Adult chicken walking backwards

[fletchy]

Hello everyone ,one of my Australorp hens 2-3 years old is not well, she starting having problems walking, taking a few steps forwards then will go backwards, she is now also losing her balance and will fall over not able to right herself.She is still managing to eat and drink , poop is normal, I've put her separate from the others in a box and when I go check on her she is wanting to fly out.I let her have a wander today and she would make a little head way walking forwards her buddies ,before going backwards , sometimes whilst sitting resting her tail will lift up and she will lose balance falling forwards and not able to right herself .I've had chickens for about 10 years and never seen anything quite like this , normally they just get sick ,quickly go down hill and we humanely put them down.I'm not at the stage I want to do this if I can save her as she is still so alert and eating , has anyone had a similar experience like this,I am totally stumped???

​

 

[ColoradoPip]

fletchy hasn't logged in since March 2017. I doubt you will get a response. Too bad because I've also never heard of this and would be interested to know if it was resolved.

 

[Eggcessive]

Hi there Just wondering how you made out with your chicken? Did vitamin e and selenium help her at all? Mine is behaving similarly.

Sorry about your chicken. This can be a neurological sign of wry neck. If you click on the heading below “Emergencies...” you can start a new thread of your own, and give plenty of details, and you will receive more attention there.

 

[Isaac 0]

Welcome to BYC!

Walking backwards and dizziness is a common sign of a Vitamin E and selenium deficiency.Separate her with food and water and give her eggs and tuna often.Birds that are deficient in Vitamin E and selenium should be given it.Go to Walgreens and pick up Vitamin E and selenium.You can buy 400iu Vitamin E liquid gel tablet and a 50mcg selenium tablet.You will need to squeeze the vitamin e into her mouth and you can dissolve the selenium in water and drop the water in her mouth with a 3cc syrineg or a eye dropper.Keep her isolated as stress plays a big roll in treating (Wry neck)..Wry neck takes along time to treat Weeks,months.If this does not work she may have Head injury causing symptoms similar to Wry neck.If thats the case she should be given Prednisone in order to reduce inflammation in the head.Wry neck can be a Symptom from many diseases such as Mareks .Here are some great threads about Wry neck.


http://www.raising-happy-chickens.com/wry-neck.html

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-a-wry-neck-chick-story-with-pics-with-update

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/382088/wry-neck-treat-or-euthanize-updated-with-great-results

http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/Crookneck/Crookneck.html

http://www.fresheggsdaily.com/2014/04/preventing-and-treating-wry-neck-in.html

http://www.nda.agric.za/docs/nervous/

 

[Msoul]

Sorry for your loss. Did you get a necropsy done on the body by your state vet?

We did not. I searched as much as I could, and she had every "symptom" of wry neck. That was the only thing that I could find that explained what was going on with her. Fortunately none of my other hens have had this issue. I also was not aware that I could have a vet do that to a chicken as she was given to us from the previous homeowner along with 3 other hens so we were completely new at raising chickens. We had to learn fast on everything chicken. So I thank you for also providing me with information i didnt know.

 

[fletchy]

Thank you this has been very helpful, I will certainly give Vit E &Selenium a try, nothing to loose.If it is indeed a deficiency causing the problem how long before do you think , before I might see any improvement once she starts getting treated?

 

[Isaac 0]

When did she start showing the symptoms?It depends when she got it.If its been more than a week it will probably take a while.

 

[fletchy]

Probably coming up to a week.

 

[Isaac 0]

Probably coming up to a week.

It shouldn't take that long.Keep us updated

 

[fletchy]

l will thank you, her tail up& falling down face first was worse today , but she still eats and drinks and wants to fly out the box and totter around the barn backwards. I put her in a smaller box tonight and put rolled up towels around her to try keep her in a more upright position rather than falling on her face and can't get up.She seems more rested and was sleeping, when I checked her before night fall, she hasn't rested like that since placing her in isolation ,so I'm hoping that is a sign , hopefully this will be worthwhile & she manages to pull through.