Wry neck...Treat or euthanize?? UPDATED with GREAT results!!

[LeafBlade12345]

We have had very bad records with wry neck in quail. None survived. Your poor chick seems to be in very bad shape. I would consider euthanization as her quality of life is probably low by now.

 

[chickspea]

Sorry to hear.. This makes me really desperate..
I'll let her sleep overnight as she would sleep anyway and hopefully she gets better by the morning.
If not I don't know even how to euthanize a chick.. So keeping all fingers crossed..

I feel I just can't give up on her, especially listening to the success stories, so I will just have to try...

 

[chickspea]

I read in a separate thread that Aspirin can be given to chicks. Would that help instead of the Prednison?

 

[Audio51]

Quote: Marek's seems to get blamed for almost anything neurological. According to most peoples (including some Vet) Marek's is pretty much everywhere there has ever been poultry kept in the past so it is more of a question of when, not if, your birds will eventually get it. I have submitted 3 birds for necropsy to UC Davis and one of the 3 said, based on the symptoms, it was "suggestive of Marek's" but nothing definitive.

Sadly enough my girl Stella ended up passing away. She seemed to improve but just stopped eating; couldn't figure out why, and no matter what I tried she just wouldn't eat. My flock is healthy, I have had no other problems, so God willing that will be the end of it, and I wish all of you good luck in treating your precious littles.

So sorry your girl didn't make it...

Peachick survived the night and is now eating on it's own and able to stand!!!

Good to hear! Hoping for a full recovery!

I have a Crested Cream Legbar cockerel about 4 months old that was showing a head tilt for the last couple of days, including this morning. By this afternoon he had the head completely twist to the side and cannot stand. He panics if I touch him. I brought him inside and he is in a cage now. He seems to stabilize if he backs into a corner but still has his head twisted. He can eat still. I started him on Poly-Vi-Sol w/o Iron, NutriDrench, Wheat Germ Oil (for Vit E) and .25 mcg of Selenium. I hope he recovers, but if I don't see any improvement within a week or so I will euthanize. I can't keep roosters here anyway and would have to rehome him and would not be able to do so in good conscience without disclosing his history. I think that would make him very difficult to find someone willing to take him on.

Meant o post an update on this guy sooner. Unfortunately he never improved enough to have any quality of life and I ended up putting him down about a week after treatment started. I don't know if the outcome would have been better if I had started to treat when I first sw the slight head tilt, but if it happens again I will definitely start sooner.

Sorry to hear.. This makes me really desperate..
I'll let her sleep overnight as she would sleep anyway and hopefully she gets better by the morning.
If not I don't know even how to euthanize a chick.. So keeping all fingers crossed..

I feel I just can't give up on her, especially listening to the success stories, so I will just have to try...

Hope your baby is better this morning. I think the young ones have a better chance of recovery since they are more likely to have a nutritional cause that is more easily corrected. As for euthanizing chicks...there are some very quick ways that are very distasteful for most folks (including me). It is not that it is bad it is just hard for most people and involves a pair of sharp scissors. My boy was too big for that method. I found some information about making a small CO2 chamber and using a mixture of vinegar and baking soda to make them sleepy and then stop breathing. It worked well for mine. If you want more info, PM me. Hopefully you will not need it!

 

[LeafBlade12345]

So sorry to give you that bad news....my problems were with quail, chickens are much more resilient. Keep us posted on how it goes. Also, you can look up ways to humanely euthanize. I know it is hard for all of us.

 

[chickspea]

Thanks Audio51 for keeping fingers crossed . Try to be patient and positive.. She is very small and young I guess at 4.5 months, so I will not give up on her a while..

She is not better, but she made it 'till the morning.
I gave her again 2-3 ml of water and the vitamin dose.
She is moving a bit, she is turned every now and then when I check on her status.. Try to be patient and positive.
I guess vitamins can't make miracles overnight, so I try to be hopeful if she will make the next 2-3 day...

Will post updates how it goes.

Still trying to figure out if I should give or shouldn't give the Aspirin.. Any suggestions?
How long will she survive without proper food, just 0.5 ml of egg yolk and water?

 

[Audio51]

Thanks Audio51 for keeping fingers crossed . Try to be patient and positive.. She is very small and young I guess at 4.5 months, so I will not give up on her a while..

She is not better, but she made it 'till the morning.
I gave her again 2-3 ml of water and the vitamin dose.
She is moving a bit, she is turned every now and then when I check on her status.. Try to be patient and positive.
I guess vitamins can't make miracles overnight, so I try to be hopeful if she will make the next 2-3 day...

Will post updates how it goes.

Still trying to figure out if I should give or shouldn't give the Aspirin.. Any suggestions?
How long will she survive without proper food, just 0.5 ml of egg yolk and water?

I believe aspirin is OK for chickens, but not sure. I did find some posts from @casportpony that indicate it is OK, but no more than 81 mg (baby aspirin or "low dose") for an adult large fowl. She is our Go-TO gal for questions of that sort on the Northern California thread. The dose would have to be pretty small for a baby. How old is the chick? Is it eating yet?

 

[KayTee]

Aspirin is fine for chickens - my vet prescribed me some last year. I just looked up the dosage, and she said 0.5g aspirin per day (divided into two doses, one in the morning one in the evening). However, that was for a 3kg (6.5 lb) chicken, so trying to dose for a smaller bird may be pretty difficult.

 

[chickspea]

Thank you KayTee! I gave her about 150 mg Aspirin so far, in two doses. One last night, and one today.

She got worse, just sleeping. I fed her 1 ml egg yolk, and 1-2 ml water about 3-4 times already. She was barely awake for seconds in the morning, but wouldn't open her eyes for the past 3 hours now..

The only good news is that her neck had straightened up, she can now sit without looking at the sky, but her toes (or whatever they are cold) are curled un and she is supported by towels to be able to sit..

 

[casportpony]

I think 150mg is way too much. See this picture for dosing info:


-Kathy