Can wry neck be cured in adult birds?

[Lobodugald]

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?

Hi there and thank you.
The ring is the normal poultry ring that breeders put on chickens legs which has the birth year engraved on it, his says 2016. However, the previous owner told me that the bird is 7 years old. I don't see how this could be true since these rings can only be put onto a growing bird as once the bird is already an adult you cannot get the ring on so I think the ring is a better indication of his true age.
The previous owner only said that there is nothing wrong with the neck but even in his picture where he advertised the bird up for adoption I could see that the neck was bent downwards.

 

[Lobodugald]

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.

Oh wow thank you so much for your story!
I have started with the supplements mentioned as this was the advice I found on Google and it has been two weeks now, perhaps he is just stuck this way but I will keep trying just in case.
It is so interesting to learn about all these strange conditions.
I think this poor boy has been this way his entire life because the previous owner told me that there is nothing wrong with the neck, I just wanted to know how long he had been like this and maybe what caused it but this guy just flat-out denied the condition so I couldn't get any helpful info from him.

 

[21hens-incharge]

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..

I am glad he is able to eat and drink well. I am also glad that you like him whether it can be fixed or not.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Poor little guy!

I would just try to do the best you can, it sounds like he may have had this condition for a while.
Hopefully with your care he will continue to improve.
I would check to make sure his crop is empty in the mornings too since he's having troubles. May be worth looking inside his beak to see that it's clear of any canker or lesions too.

Keep us posted on how it goes.

 

[rosemarythyme]

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!

Since he's likely had this problem a long time, the realistic aim would be to give him some quality of life instead of "curing."

I had an older pullet/young hen I was treating for wry neck with vit E, B complex and selenium, that took some 6 weeks for recovery. In her case (she has neurological issues since birth plus some physical deformities) "recovered" was just being able to stand upright without constantly falling over. She still can't walk straight and falls over regularly but gets around well enough to eat and drink and do most chicken things, so I figure that's about as good as she'll get.

 

[Lobodugald]

Poor little guy!

I would just try to do the best you can, it sounds like he may have had this condition for a while.
Hopefully with your care he will continue to improve.
I would check to make sure his crop is empty in the mornings too since he's having troubles. May be worth looking inside his beak to see that it's clear of any canker or lesions too.

Keep us posted on how it goes.

Thanks, funny you should mention the crop. When I got him it was full and did not empty for two days so I emptied it myself and now that he is on a better diet than before I adopted him (I presume) his crop is completely empty every morning.
Thanks for the advice, I will check inside his mouth also, I never thought of that, thank you so much!

 

[Lobodugald]

Since he's likely had this problem a long time, the realistic aim would be to give him some quality of life instead of "curing."

I had an older pullet/young hen I was treating for wry neck with vit E, B complex and selenium, that took some 6 weeks for recovery. In her case (she has neurological issues since birth plus some physical deformities) "recovered" was just being able to stand upright without constantly falling over. She still can't walk straight and falls over regularly but gets around well enough to eat and drink and do most chicken things, so I figure that's about as good as she'll get.

Ag no man what a sweet story, that is so cute, she is so lucky to have you!! Yeah I also think my boy may never be completely fixed but I am just so glad that I have him now and he can be looked after properly. We can only do our best. I love them all so much, they are awesome!!!!