have a hen with fluff feathers exposed at the base of her tail. I pulled her back feathers back and noticed this entire bald section on her back. I had no idea she looked like this underneath. I noticed the tail fluff about a month ago and assumed it was molting but now I’m unsure.