Chicken dragging head please help

[lil bird lady1]

Is that like scratch grains or a chicken grower, all flock, or layer feed? Just asking because vitamin or mineral deficienies can be common if not feeding a balanced chicken feed. Silkies can be prone to wry neck. Do you have any pictures?

I just posted a pic of their feed, but I was wondering what vitemine E supplement to give her and which selenium

 

[rebrascora]

From the information you have now provided, your flock's diet may well be the issue. Your bird could easily be suffering from a vitamin deficiency. Scratch is not a complete food and it is designed to be given as a treat scattered on the ground to encourage "scratching" so that they work for the calories it provides. Feeding scratch grains ad lib from a feeder is like giving kids fries every day. There is no balance, a lack of vitamins and essential amino acids and will most likely make them obese and at risk of fatty liver syndrome. Hens will be more prone to reproductive disorders like prolapse and salpingitis and possibly internal laying.

I would strongly encourage you to start using a formulated feed, either grower/all flock or layer (depending on your flock's age and gender mix) and cut the scratch from their diet completely for the time being at least. They would also probably benefit from a good quality poultry vitamin supplement for a week as well, particularly the one with issues. Be prepared for your chickens to go on hunger strike but you need to instigate tough love to ensure their health into adulthood.

 

[True Patriot]

X2
I completely agree with rebrascora. Starting a balanced feed and vitamin regimen will help them greatly. Read the vitamin before purchasing, not all contain B vitamins.

 

[rebrascora]

I copied and pasted the below from some promotional info about Dumor 5 grain scratch....
DuMOR Premium 5 Grain Scratch is a premium feed supplement designed to provide nutrition for adult poultry and game birds. This premium blend of corn, wheat, milo, barley and sunflower serves as a supplemental energy while pecking behavior provides a stress-relieving activity for confined or semi-confined birds.

The key words here are highlighted. This is not a complete feed, it provides a high calorie treat to encourage natural behaviour and alleviate boredom and should be fed supplementary to a formulated feed. I accept that it does not make things as clear as they should be, like saying, "should be scattered on the ground in small amounts in combination with a formulated feed" but I am sure if you contact their customer services they will confirm that is the situation.

I hope that a change in diet can reverse any negative health issues they may be harbouring.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would skip the scratch grains as only a rare small treat for older chickens, and get a bag of either Dumor chick starter grower, or Purina Flock Raiser to feed your chickens. Supplement calcium for any laying hens with some crushed oyster shell in a separate container to take as they need. Scratch has only 8% protein and chick grower has 20%, plus all of the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients needed. Your hens will probably lay much better as well.

Egg is a good source of selenium, and you can purchase a vitamin E supplement 40 mcg a day at any drug store or Walmart. Poultry NutriDrench from TSC has all of the vitamins and selenium as well. Dosage is 1 ml daily for a chick.

 

[lil bird lady1]

Is that like scratch grains or a chicken grower, all flock, or layer feed? Just asking because vitamin or mineral deficienies can be common if not feeding a balanced chicken feed. Silkies can be prone to wry neck. Do you have any pictures?

I just posted a picture of the feed I give them but I have no idea what vitamin E supplement and what selenium supplement to get cause I'm struggling to find anything on the correct ones

 

[lil bird lady1]

From the information you have now provided, your flock's diet may well be the issue. Your bird could easily be suffering from a vitamin deficiency. Scratch is not a complete food and it is designed to be given as a treat scattered on the ground to encourage "scratching" so that they work for the calories it provides. Feeding scratch grains ad lib from a feeder is like giving kids fries every day. There is no balance, a lack of vitamins and essential amino acids and will most likely make them obese and at risk of fatty liver syndrome. Hens will be more prone to reproductive disorders like prolapse and salpingitis and possibly internal laying.

I would strongly encourage you to start using a formulated feed, either grower/all flock or layer (depending on your flock's age and gender mix) and cut the scratch from their diet completely for the time being at least. They would also probably benefit from a good quality poultry vitamin supplement for a week as well, particularly the one with issues. Be prepared for your chickens to go on hunger strike but you need to instigate tough love to ensure their health into adulthood.

Ok, thank you so much? Any specific vitamin supplements you would recommend? This is only my second flock so I'm kinda new to this

 

[Eggcessive]

Any human vitamin E supplement with 400 IU on the label will work. Selenium is found in 200 IU, or you can give some cooked egg, sunflower kernels, cooked brown rice in a small amountfor selenium.

 

[rebrascora]

Nutri Drench or Rooster Booster Poultry Cell.

 

[Eggcessive]

Nutri Drench or Rooster Booster Poultry Cell.

Those do have E and selenium. Some feel they don’t contain enough of those to treat wry neck, but I don’t know if that is true or not. I like both of those fo all of the vitamins, minerals, and amino acids they contain. Only a small amount of selenium is needed to help with vitamin E uptake.