2 wk chick - won't lift head, twisted neck **12-1 Update - All BETTER!

[arlee453]

Checked on the babies this morning and found one that was sitting with her neck twisted almost all the way around and her head on the floor of the brooder. This is a 2 wk old silkie.

She seems fine otherwise. She CAN pick up her head but like she doesn't have good control of it. She's eating and moving around ok - doesn't act sick at all other than she is having trouble holding up her head.

Thoughts?? My first instinct is an injury of some kind - aren't silkies prone to head injuries??

I'll post pics in a minute

Edit: just a couple more symptoms... she walks backwards - like she is trying to get away from her head issues, but CAN walk forwards to get where she wants to go.

AND, this is sudden onset - this chick was absolutely fine at midnight last night when I went to bed.

 

[speckledhen]

They are prone to head injuries due to their open skull on top and also crookneck. If you have any or can get any polyvisol vitamin drops, those may help if it's crookneck. Diana or someone can give you the dosage for that.

 

[arlee453]

here's a couple of pics from different angles. You can see the chick is holding her head so that it is twisted almost all the way around and she ends up looking up.

Also she is walking backwards, like she is trying to get away from her twisted neck. She CAN walk forwards, just like she can lift her head when she wants to...but it seems easier for her to hold the head down and go backwards...

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Arlee...click on dlhunicorns links, there are articles there on crooked neck if thats what this is or send Diana a PM, she can help......it is poly visol that you need, like Cyn says you can get it in the childrens med section at any pharmacy...not sure on the dose either I'm thinking 2 or 3 drops in her water...even try an eye dropper and get some down her/him....

 

[silkhope]

Poor thing! It's 3 drops by mouth a day (bottle I bought comes with the dropper for infants), I think Diana says for 10 days then wean off.

 

[arlee453]

After looking at Diana's pages, I think this is caused by injury. I just don't think that they would have been exposed to any of the diseases that can cause this type of thing, since they have been isolated here in the house in the brooder since they hatched. AND the symptoms are very much right 'on' for the injury - the backing up, etc.

I'm going to run out and get the polyvisol and start the supportive therapy (vitamins and dipping the beak and watching to make sure she keeps eating)

Wish me luck - any other ideas are welcome!!

 

[dlhunicorn]

In addition to the polyvisol (this is for the B vitamins...it is better in this therapy to use only a b vitamin as vit A can interfere with uptake of vit E and the VitE/Selenium tabs are crucial to treatment >agway and walmart will have this combo , you just need to ensure that the selenium content per tab does NOT exceed 50 MICROgrams (not milligrams)... here is Alan Stanfords treatment article for crookneck due to head injury... sometimes you can get away with not giving the prednisone but if you see no progress within a week you really need to go to a vet (print out that thread) and get the pred.
http://dlhunicorn.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=casestudiesemergencies&action=display&num=1160927052

 

[arlee453]

Rascal is doing better - or at least no worse this evening. I had church council and was gone for a couple hours but when I got back she's grooming herself and I've seen her at the feeder all afternoon. With her head upside down, it's sort of funny - she keeps grooming her feet, like she never saw them before.... She can lift her head all the way up and look around - so she does have control of it, just seems to be a bigger effort to hold it straight.

Will keep on the vitamins and hope that at least it doesn't get any worse. Thanks for all the well wishes!

 

[hinkjc]

If your baby is on medicated chick feed, change to regular. The amprolium is a thiamin blocker that I have found to cause nervous disorders like this in some chicks. The poli vitamins are good and keep them going for a couple weeks in the water. If this is a vitamin uptake issue, it will resolve itself slowly. I hope she recovers well for you.

Jody

 

[arlee453]

Checked on Rascal this morning - she is MUCH better!!

She is holding her head up now MUCH more, and only has a slight tilt to her head. She's still a bit wobbly on her feet, but a big improvement from yesterday.

BTW, they are not on medicated chick starter... I do think this was an injury-related problem (thankfully!) since none of the other chicks are having any similar issues.

Thanks for all the help!