Chick can not stop head from shaking?! Help!!

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nlbeardmore

nlbeardmore

Chirping
8 Years
Jun 27, 2011
116
1
91
England
We have had 14 successful hatched chicks over the last few days. One of the later ones to hatch (an Orpington) is unable to stop its head from shaking left to right when awake, I have noticed it stops once it is relaxed and falling to sleep.
I have tried to do some research myself but thought better to ask whether anyone has experienced this before? I doubt it is to do with my incubation as others are fine.
I have started to feed it extra vitamins, especially vitamin E although it is very difficult with a chick so small whose head keeps moving.
Any ideas?
 
Not contagious and others may chime in about using vitamins and electrolytes and such but I personally have never had any luck
 
It's not contagious. Some people have treated it with vitamin E. You might want to do a search on wry neck for the exact remedies. I had a 1 day old & had to cull. Now that I've learned more, I might have tried some remedies. Next time I order chicks I'll have some of the necessary ingredients on hand. Good luck.
 
I have just watched a video of a chick with wry neck miraculously recovering within hours, although the symptoms do look different. There is a limit to how much I will spend but I have bought a children's vitamins without iron and vit e. I will do my best but I am struggling to get it to eat so not sure how long it will survive. My neighbour has offered to cull if we need to, it is just so little! What would have caused the wry neck?
 
My chick was shipped & it spent 5 days in transit. This little one had been wedged up against the side. I think it was an injury/shipping stress combo. My husband had to cull. I didn't ask.
 
It has been 4 days now and no improvement in the chick after having vit e, vitamins and medicated feed which also contains extra vitamins. I have also noticed another chick of the same breed and batch that keeps running backwards and is not eating. They are both in a seperate brooder now receiving intensive care.
They both won't stop cheeping, I feel like giving up!

What do people suggest I do?
Is this condition really curable?
 
Try stopping the medicated feed. If yours has amprollium as the medication, amprollium controls the cocci protozoa by blocking thiamine uptake. A thiamine deficiency can cause all sorts of issues, including neurological disorders (which it sounds like you've got going on, head wobbling is pretty common in Silkies, which I raise). Continue to give the vitamin E and add selenium to the mix (lots of folks use Poly-vi-sol baby vitamins without the iron).

One of my Silkie roosters has a head shake, he's had it since a few days after I brought him home. I treated him with vitamin E and selenium and it got better. He still does it, but its slight now. He used to bang his head like a rock star, it was so bad he couldn't focus to peck around at things on the ground or get food and water.

Good luck.
 
Thanks for the reply
I live in the uk so cannot get poly-vi-sol but I have got something which I believe to be similar and without iron. I have got vit e capsules which I am mixing with water. I have just checked the feed, it is called critical care fine grind. Checked the ingredients and can't see that it contains amprollium. I have put it on this as it is unable to eat, like silkie it's head just misses the food. My two are orpingtons. Can they live a normal happy life with this condition? How long did it take until you saw an improvement?
Also where would I get selenium from?
Thanks
 

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