Is this wry neck?

[NLmedic709]

Hello everyone, meet Crookie- one of my chocolate Orpington hens. She is nearly a year old now, and last December she began stargazing, walking backwards and separating herself from the flock. So, she moved into the “hospital” in our garage and has been there all winter. Initially she was in horrible shape, unable to eat or drink without her head upside down. Somehow she managed to keep eating and drinking. We were giving her nutridrench initially, then began the usual regimen of Vit B1, B2 and Vit E twice daily and feeding her scrambled eggs and black oil sunflower seeds for selenium. She has improved a lot and is laying eggs regularly for us again, but anytime she gets remotely stressed, she begins tossing her head and walking backwards again. Added the Vit E/Selenium paste - a pea sized drop once a day while continuing the other meds, without any further improvement. Will she ever get ‘normal’ enough to rejoin her flock or is she always going to be our little special Crookie girl? No known trauma that we could figure out, and no ear infection (she used to scratch her head a lot). She did have a VERY mild lice infestation but that has been dealt with months ago. Any further advice?

 

[LaurenRitz]

The walking backward might be chicken epilepsy, although that is usually more of a violent backward scramble and convulsions when they hit something.

 

[NLmedic709]

The walking backward might be chicken epilepsy, although that is usually more of a violent backward scramble and convulsions when they hit something.

She can get quite upset at times, swing her head around in circles and walk backwards. She does kind of look like the videos I’ve seen of seizures, but maybe not quite as violent.

 

[NLmedic709]

I have since done a round of Prednisone with her, and she still hasn’t really improved. Should I start thinking this is more of a neurological issue versus wry neck now? What are the odds of recovery after nearly six months?

 

[RadEggs]

She might have gotten injured on the head, and gotten brain trauma. It looks like shes doing fine and not going to die, but it seems it may be permanant. If she can still have a good quality of life I wouldnt worry about it.

 

[NLmedic709]

We’re doing a trial this week to see if she can maintain herself without all of the extra vitamins she has been receiving. I can’t expect house sitters to wait on her like we have, but if she can maintain herself, she’s got a home for as long as she lives. Dreading having to make that decision if her quality of life goes backwards after all we’ve done.