Chickens holding heads in floor and wobbling

[Tom conway]

Help,
My tolbunt polish hen and cockerel have both got there heads hanging on the floor but are both standing, it's as if they can't lift there head at all. They just stand there wobbling but not doing anything. There 10 altogether in the same pen but non of the others are looking like it at all. They were fine last night but this morning like this. I will put a picture on in a second. Please help

 

[Kiwichins]

Ok Im not an expert but I wonder if inner ear infection I recently saw a kiwi on the new with a head tilt upside down so could be something similar was inner ear infection it healed with antibiotics and steroids.
Maybe best to separate incase of disease and to stop them being picked on and maybe get to a vet for treatment. I think ear mites can cause ear infections so maybe some Ivomec treatment and have heard using Hydrogen peroxide to clean the ear not sure how easy to do.
Hopefully someone else has some idea,
Keep us posted how they get on I hope you can get them sorted, If its mites I would Ivomec the flock and check hen house incase mites in there too.
Goodluck

 

[Tom conway]

Okay thank you, I think I will take them to the vets to see what they think, I will check there ears over now and there houses just incase it is mites then I will have a go treating them myself. Yeah probably best to separate them just incase.
Thanks for helping so soon

 

[Kiwichins]

That's ok just wanted to help
I think the hydrogen peroxide you flush the ears with it like in a syringe when I googled came up on this forum so do a search for more info
Worth a try and then vets
I hope they improve look like lovely hens!
found this in my search
Quote:
Originally Posted by dawg53

For inner ear infections you can use an eyedropperful of hydrogen peroxide and put a few drops directly into the ear. It'll bubble up, use a Q-tip to wipe the ear canal clean, be very careful and gentle, dont go in too far. Try and soak up as much of the liquid as you can with the Q-tips. You might have to pull off some of the cotton on the tip of the Q-tips in order for it to fit inside the ear. Once you're done, use neosporin ointment and squeeze the ointment directly into the ear canal, filling it. You're finished.
The best way to do this is to snugly wrap her in a towel and lay her on the side where you can easily work on her ear. Then flip her over if you have to do the same thing to the other ear.

 

[Eggcessive]

Help,
My tolbunt polish hen and cockerel have both got there heads hanging on the floor but are both standing, it's as if they can't lift there head at all. They just stand there wobbling but not doing anything. There 10 altogether in the same pen but non of the others are looking like it at all. They were fine last night but this morning like this. I will put a picture on in a second. Please help

They are showing signs of a paralyzed neck or limber neck which can be a sign of Botulism or Mareks disease. Botulism is caused by eating a toxin from dead animal or fish carcasses, maggots, and sometimes vegetation that has been rotting in absence of air (think compost.) Mareks is a virus that can cause many different symptoms such as paralysis of extremeties or neck, tumors, or eye problems. There is no treatment for either, but only to do supportive therapy. I would be more suspect of botulism since they are showing symptoms at the same time. Other possibilitis are moldy feed, poisons,or heavy metal poisoning.Here is some information for you:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/19/botulism/
https://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000791_Rep813.pdf
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq

Wry neck can also be possible if the necks are in spasm, and it should be treated with poultry vitamins including vitamin B1 thiamine, vitamin E, and selenium. Poultry Nutri-Drench contains all 3, and selenium is found in eggs, meat, fish, nuts, and sunflower seeds.

 

[lilrox]

This morning one of my chickens was acting the same way as your chickens. She had her head resting on the ground and was wobbly. I was wondering what your chickens ended up having and how they are? I am worried about her and I have separated her from the other hens for now. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Eggcessive]

This morning one of my chickens was acting the same way as your chickens.  She had her head resting on the ground and was wobbly.  I was wondering what your chickens ended up having and how they are?  I am worried about her and I have separated her from the other hens for now.  Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

The OP didn't post any more about the chicken. Wry neck is a symptom of many things. Vitamin E deficiency, head injury, Mareks disease, and any other disease that can affect the brain. It can last day to weeks, and sometimes is never cured. Give some Vitamin E and the mineral selenium (which can be found in Poultry NutriDrench and Poultry Cell vitamins) daily to see if it helps. You may need to add water to the feed, and hand feed a couple of times a day to get some in her. Eggs contain selenium, so you can give a little daily for selenium if your poultry vitamins don't contain it.

 

[lilrox]

Thank you so much for the information!