Broken, Twisting Pullet

[LizaBlue]

The other day, I found one of my pullets (3 or 4 months, had too many hatch batches to know for sure) laying on her back under the roost twisted up. Normally, they run off from me, so I knew something was wrong when she just laid there. I picked her up and examined her, and judging by her response and the bruising and swelling on one wing, I assume she broke a wing, and we figured out how it probably happened. I put her in a hutch where she could reach food and water without moving.

She keeps twisting over onto her side, and occasionally twists her head around too. Her legs don't seem to be injured, circulation seems mostly ok. Do you think she just doesn't want to lay on her legs? Maybe she can't use the wing to stay upright? She seemed alert - liked to eat and drink- when I visited her yesterday, but it was so hot today I brought her in the house, and all she seems to do is sleep. I have no idea how much sleep is normal for a chicken.

Her breathing seems steady, no swelling elswhere that I can tell. A pat down of her body doesn't make her flinch unless I mess with her wings. I don't want to kill her, but I don't want her to suffer. My vet doesn't do chickens, so she won't be of help. How long til a broken wing mends?

 

[LizaBlue]

Examined her some more, is it possible for them to dislocate bones in their neck? I know that sounds weird, but her body honestly seems like she was grabbed at each end and twisted. She won't straighten her neck, and although it doesn't look bruised, something rather sharpish is sticking out. Could be normal bone, but IDK. Her crop doesn't seem to be in the right place either: it's up at her shoulder on the broken wing side, which is drooping.

 

[bgossett07]

you should take her somewhere to see if they can help her she might have to be put down beacause i honestly dont know

 

[LizaBlue]

That's what I'm afraid of. The vet in this area ( I live in a very small town) won't even see chickens, so I don't know who to take her to. My plan so far is to just watch her closely to see if she poops, see if she gets worse or better. I figure if it's just a broken wing or something minor, she should improve within the week, but if it's more serious, she should get worse within a few days. I just hate not knowing for sure if she's suffering. I just go by her respiration rate and whether she shivers or makes noise.

 

[manoktok]

better dispose her or burn your hen its a case of marek disease it may infect your other birds the necks twisting and paralysis may be observed.better care for healthy animals rather than sick one.hope you understand

 

[CMV]

She may be able to acclimate to the new neck position, but it may be too severe. I've seen both. In the meantime you can give her some aspirin to ease her discomfort- 325 mg/gal of water.

I hope you have some resolution soon. Good luck.

 

[LizaBlue]

My husband read up this morning, and thinks it may be wry neck. She doesn't look exactly like any of the examples he found, or behaves exactly like them, but it still seems likely. IDK if she got it and it caused her to fall and break her wing, or (since I read it can be caused by head injury) the fall caused it. She doesn't seem to spasm, she stretches her head out to eat, but at all other times it is collapsed back on her body like a swan. Yesterday, she would let me rub behind it, stretch it out, today she complains and it feels stiff, so I can't.

Although we read many hopeful things about curing wry neck, I think I will probably put her down. She's a hybrid, so it may be a genetic flaw that she can pass on, it may be disease, it may be something that once "cured" she may be prone to later on or be a carrier for, and if it is from injury, what other damage is done? I can't bear the thought of her suffering, and I don't think it is fair to keep an animal alive as (essentially) a paraplegic, esp. when it is a social animal that would have to be isolated for its safety.

 

[leadwolf1]

If you want to give it a try, you can follow this vitamin protocol...

.5mls poly vi sol daily plus 400 ius vitamin E twice daily. If it's wry neck, you should see improvement in a couple days.

Good luck with your decision. It is always a hard call to make. From what you are saying, I do not believe that it is anything contagious..but, you must do what is best for you and your chicken.

 

[LizaBlue]

I finally managed (after talking to 3 different people) to get in touch with the government poultry person about the chick. I had mixed up some vitamin laced food for her that he thought sounded good, and he said to wait at least 24 hours more before deciding to put her down, and unless I see any signs in the rest of the flock, that it probably isn't contagious. He suggested that it may be due to injury, or just the standard vitamin deficiency, and to just try to get fluids in her. He seemed pretty hopeful since she was eating and alert, and told me how to watch for signs of distress (labored, irregular breathing, rapid heartbeat). Bought her some orange flavor Pedialyte and some baby food peas, and she chugged and chomped like a trooper, and started sitting up better. Just gonna keep watching her and keeping her seperate, but staying prepared for the worse.

 

[LizaBlue]

I can't tell if she's getting better or worse: I don't know if she is trying harder to get up, or if she is having spasms - it's driving me crazy. When my husband brought her tub out to the main room this morning, she was stretching her head out and looking around like nothing was wrong. When I held her to change her diaper (just a paper towel under her butt), she was twitching and twisting rythmically, in addition to the occasional trying to get free/telling me not to do something. It was some time after she fell asleep before her legs relaxed enough to fold under her to lay her down, and within a few minutes, a spasm woke her/ she woke up and jerk/stretched/twisted them back out straight. She ate her multivitamin, aspirin, and vitamin E, some grapes, pea puree, and feed, and still is breathing well, looking bright eyed, nothing runny, good poo. I'll try to get her B complex and electrolytes in her later. Can you do heat compresses to relax their muscles? I just don't want her hurting....