Can wry neck be cured in adult birds?

[Lobodugald]

Hi everyone.

I recently adopted an unwanted Silkie rooster. His ring shows him to be around three years of age. He has wry neck. He eats and drinks okay but he falls over if he tries to run or mate with the hens. His crooked neck seems to put him off balance and makes him fall over.

He doesn't seem to be in any pain and seems to love life (although I think he may be a little "frustrated" because he can never successfully mate with any hen as he always falls off so he spends all day chasing hens.)

Anyway, is there a cure for this? Does he need to see a "chicken chiropractor" or will massage and manipulation not work for this condition?

It is my understanding that chicks hatched with this condition are either cured at a young age or culled but someone left this bird to grow into adulthood and I cannot find anything on Google that says how to help an adult bird with wry neck.

Thanks in advance....

 

[Manhen]

Hi everyone.

I recently adopted an unwanted Silkie rooster. His ring shows him to be around three years of age. He has wry neck. He eats and drinks okay but he falls over if he tries to run or mate with the hens. His crooked neck seems to put him off balance and makes him fall over.

He doesn't seem to be in any pain and seems to love life (although I think he may be a little "frustrated" because he can never successfully mate with any hen as he always falls off so he spends all day chasing hens.)

Anyway, is there a cure for this? Does he need to see a "chicken chiropractor" or will massage and manipulation not work for this condition?

It is my understanding that chicks hGeeatched with this condition are either cured at a young age or culled but someone left this bird to grow into adulthood and I cannot find anything on Google that says how to help an adult bird with wry neck.

Thanks in advance....

Geez, what a rotten situation...

 

[hispoptart]

Awe the poor guy can you post some pics of him? I'll tag some that will have more advice then I can give.

@Wyorp Rock @21hens-incharge @azygous @Eggcessive
Can any of you advise please?

 

[21hens-incharge]

I will start with that I am in no way a vet or experienced with wry neck.

Are you sure it is wry neck and not from a break?

Either way I think he is how he is now and it is to late to treat.

As long as he is able to eat and drink and appears to be happy/otherwise healthy I would not worry to much.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I recently adopted an unwanted Silkie rooster. His ring shows him to be around three years of age. He has wry neck. He eats and drinks okay but he falls over if he tries to run or mate with the hens. His crooked neck seems to put him off balance and makes him fall over.

Welcome To BYC!

Can you post some good photos of him? (how he stands/what his neck looks like, his eyes/face/ears, his feet, etc. - we love photos )

I'm assuming the neck was crooked when you got him correct? (it didn't develop after you brought him home?)

Wry Neck is a neurological symptom. Some causes can be genetics, nutritional/vitamin deficiency, injury (head/neck trauma) and disease like Marek's.
Silkies do seem to have more trouble with symptoms of Wry Neck.

Without knowing the cause - most offer supportive care to see if that makes a difference or not. Vitamin therapy is where I would start. Since he's an adult - I would give him 1/2 tablet human B-Complex daily and 400IU Vitamin E daily. Give him a treat of eggs, tuna or sunflower seeds to help with the uptake of E.

 

[Eggcessive]

Wyorp Rock has given very good advice on wry neck. Can you post any pictures of your little rooster? What is the “ring” that tells you how old he is? Did the previous owner not give you an age? Did they say how long he had been suffering from a twisted neck?

 

[azygous]

December of 2019 delivered two cases of wry neck to my flock. In my thirteen years of keeping chickens, this is the first I've ever seen this in actual live chickens. It's frightening when you see it in your own chicken, especially one you love and cherish.

The first was my four-year old rooster Toots. He presented with a weird back-up drill routine, sliding his beak against his chest and neck while scooting backward. He did this occasionally for two days before I figured out what it was. I immediately began vitamin E therapy plus a sliver of selenium. After the first dose, he was fine and wasn't doing it anymore. But I kept the E up once a day for five days.

The second was my eleven and a half year old hen Lady Di on Christmas. She was trapped on her side when I discovered her, contorted and twisted, unable to right herself and stand. Even after I picked her up and held her in my lap, she couldn't straighten her neck and her head was upside down. I had just had another hen die that morning of salpingitis and I was dreading that I would lose my Lady Di, too.

After popping an E capsule into her beak, and stroking her neck to help her straighten it, she perked back up and in fifteen minutes was running back to join her old biddies club, Morgan age nine, Su-su age nine, and Lilith age ten.

I was not prepared to see such a fast recovery in my two chickens. Of course there are many causes of torticolis, and this kind of recovery may not be possible for all victims, especially if it's caused by brain injury or is genetic. But it's certainly worth a try.

One whole vitamin E capsule regardless of the size and weight of the chicken once a day for as long as it takes to see improvement. Then continue for several more days beyond that. I include selenium about 25mcg. But you can feed egg and that will supply the selenium. The B-complex is a good companion vitamin to strengthen the muscles and tendons.

 

[Lobodugald]

Awe the poor guy can you post some pics of him? I'll tag some that will have more advice then I can give.

@Wyorp Rock @21hens-incharge @azygous @Eggcessive
Can any of you advise please?

I have added a pic now to my original post and here is another one, looks and feels like his neck is twisted or broken in two places.

 

[Lobodugald]

I will start with that I am in no way a vet or experienced with wry neck.

Are you sure it is wry neck and not from a break?

Either way I think he is how he is now and it is to late to treat.

As long as he is able to eat and drink and appears to be happy/otherwise healthy I would not worry to much.

No I am not actually sure because if I feel his neck there are two distinct bends (or previous breaks). I am not sure which. Yeah I also think it is too late for him but he is a really awesome pet anyway, ha ha..

 

[Lobodugald]

Welcome To BYC!

Can you post some good photos of him? (how he stands/what his neck looks like, his eyes/face/ears, his feet, etc. - we love photos )

I'm assuming the neck was crooked when you got him correct? (it didn't develop after you brought him home?)

Wry Neck is a neurological symptom. Some causes can be genetics, nutritional/vitamin deficiency, injury (head/neck trauma) and disease like Marek's.
Silkies do seem to have more trouble with symptoms of Wry Neck.

Without knowing the cause - most offer supportive care to see if that makes a difference or not. Vitamin therapy is where I would start. Since he's an adult - I would give him 1/2 tablet human B-Complex daily and 400IU Vitamin E daily. Give him a treat of eggs, tuna or sunflower seeds to help with the uptake of E.

Thank you so much, I am glad to have found you guys!
He stands and sits and sleeps always with his beak down inside his chest feathers making it hard for him to breathe when sleeping, I also notice that he ONLY breathes through his mouth.
I do not know if the neck was crooked when I got him because he was almost dead when he arrived at my house. He had been in a tiny box for 6,5 hours on the back of a backie in 35 degree boiling heat. He was flat when he arrived, could not move at all and the neck was just hanging, he could not move a muscle or lift his neck or head at all, he was dying from both dehydration and heatstroke.
After two days of trying to save his life we succeeded and then he started being able to move on his own (just in the nick of time as I was about to put him out of his misery) It was only on day 4 when he started learning how to walk again that I noticed the apparent wry neck.
I contacted his previous owner and he said that there is nothing wrong with the birds neck but then I looked back at the advert where the bird was advertised and the picture there clearly showed that he did in fact have this condition before I got him.
I have started with the vitamin E, sunflower seeds, tuna and egg about two weeks ago but I did not know about the vitamin B so thank you I will ad that to the diet!