Our twisted chicken

[Stephanie Abel]

One of our young girls has a terribly twisted neck. We have started recommended vitamin regimen but we are feeding her by hand and helping her to drink with a syringe. Not wanting to spend lots on a vet but not sure how long to wait. It's been three days with the vitamins and she is about 8 weeks old. Suggestions needed as this is our first flock.

 

[NemerLuvPoultry]

I don't believe there is much else you can do for her. Flukes like that happen, but it sounds like you are treating her very well. Good luck! Maybe someone else will have some good hints.

 

[lightchick]

These links might help.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-a-wry-neck-chick-story-with-pics-with-update

http://oureggbasket.blogspot.com/2013/04/wry-neck-or-crook-neck-understanding-it.html

http://www.chickenforum.com/f12/wry-neck-treatable-344/

 

[Stephanie Abel]

Thank you! We will try some more of these ideas and be patient with her recovery.

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. Wry neck can be a symptom of head or neck injury, vitamin deficiency, or from diseases such as Mareks or anythin infection causing brain or spinal inflammation. Keep down noise and stimulation from other chickens, vitamins, and helping it eat are the things you can do. Mainly you need to give Vitamin B1 thiamine, Vitamin E, and selenium. Eggs, sunflower seeds, and tuna have lots of selenium. Some will give prednisone also. It can take many days or weeks to get better. This first link has drug dosages and some threads to read: http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/Crookneck/Crookneck.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/630079/wry-neck-confused-about-treatment
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/97121/lets-talk-wry-neck-crook-neck

 

[QHnPPcks]

Hi,
This thread is the closest to our problem, so hopong for some help. 2 weeks ago tomorrow, one of our 9-week old chicks was mauled by a dog. She appeared to be dying, but we didn't give up on her! We isolated her, put her in a quiet and dark room and gave her a tiny dose of a horse pain med. We treated her injured right wing, have her in the house and are hand-feeding her. I have never before heard a chicken trill and "purr", so of course we hope she can recover. She truly seems to enjoy "cuddle time" after feeding. We are wonderfully amazed she is still alive! Sometimes she twists her neck into odd positions, but is now attempting to walk and does flap her wings on occasion. She appears to have residual neuro problems, as she easily loses her balance. She is also terribly thin. We don't mind having a "house chicken" if that is what it takes, but doubt she ever will be able to eat without assistance. Comments and suggestions gratefully appreciated!

 

[QHnPPcks]

Hi,
This thread is the closest to our problem, so hopong for some help. 2 weeks ago tomorrow, one of our 9-week old chicks was mauled by a dog. She appeared to be dying, but we didn't give up on her! We isolated her, put her in a quiet and dark room and gave her a tiny dose of a horse pain med. We treated her injured right wing, have her in the house and are hand-feeding her. I have never before heard a chicken trill and "purr", so of course we hope she can recover. She truly seems to enjoy "cuddle time" after feeding. We are wonderfully amazed she is still alive! Sometimes she twists her neck into odd positions, but is now attempting to walk and does flap her wings on occasion. She appears to have residual neuro problems, as she easily loses her balance. She is also terribly thin. We don't mind having a "house chicken" if that is what it takes, but doubt she ever will be able to eat without assistance. Comments and suggestions gratefully appreciated!

 

[QHnPPcks]

Thanks for all the help from this thread. "Gretl" is hanging in there; added vitamins as suggested and her appetite is much improved. Still doesn't eat on her own. Seems she can only peck at her food from an upright position. Am trying to figure out how to elevate/suspend a feeder without it all falling out so she can access by herself in between hand-feedings. Weighing her daily and she is gaining in tiny increments.

 

[lightchick]

Hi,
This thread is the closest to our problem, so hopong for some help. 2 weeks ago tomorrow, one of our 9-week old chicks was mauled by a dog. She appeared to be dying, but we didn't give up on her! We isolated her, put her in a quiet and dark room and gave her a tiny dose of a horse pain med. We treated her injured right wing, have her in the house and are hand-feeding her. I have never before heard a chicken trill and "purr", so of course we hope she can recover. She truly seems to enjoy "cuddle time" after feeding. We are wonderfully amazed she is still alive! Sometimes she twists her neck into odd positions, but is now attempting to walk and does flap her wings on occasion. She appears to have residual neuro problems, as she easily loses her balance. She is also terribly thin. We don't mind having a "house chicken" if that is what it takes, but doubt she ever will be able to eat without assistance. Comments and suggestions gratefully appreciated!

Oh sorry! How is she doing now? These links might help.
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/s...icken-mauled-by-dog-two-weeks-later!-(update)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=268x2551

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/farmlife/msg011909414850.html?4

 

[Barbwire]

I thought I searched the forum pretty good for information on Merek's and wry neck, but somehow I missed this thread all together, couldn't be the fact that it was the wee hours of the night that I was searching could it, nah. Anyway I started a similar thread yesterday. Am sitting at the vet right now with my crook neck chick. Will tell you what he says when I get home.