Penguin the chick with the crooked neck

[sasimpson77]

Hi I am going to get vitamins for this baby tomorrow but thought I would also try splinting it. It is a fighter

1st put some cardboard to try to straighten its neck

then I used guaze around the body and used it to pull the neck over a bit


My son named him Penguin

 

[chooks4life]

Cute little thing. I'm very partial to fighters myself, I find them worth far more than those that never faced a battle.

Splinting the neck is only a good idea when you know why it's crooked. I.e. injury.

If it's a muscle spasm pulling it that way, you could be merely bracing the neck so that the muscles will tear. If the chick shows signs of pain, I would remove the brace. The neck twisting is likely caused by either disease or malnutrition. Often in chicks it's easily corrected, but making sure the parents have full nutrition is a better bet so this doesn't happen again.

I've not had this problem but there's a poster called Eggcessive who often attends to such posts and he/she may be able to suggest the best supplement for this issue; B vitamins and vitamin E is a good start. If it is nutritional, feeding the right supplement will most likely cure it. If not, no harm done, at least you'll know what it isn't, but if it's disease causing this, you may have to cull. However, in an animal so young, wry neck etc are almost always caused by parental malnutrition.

Best wishes with the little Penguin, I'm a believer in giving fighters a chance. Many of them make it. But that requires some knowledge to assist and one can never learn too much, I reckon. Hope it works out.

 

[sasimpson77]

Cute little thing. I'm very partial to fighters myself, I find them worth far more than those that never faced a battle.

Splinting the neck is only a good idea when you know why it's crooked. I.e. injury.

If it's a muscle spasm pulling it that way, you could be merely bracing the neck so that the muscles will tear. If the chick shows signs of pain, I would remove the brace. The neck twisting is likely caused by either disease or malnutrition. Often in chicks it's easily corrected, but making sure the parents have full nutrition is a better bet so this doesn't happen again.

I've not had this problem but there's a poster called Eggcessive who often attends to such posts and he/she may be able to suggest the best supplement for this issue; B vitamins and vitamin E is a good start. If it is nutritional, feeding the right supplement will most likely cure it. If not, no harm done, at least you'll know what it isn't, but if it's disease causing this, you may have to cull. However, in an animal so young, wry neck etc are almost always caused by parental malnutrition.

Best wishes with the little Penguin, I'm a believer in giving fighters a chance. Many of them make it. But that requires some knowledge to assist and one can never learn too much, I reckon. Hope it works out.

Hi yeah these eggs were some I got from a farmer I know he feeds his flock mostly corn and just a bit of layer feed this is the second batch of his eggs I have done and I am beginning to think that I am losing a lot of the chicks from him because of it I know he provides the local schools with eggs as well and they are successful but that could be because they free range more when it is warmer which helps there diet. This year I know the chickens do not want to go outside it is just too bitter cold. So far out of about 5 dozen eggs I ave only managed to get two healthy chicks. But then I am also not sure because I have gotten two and a half dozen from some one else and have only got one chick and I do not think it is going to make it and I know she is very aware of how she feeds her chickens. I know I am also new to incubating so there are many factors that are coming into play I think though I will wait to get more eggs from the farmer until it warms up and his chickens are free ranging more. I wish my chickens would start laying again I have had good luck with there eggs.

 

[sasimpson77]

Update on Penguin he is doing pretty good he can now walk abit befor he falls over and his neck seems to be straightening some and he took interst in food today and I did not have to force feed him. He does fsll over but is occasionally able to get himself upright I did end up removing the neck splint as it seemed to aggravate him and making things more difficult. So we will just wait and see how he does