A happy ending to a wry neck chick story! (WITH PICS) - WITH UPDATE

[dixiechickmissy]

I just did what you prescribed and my baby is now standing and eating. I went to put her with the others and her neck twisted around again...Instant results and thank you so very much. I see light at the end of the tunnel at least. I thought she had an injured neck and was dieing..;-( There is hope but it sounds like a lifetime commitment. I guessIi will have my house hen after all..LOL THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! Start sewing my chickie diapers ...

 

[chinzilla]

I'm glad this helped! Definitely not a lifetime commitment - butch is now one of the sturdiest in my flock! You would never know she had any issues

 

[twoscrambled]

Hello- I am now in your shoes and need to know what dosage the selenium tablet and vitamin E capsule is? Thank you so much for your help and encouragement.

 

[twoscrambled]

I would like to preface this post by saying if your chicken has wry neck (aka “crook neck”) do not despair and do not give up hope! It takes patience, time, and dedication, but you CAN help your chicken pull out of her crisis.

We have only been chicken owners for the last three or four months – so it has definitely been a “learn as you go” deal. We have five chickens – Lil, Bo, Peep, Butch, and Pistol. Lil, Butch, and Pistol are silkies – Bo is believed to be a silkie mix and Peep is definitely a Rhode Island Red mix. Bo and Peep were our original two chickens and then we decided to bring on more (because you all know that you can’t just have two chickens) and so Lil, Butch, and then Pistol were added into the mix. We noticed on day one that Butch was a little wobbly with her neck but didn’t give it any thought. Here is a photo of her (or him) before the wry neck:



Then we noticed that she started tilting her head a lot more (seen here):



Then one day out of nowhere, she was dragging her head across the coop, unable to lift it, and then holding her head in a completely 180 degree angle which gave me nightmares:





It was horrifying. I called the sweet woman who we had purchased the silkies from in a panic – she suggested it might be wry neck. I immediately hopped on the computer and began researching. We immediately pulled Butch out of her coop and brought her into the house into our bathroom in a large box. Whenever she moved in the coop, Lil got so excited that she bounded over and jumped on Butch – causing her neck to worsen. Wry neck worsens with stress so you must remove the chick from a stressful situation. I went and purchased Poly Vi Sol and began giving it to Butch to start with 2x a day. She made zero progress. It was heart breaking. I had to give her water through the dropper as well.

After more research, I went and purchased Selenium tablets and vitamin E capsules, and electrolyte powder to put in her water. I crushed the selenium tablets and put it in her food (she would untwist her head a little to eat, but then would fall right back into twisting) but then I realized she probably wasn’t getting any. I crushed ONE tablet of the selenium and inserted it into HALF a bottle of poly vi sol and opened up the capsule of vitamin E and poured it in as well. I increased her dosage to a quarter of the dropper 3x a day with this new mixture (and at this point my heart had broken and I was losing hope). After giving her the mixture, I would fill the dropper with the electrolyte water and give it to her (one drop at a time so they don’t drown). Then I would GENTLY untwist her neck (be sure you’re going the right way!!! They twist in a specific direction. Going the wrong way will make the chick chirp painfully and you can snap it’s neck – but you MUST help them get out of their twist) and put her by the food – which she would then start to peck at and eat. Right after eating she would go back to the twisted position.
Thursday she could hold her head up for about 30 seconds at a time.

Friday she made it up to 15 minutes. Saturday she progressed to 30 minutes at a time. (Saturday she also regressed worse than ever – be prepared for ups and downs but don’t give up). On Sunday I tried something new after she made it to almost two hours. I remembered that Bo and Peep got really stressed and aggressive with house lighting – so I turned off all of the lights on Sunday night before I went to bed (I normally left on a little tiny light as a night light). Monday she progressed to four hours of head up! By Tuesday morning (after another night of darkness) her head was still up from the night before! She had made it 8 hours!

I honestly sat down and cried I was so emotional (hey – you really begin to bond with the chick when you’re feeding her with a dropper several times a day praying for her survival!). During the day I covered the box with a towel to make it dark inside. I came back for lunch – head still up. That night… head STILL UP! This morning she’s made it to 36 amazing hours of no twisting! (all this time still giving her the mixture 3x day and finishing it with the water).

I feel like we have finally gotten over the hump. Wry neck can easily regress, however, if you don’t give your chick sufficient time to recover. She will remain in the bathroom for the next two to three weeks until we are confident that she has regained all of her former strength and that going back with the chickens will not cause her to stress and twist again.

Here is a photo of her this morning : notice! HEAD IS UP!! Sorry about the darkness – I didn’t want to startle her.



I hope this gives some of you some hope and the tools you need to save your chicks.

Hello -could you please tell me the dosage of the Selinium tablet and vitamin E capsule? BLessings

 

[chinzilla]

For the full bottle of polyvisol I used 2 vitamin e tablets (you'll have to squish them) and 2 selenium tablets (crushed). Don't forget to separate the chick in a dark quiet area otherwise they will get stressed about the other chicks

Be patient the chick will be okay! Butch has now become one of my most solid egg layers!

 

[country]

I hope your baby turned out okay! I actually dropped off directions for what to do should crooked neck appear at our local feed store - the owner told me that leaving the directions have saved the lives of several chicks!

Good for you chinzilla. I never thought about passing the word about wry neck around to the feed stores, but I do forewarn chick buyers about the possibilities of a chick getting it. Even though the chances are minimal, seeing a chick with wry neck is a very scary thing, especially for a new chicken owner, & I'm sure a lot of chicks have died just because people didn't know it could be treated. Also, it does seem to be getting more common & a lot of different breeds are being affected by it. Here in CA our soils seem to be depleted of selenium so the grains & grasses grown here are also lacking. Many livestock people are giving selenium supplements to goats & horses but chickens are very sensitive to an overdose so we poultry people have to just treat it if it shows up. I give vitamins & electrolytes + organic vinegar to all my chicks just to help keep them healthy, but none contain selenium so it doesn't keep wry neck from happening. I personally don't think it's genetic, but just in case it is, any chick that has had wry neck is taken out of the genetic pool. I keep them myself as therapy birds or I place them in pet homes where I know they won't be used for breeding.

Here is my treatment for wry neck that has been very successful.
A.M.
50 mg of selenium - I give mine by putting it in the back of the chick's throat & then massaging the neck until it's swallowed. Chicks can overdose on selenium so do not give more than 50 mg each day. Could probably be given in crushed form mixed with water or even mixed with vit. E & given with eyedropper.
1000 units of vit. E - I cut off the end & squeeze the liquid into the chicks mouth. Vit. E is needed to help the chick absorb the selenium.
Polyvisol (without added iron) - a few drops in the chicks mouth about 3 times a day.
P.M. 1000 units of vit. E
Once the chick appears normal, continue treatment for at least another 2 weeks before integrating back into the flock. I usually put a chick of the same age in with the wry chick for a few days & let them bond before putting both back into the flock.

Do everything possible to keep stress levels down - quiet room, low lighting, etc. I would also suggest putting a small stuffed animal in with the chick so it can cuddle with it. Lowers stress & helps keep them from being lonely. Depending on how early treatment was started, you could see results in a couple of days & near normalcy in a week.

Thanks for all the informative posts. I LOVE this site & all you wonderful people.

Sheri/Country

 

[twoscrambled]

Hello- my silkie girl looks like the pic of yours with her head upside down in the food... i'm on day 2 . mine won't attempt to eat anything on her own even when I help straighten out her neck...everything goes in by eye dropper... I am concerned about her not getting any food . I tried wetting and thinning some and giving it by eyedropper...gotta say, not a huge success. even tried scrambled eggs.. Seeing how I am giving her a supersonic amount of vitamins, should I not be so concerned? Help- I've never done this before...I have seen no change in her since I started , but I think I might just need to be patient. Any advice?

 

[twoscrambled]

Good for you chinzilla. I never thought about passing the word about wry neck around to the feed stores, but I do forewarn chick buyers about the possibilities of a chick getting it. Even though the chances are minimal, seeing a chick with wry neck is a very scary thing, especially for a new chicken owner, & I'm sure a lot of chicks have died just because people didn't know it could be treated. Also, it does seem to be getting more common & a lot of different breeds are being affected by it. Here in CA our soils seem to be depleted of selenium so the grains & grasses grown here are also lacking. Many livestock people are giving selenium supplements to goats & horses but chickens are very sensitive to an overdose so we poultry people have to just treat it if it shows up. I give vitamins & electrolytes + organic vinegar to all my chicks just to help keep them healthy, but none contain selenium so it doesn't keep wry neck from happening. I personally don't think it's genetic, but just in case it is, any chick that has had wry neck is taken out of the genetic pool. I keep them myself as therapy birds or I place them in pet homes where I know they won't be used for breeding.

Here is my treatment for wry neck that has been very successful.
A.M.
50 mg of selenium - I give mine by putting it in the back of the chick's throat & then massaging the neck until it's swallowed. Chicks can overdose on selenium so do not give more than 50 mg each day. Could probably be given in crushed form mixed with water or even mixed with vit. E & given with eyedropper.
1000 units of vit. E - I cut off the end & squeeze the liquid into the chicks mouth. Vit. E is needed to help the chick absorb the selenium.
Polyvisol (without added iron) - a few drops in the chicks mouth about 3 times a day.
P.M. 1000 units of vit. E
Once the chick appears normal, continue treatment for at least another 2 weeks before integrating back into the flock. I usually put a chick of the same age in with the wry chick for a few days & let them bond before putting both back into the flock.

Do everything possible to keep stress levels down - quiet room, low lighting, etc. I would also suggest putting a small stuffed animal in with the chick so it can cuddle with it. Lowers stress & helps keep them from being lonely. Depending on how early treatment was started, you could see results in a couple of days & near normalcy in a week.

Thanks for all the informative posts. I LOVE this site & all you wonderful people.

Sheri/Country

Hello Sheri- please see my post above.. I would love to hear any advice you may have....

 

[grannychicken54]

Good for you chinzilla. I never thought about passing the word about wry neck around to the feed stores, but I do forewarn chick buyers about the possibilities of a chick getting it. Even though the chances are minimal, seeing a chick with wry neck is a very scary thing, especially for a new chicken owner, & I'm sure a lot of chicks have died just because people didn't know it could be treated. Also, it does seem to be getting more common & a lot of different breeds are being affected by it. Here in CA our soils seem to be depleted of selenium so the grains & grasses grown here are also lacking. Many livestock people are giving selenium supplements to goats & horses but chickens are very sensitive to an overdose so we poultry people have to just treat it if it shows up. I give vitamins & electrolytes + organic vinegar to all my chicks just to help keep them healthy, but none contain selenium so it doesn't keep wry neck from happening. I personally don't think it's genetic, but just in case it is, any chick that has had wry neck is taken out of the genetic pool. I keep them myself as therapy birds or I place them in pet homes where I know they won't be used for breeding.

Here is my treatment for wry neck that has been very successful.
A.M.
50 mg of selenium - I give mine by putting it in the back of the chick's throat & then massaging the neck until it's swallowed. Chicks can overdose on selenium so do not give more than 50 mg each day. Could probably be given in crushed form mixed with water or even mixed with vit. E & given with eyedropper.
1000 units of vit. E - I cut off the end & squeeze the liquid into the chicks mouth. Vit. E is needed to help the chick absorb the selenium.
Polyvisol (without added iron) - a few drops in the chicks mouth about 3 times a day.
P.M. 1000 units of vit. E
Once the chick appears normal, continue treatment for at least another 2 weeks before integrating back into the flock. I usually put a chick of the same age in with the wry chick for a few days & let them bond before putting both back into the flock.

Do everything possible to keep stress levels down - quiet room, low lighting, etc. I would also suggest putting a small stuffed animal in with the chick so it can cuddle with it. Lowers stress & helps keep them from being lonely. Depending on how early treatment was started, you could see results in a couple of days & near normalcy in a week.

Thanks for all the informative posts. I LOVE this site & all you wonderful people.

Sheri/Country

These posts are mostly about young chicks do you know if a 9 to 10 month old Sultan rooster could get it and if the same treatment might work Thanks

 

[kukupecpec]

I know this thread is oldish, but I was wondering if anyone on here could tell me if this is what my silkie is experiencing. She is about 9 weeks now and I came outside to discover her like this. She is inside, and will pick her head up and run around the room like a normal chicken for a bit, then go back to hours with her head between her feet. I wasn't able to get a great video of some of the crazy twisting she does, but I got a LITTLE bit of twist at the end.
Help?