Chicken pulls head to chest

[maryhysong]

All right I have a young silkie, probably a pullet, probably 5-6 months old. Has been fine until the last couple days. I noticed she didn't come out with the others last night but it was almost dark when I got home from work and let them out so didn't worry about it. This afternoon tho I looked for her and she was just sitting in the corner of the coop with her head bent down between her legs. Like she is trying to stick her head between her legs and go the other way. Also some slight trembling when I'm holding her.

I have brought her in, gave her 1 cc straight of Poultry Cell followed by 2 cc of plain water. She is able to swallow if I tip her head up, it's just like her muscles are forcibly moving her head/neck downwards and she can't control it. About an hour later gave another 1cc of Poultry cell mixed with 1cc of water.

Read up online and the closest I can come to is botulism poisoning, tho I don't have any idea how she would have gotten it and none of the other birds cooped with her have any symptoms, although most of them are larger than she is.

I was wondering of the possibility of it being a scorpion sting, since that is a nerve toxin also and what the symptoms of a sting might be. It's been very warm and I've already killed one in the house.

Advice? Anything else I can do for her?

 

[Eggcessive]

She has wry neck. It is a symptom of head injury, vitamin deficiency, or can be from disease such as Mareks and Newcastles. Silkies are prone to this because many have vaulted skulls. Isolate her for peace and quiet since stimulation causes more spasms, and put on poultry vitamins, especially vitamin B1, E, and selenium. I haven't treated this, but here are 2 good links on wry/crook neck: http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/Crookneck/Crookneck.html
http://oureggbasket.blogspot.com/2013/04/wry-neck-or-crook-neck-understanding-it.html

 

[Eggcessive]

Here are 2 good threads:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/630079/wry-neck-confused-about-treatment
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/97121/lets-talk-wry-neck-crook-neck

 

[Eggcessive]

The Poultry Cell vitamins looks good, since it has B1, E, and selenium. The blue egg brown egg link gives good vitamin dosages. Several people her on BYC have treated birds with wry neck, and I have heard that it can take some time to get over. Feeding is sometimes a problem with extreme neck spasms. Good luck to you and your chick.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/853178/silkie-chicken-with-neurological-issue
Please see my post here. While the thread isn't exactly the same issue as what you are dealing with, silkies are prone to this behavior (walking in circles, head tucked underneath, wry neck/crookneck) from injury, infection, or vitamin deficiency.

If it were me, I would try vitamins to see if that helped. Some have to treat for several weeks and thus a poultry pack of vitamins may be ideal in terms of knowing the dosage. However, selenium and vitamin E are very important, so I would visit the browneggblueegg.com link for sure to read the articles on crookneck and silkie skull.

I am not familiar with poultry cell.

If she was pecked on the head it may resolve after the swelling goes down...I have seen that happen with silkies. However, it is good to support them with some nice vit e and selenium, along with the B vits and others. You can look up poly vi sol without iron on BYC also.

In summary, to me it sounds like the "silkie neurological" problem, although I don't know what the diagnosis is, hopefully she will recover completely soon. I would definitely do vitamins though.

Even if your feed is fresh and all, there are MANY people posting vitamin deficiency problems on BYC with their chickens. So sometimes the vits can be stale or some other problem can arise with feed. Or your girl may have been pecked on the head just in the right place to cause brain swelling.

 

[maryhysong]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/853178/silkie-chicken-with-neurological-issue
Please see my post here. While the thread isn't exactly the same issue as what you are dealing with, silkies are prone to this behavior (walking in circles, head tucked underneath, wry neck/crookneck) from injury, infection, or vitamin deficiency.

If it were me, I would try vitamins to see if that helped. Some have to treat for several weeks and thus a poultry pack of vitamins may be ideal in terms of knowing the dosage. However, selenium and vitamin E are very important, so I would visit the browneggblueegg.com link for sure to read the articles on crookneck and silkie skull.

I am not familiar with poultry cell.

If she was pecked on the head it may resolve after the swelling goes down...I have seen that happen with silkies. However, it is good to support them with some nice vit e and selenium, along with the B vits and others. You can look up poly vi sol without iron on BYC also.

In summary, to me it sounds like the "silkie neurological" problem, although I don't know what the diagnosis is, hopefully she will recover completely soon. I would definitely do vitamins though.

Even if your feed is fresh and all, there are MANY people posting vitamin deficiency problems on BYC with their chickens. So sometimes the vits can be stale or some other problem can arise with feed. Or your girl may have been pecked on the head just in the right place to cause brain swelling.

 

[Eggcessive]

I hope she starts to show improvement soon. Prednisone is also used, and may be helpful with head injury. You would need a vet's prescription, but many have this dug around the house. Dosage is on the brown eggblue egg link. Some say it takes a couple of weeks sometimes to see improvement, but many recover well.

 

[maryhysong]

I hope she starts to show improvement soon. Prednisone is also used, and may be helpful with head injury. You would need a vet's prescription, but many have this dug around the house. Dosage is on the brown eggblue egg link. Some say it takes a couple of weeks sometimes to see improvement, but many recover well.

I went and got some asprin and vit E. I couldn't find baby asprin so got the 'low dose' one that is used for asprin therepy for heart patients. Came home and dissolved it in some of the egg yolk water and added a vit E cap to it and got most of that down her. Hoping that there might be even some slight improvement tomorrow.

I have nursed a dog injured chicken where the dogs tooth went right into her skull just at the back of the comb. Most of the first week she just sat with eyes closed; not moving at all; took about a month, but every day or two there was some gradual improvement. She recovered except for being blind on one side. Because of the blindness I couldn't put her out with the other chickens so gave her to a friend that keeps her as a pet and spoils her. She lays several eggs a week now.

So as long as there is improvement of some sort will keep going.

 

[Eggcessive]

I think we oldtimers still call low dose aspirin "baby aspirin" even though aspirin has not been recommended for use in children under 15 for about 30 years because of Reyes Syndrome in the 70's and 80's. One low dose aspirin equals a 1/4 of an adult aspirin.

 

[realsis]

I have been very successful in cureing three severe cases of wry neck in my own flock and I would like to share with you what I have done. First off please know wry neck can be completely cured but it will take about a month so you must have patients. I followed Alan Stanford's treatment for wry neck to a tee. You will find dosing information by going to browneggblueegg. Com and in the table of contents look up crook neck. I swear by this treatment as it completely cured three of my silkies. The treatment basically consists of vitamin E and vitamin B and a small amount of selenium and liquid children's vitamin polyvisol without iron and prednisone. I was fortunate to have the prednisone for my breathing but if you can't find it you might be able to acquire some by speaking with dr brown personally from first state vet online. I followed the regiment from Alan Stanford of brown egg blue egg and all three of my severe cases were completely cured. During the treatment you might need to help feed and water your bird depending on the severity of their case. Please try this treatment because it works!! In about a month your birds will be back to normal Please go to the web site brown egg blue egg. Com and look under crook neck you will find all the dosing information you need. I really hope this helps and wish you the best. I've had great success with this treatment and my silkies.