You likely love your pet silkie bird very much and want the best for the bird, unfortunately your bird can suffer ailments and conditions that can make the bird feel bad.
This article looks into why your silkie chicken is not walking and is shaking
Table of Contents
Silkie chicken not walking and is shaking:
humans and birds will do things for different reasons. Why you shake will not be why your silkie chicken shakes.
Here is why your pet silkie stopped walking and started shaking:
Avian encephalomyelitis:
One of the reasons why your silkie may not be walking anymore and may have started shaking may be because the bird has a condition called avian encephalomyelitis.
This is a viral infection that affects your bird’s central nervous system.
The condition causes birds to develop tremours as well as ataxia and weakness eventually leading to paralysis as the birds are more frequently seen on their hocks.
This condition usually affects younger birds who are between 2-4 weeks of age, so, if your silkie is a chick if young, then it may have this condition.
What to do:
If you think that your bird has this condition you’d need to isolate the bird and offer it supportive care. Ensure that the bird has its own food and water and then have your bird seen by a vet.
Botulism:
One reason why your silkie chicken may have stopped walking and is now shaking is that the bird has botulism. This is a bacterial infection that causes your bird to lose control of its limbs.
The bacteria itself doesn’t affect the bird but rather the neurotoxin that the bacteria produce.
A bird suffering from this condition will develop tremours, which is the shaking that you’re seeing. The bird will also eventually develop body paralysis where the birds can’t walk or do anything else.
What to do:
Unfortunately, there is no specific treatment for this condition in your silkies.
If your bird was exposed to only a small amount of toxin then the bird may recover and survive, but if not, then your bird may die because the paralysis will soon affect the muscles needed for breathing.
Newcastle disease:
The bird condition that your bird may be suffering from is a condition called Newcastle disease. It is caused by a virus and it can cause death in a lot of birds quite quickly.
Other signs of Newcastle disease in your bird, apart from the bird not eating and not being able to walk include coughing, a loss of appetite, swollen looking comb and wattle, reduced egg production, watery eyes, and bright green diarrhea.
What to do:
Unfortunately, because this is a viral infection there is no treatment that you can give your bird. The best you can do if you think that your bird is suffering from this condition is to contact your vet.
Vaccinations are available for birds who have not yet been exposed to this infection.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Silkie Chicken Walking Backwards, Silkie Chicken Not Walking, Silkie Chicken Not Walking Or Moving, Silkie Not Walking Or Eating
