8 week old chick tucking head between legs and shaking! Please help!

[peachesdeese]

I don't know any other way to discribe it! I have a 8 week old silkie chick that has its head tucked down between its legs. When I pick it up it shakes its head like its drunk. Its little eyes are half close....it seems confused? Won't eat but will drink if I stick its beak in the water. Anybody know what is wrong? The other 15 are fine! I put antibiotics in their water and separated the sickly one.

 

[akpeeps]

Sounds like a brain injury.

I have a 15 wk silkie old pullet with the same thing. I started giving her Polyvisol (no iron) drops and vit. E, but haven't been able to get a vet to prescribe Prednisone for the swelling. Mine has also started to develop scissor beak. It was normal until a few weeks ago.

Poor thing can't get a break. So far she is eating and drinking fine, but she'll dunk her whole head in the water. I think she's a little smaller than she should be though. I had several people suggest mixing pain yougurt and hard boiled egg with her food to help her gain weight.

 

[peachesdeese]

This poor little thing still will not eat. Hubby is going to cull her. I can't watch her suffer. It makes me sad.

 

[TamiHunter]

I had one of my buff silkies do that for a few months. It's head would fall between it's legs and it would walk backwards like that till it could get it's head back up the right way. It was a sad thing to see and almost culled it, but couldn't bring my self or anyone else to do it! One day it just stopped!! I was unable to tell witch one it was after a while. You know, noone was ever able to tell me what the problem was and noone had ever seen anything like it!! To this day I still don't know which one it was. I did nothing for it it just got better on it's own. I wish you the best of luck!!!

 

[fourfeathers]

Do a search for Alan Stanford's treatment for Crooked Neck. Very effective. WOuld not put antibiotics in water as this can be hard on its little system and there really is no reason. Most likely due to head injury, but can't know for sure. Sometimes botulism can mimic limberneck a bit. Could it have gotten infected feed? I would not cull personally, it can recover with tlc, but it does take a lot.

 

[peachesdeese]

It was eating the same feed as the rest of the babies. Everyone else is fine. Just this one pitiful chick. Its looking really bad and losing weight. I don't know what else to do!

 

[TamiHunter]

My silkie had no problems eating when it's head was up. There were a couple of times I had to help it but that was it. I was told at one point that is was a neurological thing. All you can do I think is help it along the best you can and see where that takes you. I wish there was something else I could help you with....

 

[blaines.insane]

If it's able to eat and drink, I wouldn't cull just yet... It's called wry neck, and it can be curable. Search for that, and you'll find some answers. There are probably better vids out there, but here's my blue silkie on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NykpyhBoVE0

I didn't treat him with anything, and he eventually pulled out of it and became mostly normal. There are several treatments that folks claim to work, but I guess it depends on whether or not you can find and afford the drugs.

Anyway, my point is, this fella turned out to be the cutest silkie I ever owned. His brain injury left him a little quirky, but he was SO sweet. I say save him if you can.

 

[peachesdeese]

blaines.insane :

If it's able to eat and drink, I wouldn't cull just yet... It's called wry neck, and it can be curable. Search for that, and you'll find some answers. There are probably better vids out there, but here's my blue silkie on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NykpyhBoVE0

I didn't treat him with anything, and he eventually pulled out of it and became mostly normal. There are several treatments that folks claim to work, but I guess it depends on whether or not you can find and afford the drugs.

Anyway, my point is, this fella turned out to be the cutest silkie I ever owned. His brain injury left him a little quirky, but he was SO sweet. I say save him if you can.

I watched your video. That is VERY simalar to what my chick is doing. But it won't eat and its head is tucked wayyyy further down. I keep trying to get it to eat but with no luck. I haven't had the heart to cull it. I keep trying!​