Crazy Chick Disease I think :(

[melearningasigo]

One of or ten babies, who is 4 or 5 weeks old has what sounds exactly like crazy chick disease. We went out and immediately got probiotics and electrolytes with vitamins. Trying to get as much as that in her as we can. She seems to still be eating? But she looks so poorly. Her head will go down under her and she walks backwards. Sometimes it almost looks like a seizure. We did separate her in case it was something infectious and so she doesn't get trampled.

What more can I do for her? All we have around here are Petco, Pet Smart, and Tractor Supply.

 

[coach723]

Could also be wry neck (if you can post a video to you-tube and link here it will help get suggestions).
Treatment is the same for both, vitamin E and selenium supplements. Vitamin E is the deficiency and the selenium allows for better absorption, you need to give both.
Vitamin E 400 iu, with selenium 25 mcg (grind it up and mix it with the E), you can mix it in a small amount of food if it's eating, and give it 2 to 3 times a day until you see improvement. You can use human supplements if you can't find a poultry vitamin source.
Nutri-drench has some vitamin E in it, but not the selenium, I'd give some as it contains Thiamine also and is rapidly absorbed. Tuna and beef liver are also dietary sources of selenium. Check the dates on your feed to make sure it's fresh, vitamin content of feed deteriorates quickly with age, and sometimes old bags remain in the store. It can also have a genetic component, making that bird more susceptible. Good luck, hope she gets better.
http://poultryperformanceplus.com/i...ficiency-crazy-chick-disease-encephalomalacia
https://www.raising-happy-chickens.com/wry-neck.html

 

[melearningasigo]

Could also be wry neck (if you can post a video to you-tube and link here it will help get suggestions).
Treatment is the same for both, vitamin E and selenium supplements. Vitamin E is the deficiency and the selenium allows for better absorption, you need to give both.
Vitamin E 400 iu, with selenium 25 mcg (grind it up and mix it with the E), you can mix it in a small amount of food if it's eating, and give it 2 to 3 times a day until you see improvement. You can use human supplements if you can't find a poultry vitamin source.
Nutri-drench has some vitamin E in it, but not the selenium, I'd give some as it contains Thiamine also and is rapidly absorbed. Tuna and beef liver are also dietary sources of selenium. Check the dates on your feed to make sure it's fresh, vitamin content of feed deteriorates quickly with age, and sometimes old bags remain in the store. It can also have a genetic component, making that bird more susceptible. Good luck, hope she gets better.
http://poultryperformanceplus.com/i...ficiency-crazy-chick-disease-encephalomalacia
https://www.raising-happy-chickens.com/wry-neck.html

Wonderful! Thank you for this excellent advice. I will look for both tonight and check the feed bag.

 

[melearningasigo]

I haven't been able to capture a video yet of the strange behavior, but when it happens, his head goes all the way down under between his legs and he goes backwards for a bit before he recovers. He did hold his up all the way tonight though, which I haven't seen in a day and a half. He keeps chirping loudly when he hears his buddies in the brooder.

 

[melearningasigo]

Just thought I would update. The chick is still having some short episodes of his/her head going down and almost twisting sideways a little and it will back up, but they are shorter and less frustrating to it as the days go on. We put it back in the brooder today and have watched for a good amount of time. It seems to do well. It is drinking and eating, trying to roost on the little rod we have in there for them, even though it's balance is still a little wobbly on there, I am so excited to see it doing that! Nobody else seems to be too bothered by it being back or by its little episodes.

We are still going to continue with the extra Vitamin E and Selenium until it is completely healed.

 

[Eggcessive]

You need vitamin E and selenium, not D. That may have been a typo. I also recommend B1 thiamine for wry neck (torticolis, crook neck, encephalomalacia.) D is okay if included in a multivitamin for poultry, but most except NutriDrench and Poultry Cell do not contain selenium. Cooked egg, tuna, sunflour kernels all have selenium.

 

[melearningasigo]

You need vitamin E and selenium, not D. That may have been a typo. I also recommend B1 thiamine for wry neck (torticolis, crook neck, encephalomalacia.) D is okay if included in a multivitamin for poultry, but most except NutriDrench and Poultry Cell do not contain selenium. Cooked egg, tuna, sunflour kernels all have selenium.

Just a typing error! I will fix that. It has been vitamin E.

 

[melearningasigo]

What sources would you use for that B1 Thiaimine? I read somewhere that maybe tuna or scrambled eggs could help too? How much of that would I give?

 

[Eggcessive]

Plain yogurt, ground beef and beef liver, nutritional yeast, sunflower seeds are a few high thiamine foods that chickens would like.

 

[melearningasigo]

Thank you for that information! Do I need to add grit if I give this to them? How much of this is safe to give them?