Wry Neck - Confused about treatment

[Tracilynne]

So what do you do? She is flying in her pin. Active. But still has crooked neck. And I have started with a regimen a gentleman gave me which is vitamin e and the poly infant vitamins. I gave her molasses in water too. Everything seems fine with her other than her neck being curved.

 

[Lacrystol]

Wryneck is more to do with a thiamine deficiency and can take weeks or months to correct. The vitamins need time to take effect. Ataxia often starts in the leg and works it's way up to the neck.

I don't fully believe that with it starting in the legs..first we haven't even confirmed the leg, she could just have it twisted funny. Not all Chickens or ducks pose in a nice professional way, wry neck could also happen with just a blow to the head, silkies are known for it. When that happens, legs are not affected, only the head area, due to injury.

 

[Lacrystol]

Ataxia refers to loss of co-ordination or a staggered gait. Not walking very steady . With some cases of wryneck the ataxia is first noticed in the legs and then progressively worsens and ascends to the neck.

Not really, again, silkies are known for head injuries and nothing visible with the legs. only the head.

 

[Lacrystol]

So what do you do? She is flying in her pin. Active. But still has crooked neck. And I have started with a regimen a gentleman gave me which is vitamin e and the poly infant vitamins. I gave her molasses in water too. Everything seems fine with her other than her neck being curved.

So your confirming her Legs are NOT affected???

 

[Fancychooklady]

Not really, again, silkies are known for head injuries and nothing visible with the legs.  only the head.

Im well aware of the incidence of cerebral hernia in crested birds. Peck injuries are not the only cause. My comment on ataxia was simply to explain that often earlier symptoms (leg issues ) , go unnoticed .
So in the absence of injury and extreme heat , I would be sticking with the vets advice. And as per my first post, I reiterate, give the vitamins time to work.

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/6/diseases-of-poultry/216/vitamin-bi-deficiency/
http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article.html

These articles are a good reference source and discuss cerebral hernia.

 

[Lacrystol]

Crested birds. I personally believe crested birds have issues genetically..

As far as the leg issue that is why I'm asking to confirm. To me I can see the leg issue but then again when taken a pic, they tend to pose in a way that it looks like a legs issue, there's a separate treatment for that...I'm obviously not there so I couldn't possible confirm... The only reason I pointed it out IS because I noticed it. Others may not have...

He may have more then one problem going on, the only way to tell is to take notice of these things and confirm. Then, of course, I personally would be added more treatments to the already treatments to get on top of things and hope for recovery..

Hopefully the vitamins he's getting now is helping some what...

 

[Dawn4127]

Good Afternoon all,

I found this thread last night and joined the group on the spot. From doing research here and other places on bing, I'm sure we have a young pullet who has wry neck and it's pretty advanced too. I chalk it up to not knowing a darn thing about chickens. I'm sorry!

We purchased her (she's a Rhode Island Red) as a day old chick on 3/25 this year so she's young. She was the same as all the other girls (10 RIRs and 2 Dominiques) but we lost two to unknown causes and when the dog knocked the cage off the counter, we thought she had a broken leg and she did. We put a splint on it. That was probably a little before we bought the second group (Americaunas and Buff Orphingtons) on 4/17 and put that first group out in the chicken coop. She did fine with the little ones and they seemed to cuddle up to her like a momma. Soon though, she wasn't standing up at all anymore, even on the one leg and just laying in the cage. With the weather warmed up here on the desert, we put the little ones out in the hen house and left her inside with us. That's when we noticed the neck twisting. She pushes her head down to her breast on the left side of her body and then turns her head to the right to right angles to her body.

From what I had read on this thread, it's a vitamin deficiency but we didn't read far enough to find solutions to it and were thinking it would just get better if we hand fed her and gave her water every few hours. It didn't get better but she was still eating. Last night she seemed no better, actually a little worse because the wing she'd been laying on (her right one) wasn't laying down right anymore and I had had to bathe her twice to get all the poop off her from flopping around in it.

We're pretty sure it's wry neck because of some of the reading. 1) it's obviously not contagious because no one else has any other symptoms. 2) all the symptoms of wry neck are there and were there had we noticed them. The one foot behind the other, the tremors and floppy neck.

Today we got the poly vi sol (non-iron), vitamin E, Pedialyte, selenium and only were missing the medicated chick feed. She's been eating up the regular chick feed and crumbles. She seems to really eat up that stuff and not need it watered down to mud. I switched out water for the Pedialyte (non flavored, non colored) and mixed the E and the poly vi sol into the crumbles with a bit of the selenium. She's eaten twice now and drank as much too. We're feeding her about every other hour during the day. In order to feed her we have to hold her with two hands holding her wings to her body and keep her legs from kicking out. I sort of hold her as if she was standing, more normal position and when she sees the feed she readily pecks it over and over. I give her water first and she generally dips her beak in and lifts her head a dozen or more times before I offer the food. Then again to the water and then back to resting. She lays on her right side quietly at first but in an hour she might wiggle a little and chirp. We generally are feeding her every time she starts moving and chirping. Even to the point of getting up during the night to feed her too.

From what I can gather on this thread it will take at least several months to get her back to normal and she may stay in the house all summer till she can go out with the other girls. Her size is smaller than the ones we got on 4/17 and she's not even half the size of her siblings born 3/24.. We've been calling her Gimpy but.. I think Cinnamon might be a better name because she's spicy and a fighter.

Any other ideas are welcome.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Good Afternoon all,

I found this thread last night and joined the group on the spot. From doing research here and other places on bing, I'm sure we have a young pullet who has wry neck and it's pretty advanced too. I chalk it up to not knowing a darn thing about chickens. I'm sorry!

We purchased her (she's a Rhode Island Red) as a day old chick on 3/25 this year so she's young. She was the same as all the other girls (10 RIRs and 2 Dominiques) but we lost two to unknown causes and when the dog knocked the cage off the counter, we thought she had a broken leg and she did. We put a splint on it. That was probably a little  before we bought the second group (Americaunas and Buff Orphingtons) on 4/17 and put that first group out in the chicken coop. She did fine with the little ones and they seemed to cuddle up to her like a momma. Soon though, she wasn't standing up at all anymore, even on the one leg and just laying in the cage. With the weather warmed up here on the desert, we put the little ones out in the hen house and left her inside with us. That's when we noticed the neck twisting. She pushes her head down to her breast on the left side of her body and then turns her head to the right to right angles to her body.

From what I had read on this thread, it's a vitamin deficiency but we didn't read far enough to find solutions to it and were thinking it would just get better if we hand fed her and gave her water every few hours. It didn't get better but she was still eating. Last night she seemed no better, actually a little worse because the wing she'd been laying on (her right one) wasn't laying down right anymore and I had had to bathe her twice to get all the poop off her from flopping around in it.

We're pretty sure it's wry neck because of some of the reading. 1) it's obviously not contagious because no one else has any other symptoms. 2) all the symptoms of wry neck are there and were there had we noticed them. The one foot behind the other, the tremors and floppy neck.

Today we got the poly vi sol (non-iron), vitamin E, Pedialyte, selenium and only were missing the medicated chick feed. She's been eating up the regular chick feed and crumbles. She seems to really eat up that stuff and not need it watered down to mud. I switched out water for the Pedialyte (non flavored, non colored) and mixed the E and the poly vi sol into the crumbles with a bit of the selenium. She's eaten twice now and drank as much too. We're feeding her about every other hour during the day. In order to feed her we have to hold her with two hands holding her wings to her body and keep her legs from kicking out. I sort of hold her as if she was standing, more normal position and when she sees the feed she readily pecks it over and over. I give her water first and she generally dips her beak in and lifts her head a dozen or more times before I offer the food. Then again to the water and then back to resting. She lays on her right side quietly at first but in an hour she might wiggle a little and chirp. We generally are feeding her every time she starts moving and chirping. Even to the point of getting up during the night to feed her too.

From what I can gather on this thread it will take at least several months to get her back to normal and she may stay in the house all summer till she can go out with the other girls. Her size is smaller than the ones we got on 4/17 and she's not even half the size of her siblings born 3/24.. We've been calling her Gimpy but.. I think Cinnamon might be a better name because she's spicy and a fighter.

Any other ideas are welcome.

Sounds like you are committed to getting this little one on her feet. If you are giving the polyvisol you really don't need to give pedialyte as well. I would just stick with the polyvisol and vit E . Excess Selenium can be fatal . Don't feed medicated feed as it is a thiamine inhibitor and thiamine is more likely what she is deficient in. It can be a long road to recovery but not always , keep up the good work and

 

[Dawn4127]

Ah! Thank you! I was worried about the medicated feed so I will skip that and it puts my mind at ease over it. I will scale back on the pedialyte and make SURE I don't give much of the selenium either. I ground it up and will just put a pinch in for every other day's feeding. Thank you!

 

[Lacrystol]

Ah! Thank you! I was worried about the medicated feed so I will skip that and it puts my mind at ease over it. I will scale back on the pedialyte and make SURE I don't give much of the selenium either. I ground it up and will just put a pinch in for every other day's feeding. Thank you!

I think you should add one more ingredient, some Vitamin B complete, you can give her human kinds, just put one pill in a quart of water. Vitamin B is EXCELLENT for leg issues. Your on the right track, just remember they get worst before they get better.. So don't expect instant recovery, However once she does recover, don't just STOP all vitamins, gradually decrease it.

I personally do not use selenium, they can do without..