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

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Three Cedars Silkies

Three Cedars Silkies

Crowing
11 Years
Apr 17, 2008
5,032
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283
Gainesville, Fl.
I am hoping to get folks input who have successfully or unsuccesfully treated birds with wry neck. I just euthanize a juvenile silkie last week that had wry neck and today I have another one with it. I've treated 2 others in the past, both unsuccessfully.

My gut reaction is to just go ahead and euthanize the juvenile that I found today, but before I do I wanted to see what others response has been. I've read just about every internet article that there is and every treatment that folks have used.

I just want to know what your results have been. I could make this a poll, I suppose????

See page 2 for update and treatment regimen
 
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I treated a pullet with wry neck by squirting Vitamin E capsules into her beak , once a day, I think. She was really bad to begin with, but the others weren't picking on her, so I left her in the pen with them. I think I may also have force fed her regular feed softened with water for a few days--I really don't remember for certain. It took quite awhile, but she recovered fully. At first I also would gently untangle her head and place it in the feed trough at least twice a day. She would then eat hungrily. She was getting water by herself, but got herself quite soaked doing it. I feel sure that someone pecked her or she hit her head on something--she had a high vaulted skull.
 
I have had most of mine recover from it, knock on wood. Seems to pop up either very young or at about 3-4 months in Silkies .....Vitamin E gel caps dribbled into the beak,2X & poly- vi- sol or Poultry nuti drench and give plenty of scrambled eggs. If you can catch it in time, it is easier. It can take a bit depending on how severe. If they can't straighten their head up at all, I will wrap a thin piece of bubble wrap around their neck, making a neck brace, and have them wear it over night. They often pull it off, but somehow that motion seems to help.......
 
I had a juvenile Silkie chick develop wry neck. I bought the Vitamin E gel tabs to treat her with. I cut the end off and squirted the liquid into her beak. After about 4 days I had to band her leg to be able to tell which one I was supposed to be treating. Her recovery was very fast...1 week and she was back to normal. I highly recommend you try it...it definitely can't hurt because it is treatable and curable.

Good luck!
 
The first time I ever kept chickens I had a lovely white silkie rooster who developed this. I had no idea what it was, but ended up hand feeding him as he couldn't feed himself. Gave him antibiotic injections for a week, but in the end, had to euthanize. I had never heard of the vitamin E treatment. I always felt bad, thinking that there should have been something more to do for him. I have just recently acquired chickens again, including silkies, so will have a reference point if it happens again.
 
We have one lucky Black Australorp that survived wry neck thanks to all the input from friends on
this BYC site!

We caught it early, did the research, started treatments:

Poly visol once a day, vit E once a day, some pedialyte in the water, and scrambled eggs, yogurt as treats.
We did this for about three weeks, tapering off during week three. When she was having a bad moment, I'd
gently uncurl her neck and hold it up for a moment or two which seemed like it helped a little bit.

I did band her leg with a twisty tie so I could tell her from the other two Australorps. Left her with the others
since it seemed that any increase in stress would set her off. One suggestion was to give the vit E with Selenium
but by the time I found it and bought it the capsules were not in liquid form so never did use any of it.

Give it a try. Be warned you wear as much of the poly visol and vet E as the bird gets, if not more!
smile.png
 
The juvie silkie is holding her own. She like to sleep with on her back, which I don't like, but she seems to be comfortable that way. Then she hops up and goes to the feed and water. Her head does curl downward still, but when you gently uncurl it she keeps it up and goes right to her elevated feed dish and chows down. We have one feed dish high and one low in her little crate. Her crop is pretty full most of the time, so I'm thinking she is getting enough to eat.

We began treatment with the Vit. E and liquid B12 complex plus 1mg prednisone twice a day. This afernoon is only 24 hours and we're thinking she at least isn't worse. We are hoping for some improvement by tomorrow.

Again, I thank all of you for your encouragement!
 

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