Wry Neck? - Few-Day Old Silkie Chick

[newchickychick]

Context;
We got this baby and 14 others this morning. They were shipped. This one was underneath all the other chicks however was NOT showing any signs of listlessness. It is, however, frequently bent over backwards or with its head turned to the side. My concern is that it is wry neck, and if so, is it possible this was caused by other chicks stepping/standing on it? If that COULD be the case, is treatment any different from vitamin deficiency caused wry neck?
They were hatched/shipped on the 4th. None of the others are showing any signs of issues. It is ENERGETIC outside of the odd positioning.

What I've done so far;
- Separated it from the other chicks. It is in its own brooder so it is not trampled. I have it with a very very shallow water dish, as it seems willing and happy to try to drink on its own (though this is difficult given its position and unsteadiness) as well as some food spread out on a paper towel. I have it with a mirror toy and a little stuffed chick toy. It doesn't really seem to be going after the feed YET but has pecked at it once or twice.
- Gave it a little selenium + vitamin E paste. I DID do a vitamin 400 IU cap earlier that I squeezed some into egg yolk to feed it until I was able to find a store with the selenium + vitamin e paste.
- Put poultry cell in the egg yolk I fed it. It did not eat the WHOLE egg yolk but it ate a fair good bit of it. I was worried about accidentally choking it up with too much at once.
- Made sure to hydrate it with a syringe full of water.


My questions;
- Am I missing anything else important I should be giving it to try to treat the wry neck?
- HOW OFTEN do I need to be sure it's eating and drinking? I'm able to be 24/7 on it so I want to know how to really know that it's getting enough nutrients. It has so far shown EAGERNESS to eat and drink. But I want to be sure, with it bending over backwards so far, I am also not over-feeding it in case that could potentially cause it to choke. :[

Thanks so much all! Meet Weebles. It is NOT crying and does not seem miserable outside of the very far back bend, so I want to do EVERYTHING within my power to help this baby.

 

[FarmerGirl101]

It definitely looks like wry neck. Selenium and vitamin e should help but I'd also give it some vitamin b complex as well. You can also put some poultry cell in the water too and even some electrolytes. Depending on how much a syringe full of water is and how often you're giving it, it might be too much water. At the end of the day it's crop should be full. If it is, you'll know that it had enough food for the day. Keep this consistent and I'd update this thread in a week and see where it's at.

 

[newchickychick]

It definitely looks like wry neck. Selenium and vitamin e should help but I'd also give it some vitamin b complex as well. You can also put some poultry cell in the water too and even some electrolytes. Depending on how much a syringe full of water is and how often you're giving it, it might be too much water. At the end of the day it's crop should be full. If it is, you'll know that it had enough food for the day. Keep this consistent and I'd update this thread in a week and see where it's at.

Thank you so so much! The time frame really helps me know that it'll take some sticking to it but I'm more than happy to.

The syringe is 1 cc (1 mL) worth. It was the smallest they had but I figured that would make it the very easiest to dose for something so tiny.

Oh perfect, thank you. I gave it poultry cell in the egg yolk but I'll definitely be sure to mix some in with the water too. I'm being sure to make sure it has plain water as well.

I didn't think about electrolytes! Is it good to put it and the poultry cell together in the water? Or should I alternate? I really really appreciate your prompt response!

 

[FarmerGirl101]

Thank you so so much! The time frame really helps me know that it'll take some sticking to it but I'm more than happy to.

The syringe is 1 cc (1 mL) worth. It was the smallest they had but I figured that would make it the very easiest to dose for something so tiny.

Oh perfect, thank you. I gave it poultry cell in the egg yolk but I'll definitely be sure to mix some in with the water too. I'm being sure to make sure it has plain water as well.

I didn't think about electrolytes! Is it good to put it and the poultry cell together in the water? Or should I alternate? I really really appreciate your prompt response!

Of course! It should get better soon and if I'm not mistaken does resolve itself quickly in chicks when intervened early.

That should be good. They don't drink too much their first week of life but they do start to drink more after that. I'm not sure though how many mL per day they drink though.

I personally put them together. I use Hydro-Hen and when my chicks first arrive I mix electrolytes with nutridrench and poultry cell (slightly redundant doing the two but I have both on hand).

 

[newchickychick]

Of course! It should get better soon and if I'm not mistaken does resolve itself quickly in chicks when intervened early.

That should be good. They don't drink too much their first week of life but they do start to drink more after that. I'm not sure though how many mL per day they drink though.

I personally put them together. I use Hydro-Hen and when my chicks first arrive I mix electrolytes with nutridrench and poultry cell (slightly redundant doing the two but I have both on hand).

Thanks so so much! We've never had any chicks with wry neck before so I was zooming through running through Walmart while making sure I googled good sources for information on what treatments to go with. In the end I had to find a paste/gel for the E + selenium that's made for lambs, but saw several sources of chicken keepers who used it successfully. Fingers crossed!

I'll keep offering it water throughout the day but I'll be sure if it doesn't seem too eager to not force it. I'll grab a B Complex while I'm next out too!

 

[FarmerGirl101]

Thanks so so much! We've never had any chicks with wry neck before so I was zooming through running through Walmart while making sure I googled good sources for information on what treatments to go with. In the end I had to find a paste/gel for the E + selenium that's made for lambs, but saw several sources of chicken keepers who used it successfully. Fingers crossed!

I'll keep offering it water throughout the day but I'll be sure if it doesn't seem too eager to not force it. I'll grab a B Complex while I'm next out too!

Honestly, there are quite a few products for other animals that also work well for chickens.

As long as it knows where the water is then it should be good. Also, with chicks don't syringe directly into their mouth as they can aspirate it. Instead I squeeze out a drop of it and put it on their beak along the line of where their top and bottom beak meet. The corners of their mouth also works great.

 

[newchickychick]

Honestly, there are quite a few products for other animals that also work well for chickens.

As long as it knows where the water is then it should be good. Also, with chicks don't syringe directly into their mouth as they can aspirate it. Instead I squeeze out a drop of it and put it on their beak along the line of where their top and bottom beak meet. The corners of their mouth also works great.

That's what I've been doing. I've been SO scared I'd accidentally choke it on the water, so I rub it along that line and let it 'slurp' it up. It thankfully has seemed super eager to eat and drink. Will egg yolk be enough for it though if it's not able to really chow down on the chick starter? I want to be sure it's getting enough nutrition too. Or should I try to grind up some of the feed to a powder to mix in with it if it doesn't eat the feed?

 

[FarmerGirl101]

That's what I've been doing. I've been SO scared I'd accidentally choke it on the water, so I rub it along that line and let it 'slurp' it up. It thankfully has seemed super eager to eat and drink. Will egg yolk be enough for it though if it's not able to really chow down on the chick starter? I want to be sure it's getting enough nutrition too. Or should I try to grind up some of the feed to a powder to mix in with it if it doesn't eat the feed?

That's great to hear. It should be enough for now especially since you are giving it poultry cell so they'll be able to get the vitamins and minerals in that are needed.

Making a mash with it is a great idea. Not only will it get extra water and hydration but the mash consistency should make it easier for it to eat it. I will say from experience that even when grinded up it is super hard to syringe feed in a small syringe. What I would do with chicks is put a little on my finger and then transfer it to their beak inside their mouth.

 

[newchickychick]

That's great to hear. It should be enough for now especially since you are giving it poultry cell so they'll be able to get the vitamins and minerals in that are needed.

Making a mash with it is a great idea. Not only will it get extra water and hydration but the mash consistency should make it easier for it to eat it. I will say from experience that even when grinded up it is super hard to syringe feed in a small syringe. What I would do with chicks is put a little on my finger and then transfer it to their beak inside their mouth.

Thank you again! This is a huge relief. Hopefully the little one will take well to the treatment. I'll keep this updated as I go along. I'm going to be doing the vitamin regiment twice a day for five days, then I think I read to go down to once a day for another 5? Looks like a busy time ahead, but hopefully it'll be enough to help it pull through!

 

[FarmerGirl101]

Thank you again! This is a huge relief. Hopefully the little one will take well to the treatment. I'll keep this updated as I go along. I'm going to be doing the vitamin regiment twice a day for five days, then I think I read to go down to once a day for another 5? Looks like a busy time ahead, but hopefully it'll be enough to help it pull through!

Sounds like a good plan! Also, make sure the vitamin b complex has b1 or thiamine (same thing just different names).