Taking Care of Swirls, the Wry Neck Silkie

[Eggcessive]

Wry neck can improve sometimes quickly, but sometimes it can take time, or possibly not get better.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Used the food that was already in her bowl, a few drops of the multivitamin, very small amount on turmeric, and molases for taste.

Chickens don't have that many taste buds... but molasses can act as a laxative so please be careful of all the magic fixes.

Glad she ate!

 

[NubbyRyuu]

Wry neck can improve sometimes quickly, but sometimes it can take time, or possibly not get better.

I know it'll be a long process, but I'm hoping she gets to a point where she can hold her head up. She actually ate by herself today! Left a little food for her (of course wet), and when I went to check on her after I was done in the barn, it was gone!

 

[NubbyRyuu]

Chickens don't have that many taste buds... but molasses can act as a laxative so please be careful of all the magic fixes.

Glad she ate!

I'm not using much at all, pretty much a small droplet. Her droppings are looking much better and not hard-like. Definitely clears the sinuses XD

 

[NubbyRyuu]

I'm not using much at all, pretty much a small droplet. Her droppings are looking much better and not hard-like. Definitely clears the sinuses XD

Should also mention, the only reason I'm putting in the molasses is to try and mask the taste the turmeric and her multivitamin has. She fought me on the multivitamin alone, so it probably doesn't taste good.

 

[Eggcessive]

You could skip the turmeric. I give human B complex vitamins in tablet form, and I use a microplane grater or crush 1/4 tablet a day over some cooked egg, then mix a little, and my sick hen does not mind the taste. She doesn’t like the taste of NutrDrench, so if I have to give that, I just give it in the beak.

 

[NubbyRyuu]

Human B vitamins...I'll have to look for that. I'm just using what I have. I originally got turmeric for my cat (sadly the cancer got him), and figured since it helps with inflammation and pain, it might help Swirls. I've got quite a bit to look for tonight!

 

[NubbyRyuu]

Okay, so, I managed to hunt down some good things for Swirly! We got:
Chobani Vanilla Yogurt
Brazil Nuts
Roasted Shelled Sunflower Seeds
Coconut Flakes
Vitamin B Complex
Vitamin E 400IU
Water Bottle (so she won't stand in her water)

It took me a good while to hunt down the seeds. Found them in a thing near the produce section. Now all I need to do is encourage her to use the water bottle. I'm not sure what else to get her that she won't end up standing in.

 

[Fishkeeper]

To cull an animal can mean to remove it from a breeding population, or to kill it. In the context of deformities, it means to kill it. There's absolutely no reason that an animal can't be culled by the same humane methods used in euthanasia.

Can she walk at all? Clearly the ideal thing to do would be to get her doing well, but if she can't get up, or can't walk without falling frequently, it's also important to consider her quality of life. Not every animal can be saved, and not every animal that can be kept alive should be.

 

[NubbyRyuu]

To cull an animal can mean to remove it from a breeding population, or to kill it. In the context of deformities, it means to kill it. There's absolutely no reason that an animal can't be culled by the same humane methods used in euthanasia.

Can she walk at all? Clearly the ideal thing to do would be to get her doing well, but if she can't get up, or can't walk without falling frequently, it's also important to consider her quality of life. Not every animal can be saved, and not every animal that can be kept alive should be.

She can stand and walk (though it's usually in reverse going in circles), and can hold her head up perfectly straight on occasion. Either way, Cin and I are against having her husband cull Swirls, as he already cracked open one of Nubby's eggs in an attempt to hatch it and it died because it was too soon. She's making some good progress, but if she gets worse, we'll talk about euthanasia. Bit more dignity with that.