Another Silkie with wry-neck ... I think.

[modinefarm]

I've got an 8 month old Silkie hen who began exhibiting a right-leaning bend in her neck about two days ago. At first it was so subtle I thought it was just her being weird. This morning however the bend in her neck had become so pronounced I knew something was off.

I've researched wry-neck, or 'crookneck' and it seems the closest to describing her behavior. One additional thing she's doing is twitching her head every so often, as if to shake something off, and scratching her ear. This naturally led me to suspect parasites, but after having inspected my sick hen's ears and comparing them with a healthy Silkie, I can't see any sign of infestation.

I have also considered head trauma - there are two barred rocks who love throwing their weight around. The fact her symptoms came on over several days however doesn't seem to fit what I'd expect to happen with an injury - immediate swelling.

For the time being I've got her on the vitamin E, B, Selenium treatment ... considering prednisone but I'd like to avoid it if possible.

This neck bending, head twitching thing happened fairly quickly, and I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience.

 

[edubose98]

I have a polish chick about 3 months old that just started doing the exact same thing this past week. She is walking around with her head bent to the side or upside down but I don't know what to do.

 

[modinefarm]

Polish and Silkies seem to have this problem - it might be genetic or it might be their vaulted skulls make them particularly vulnerable to injury. In any case, here is a crookneck treatment I've seen on several sites:



Quote: Week 1
Twice a day
2.5 mg of prednisone
400 IU of vitamin E
Once a day
A piece of human vitamin B complex pill or a squirt of human liquid vitamins
Selenium (50 micrograms/day for half size juvenile for 3 days)

Week 2
Once a day
2.5 mg of prednisone
400 IU of vitamin E
A piece of human vitamin B complex pill or a squirt of human liquid vitamins
Every other day
Selenium (50 micrograms/day for half size juvenile for 3 days)

Remaining Weeks
Once a day
2.5 mg of prednisone
400 IU of vitamin E
A piece of human vitamin B complex pill or a squirt of human liquid vitamins
Every third day
Selenium (50 micrograms/day for half size juvenile for 3 days)

Do not abruptly stop prednisone, the swelling rebounds, decrease dose
gradually. Vitamin E recovery can be slow; continue the vitamin E for several weeks at
least. You can get the prednisone from a vet, and you can get the vitamin E, selenium, and vitamin B complex or liquid
vitamins at any pharmacy.

As I said I haven't administered prednisone yet, but today will be day one for vitamin E, B, and Selenium. Worth a try on your Polish - the extra vitamins won't do any harm.

 

[modinefarm]

Documenting this for future wry-neck readers.

2nd Day - Affected Silkie seems better - might be too soon to make this declaration but she certainly isn't visibly worse. I've seen videos of wry-neck chickens who've got their heads totally upside down or stuck to their chest, but mine is either a minor case or I've caught it early. Her neck was certainly curved oddly to one side, but she wasn't walking backwards or having trouble eating and drinking. Today, she continues to be able to run around with the other chickens, pecking and scratching, and generally acting normal. Her head twitching also seems to be a bit better today.

I've been feeding her meal-worms, wet oatmeal, and other treats coated with vitamin E, and infusing selenium in her water. I've found this to be a great deal easier than dripping the E directly into her mouth, a process neither of us enjoy very much. From what I've read the selenium helps with vitamin E absorption but can be toxic in high doses; hence my decision to administer it diluted in the drinking water. The vitamin E on the other hand doesn't really carry an overdose risk, and appears to play a crucial role in the wry-neck recovery so all the chickens have been getting a little extra nutrition.

 

[NewHomesteader]

What causes crookneck? I was wondering what made my 8-week -old silkie get it