Broken Neck?

[Creteloc]

I'm sorry that I have no pictures or a ton of info, but I'm heading there now. My friend is very new to chickens. He has a 2 month old sexlink that got trapped behind a water bucket last night. He said she's limp today and not moving much. Her neck is bent and her head is hanging against her chest and she's not standing at all.

I'm leaving soon to go look, though I'm very new to chickens also. We have no livestock or avian vets. Without a picture or more info, does this sound like something we need to cull for? Do we give her more time? Should we sequester her from her two coop mates and try to nurse her back? It's been 3 hours since he found her and his kids say she's not improving.

More info when I get there...

 

[Eggcessive]

I would give it a chance by trying to give it water with electrolytes, and seeing if there is improvement. It doesn’t sound hopeful though, but it might improve. Chickens can get into all sorts of trouble, so it helps to see all possible reasons for injuries, kind of like toddler-proofing hour house.

 

[rebrascora]

Be careful about biosecurity between this sick bird that you are going to visit and your flock. In my experience birds getting stuck in unusual places is sometimes caused by Marek's Disease affecting their ability to coordinate their movement. The bird is at a prime age to get Marek's and the "broken neck" you describe may well be wry neck which can be a symptom of Marek's Disease. Not saying that IS what is wrong with their bird but just to be careful about cross contamination as the virus is spread via dander dust which can be carried on clothes, skin and hair and is then inhaled into the lungs of healthy birds to infect them. There is no recognised treatment for Marek's Disease and even if the bird does recover from this outbreak (if that's what it is) they will be a carrier for life. I've had some birds with Marek's recover almost as quickly as they became paralysed and a few days later you would not know they had been stricken and floundering unable to stand or walk. I've had others that declined over a period of weeks and months and died or were euthanized and some that I nursed for months and came good. If they recover from an attack, they will be prone to subsequent attacks. Things that seemed to help those that recovered where good food (scrambled eggs for treats) a vitamin supplement, probiotics and sunshine and grass whenever possible. The most important thing is to keep them happy and stress free. Stress often triggers an outbreak and aggravates an existing outbreak.
If you can take a video of how this bird moves or lies, that can sometimes indicate if it is likely to be Marek's Disease or at least help establish if it is neurological or injury.

 

[Creteloc]

Thanks for the reminder. I'll be sure to change and wash up before I go around my own chickens.

I didn't get a picture because our visit was cut very short. His little pullet is acting strangely. I'm not sure if she can't lift her head or if she's too busy picking out her lower neck feathers. She doesn't stand, she just sits on her bottom and incessantly picks feathers out of her neck. You can force her neck out straight, but she immediately drops it back down and begins to pick again.

 

[rebrascora]

It sounds neurological. The best I can suggest is a good quality vitamin supplement like poultry cell or nutri drench and perhaps vitamin E and selenium.