ktburdi77
In the Brooder
- Aug 16, 2017
- 4
- 7
- 19
We have a 10 month old Silkie rooster that had wry neck as a chick. We treated with Poly-Vi-Sol per info we found online with good results and he went on with his business. About a month ago the condition returned with severity and that's when I found this website and we did lots of reading searching for answers or at least hope with could save our buddy, and yes he is a pet. We are pet chicken people so there is always a balance that is painful in determining the quality of the animals life vs putting them out of their misery.
We started with the PVS like the first round with no results, we fed natural sources of selenium with vitamin E purchased in capsules. It was a hassle to deal with the oily capsules after cutting them open but all the liquid vitamin E we found said it was for topical application and had other ingredients listed. Out of options we went to a local health food store and ask if they carried vitamin E in liquid form. He pulled a bottle off the shelf and I had a moment of sticker shock. $21 dollars for a bottle smaller than the PVS container (it had cost $8). He was very nice when I explained that it was for a chicken and that I would think about it and come back. He said he understood but to make sure that regardless of where it was purchased that it was natural not synthetic. I asked how I could tell and he explained the labeling difference. He stated that humans only absorb a fraction of the vitamin in synthetic form compared to natural. I decided that our beloved Sal (formerly Sally until he began crowing
) was worth the cash, it was worth a try and I bought it.
After almost a month of treating him, hand feeding him and countless daily trips to the coop to stand him up and help him in and out of his box we started giving him the natural vitamin E purchased at the health food store. Within 24 hours he was sitting, like a roosting hen without flopping over every time he moved his head. Within 48 hours he was walking crouched low to the ground and wobbly but the boy was on the move! We were thrilled to say the least. It's been a week and now he greets us at the coop door flapping his wings and talking to us. He head is still cocked to one side a bit but other than that he is fine. This morning I heard him crow for the first time in over a month! What a happy sound.
I am including info below (found on Bing) regarding vitamin E types in case anyone else may benefit from our experience.
On a supplement label, natural vitamin E is listed as d-alpha tocopherol, d-alpha tocopheryl acetate, or d-alpha tocopheryl succinate. In contrast, synthetic forms of vitamin E are labeled with a dl-prefix. Alpha-tocopherol is the most biologically active form of vitamin E.
We started with the PVS like the first round with no results, we fed natural sources of selenium with vitamin E purchased in capsules. It was a hassle to deal with the oily capsules after cutting them open but all the liquid vitamin E we found said it was for topical application and had other ingredients listed. Out of options we went to a local health food store and ask if they carried vitamin E in liquid form. He pulled a bottle off the shelf and I had a moment of sticker shock. $21 dollars for a bottle smaller than the PVS container (it had cost $8). He was very nice when I explained that it was for a chicken and that I would think about it and come back. He said he understood but to make sure that regardless of where it was purchased that it was natural not synthetic. I asked how I could tell and he explained the labeling difference. He stated that humans only absorb a fraction of the vitamin in synthetic form compared to natural. I decided that our beloved Sal (formerly Sally until he began crowing
) was worth the cash, it was worth a try and I bought it.After almost a month of treating him, hand feeding him and countless daily trips to the coop to stand him up and help him in and out of his box we started giving him the natural vitamin E purchased at the health food store. Within 24 hours he was sitting, like a roosting hen without flopping over every time he moved his head. Within 48 hours he was walking crouched low to the ground and wobbly but the boy was on the move! We were thrilled to say the least. It's been a week and now he greets us at the coop door flapping his wings and talking to us. He head is still cocked to one side a bit but other than that he is fine. This morning I heard him crow for the first time in over a month! What a happy sound.
I am including info below (found on Bing) regarding vitamin E types in case anyone else may benefit from our experience.
On a supplement label, natural vitamin E is listed as d-alpha tocopherol, d-alpha tocopheryl acetate, or d-alpha tocopheryl succinate. In contrast, synthetic forms of vitamin E are labeled with a dl-prefix. Alpha-tocopherol is the most biologically active form of vitamin E.
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