Chick had wry neck symptoms and swelling - what is it?

[macyrose92]

Hi all, my chick had wry neck symptoms, running in circles and looking to the sky. Put some stressless nutrients in their water which included vit e and vit b. Within 48hrs the wry neck symptoms have resolved but a lump of skin with no fluid in it is under the beak. Is there something else?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Can you open the mouth and check the bottom of the mouth to see if the tongue is out of place? Rare but possible that the tongue is slipping under the floor of the mouth and into the throat.

The chick also looks to have parrot beak, where the upper beak overhangs and curves over a shorter lower beak.

 

[macyrose92]

Can you open the mouth and check the bottom of the mouth to see if the tongue is out of place? Rare but possible that the tongue is slipping under the floor of the mouth and into the throat.

The chick also looks to have parrot beak, where the upper beak overhangs and curves over a shorter lower beak.

Hi, no the tongue is where you expect it. What is parrot beak a sign of? I didn't think it was an odd shape.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Parrot beak can be genetic or environmental or a cross of both, it's where the top beak overgrows and overhangs the lower and/or the lower beak is a lot shorter in comparison so the top beak overgrows it.

This is the most similar thread I could find, though this one is more pronounced: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/parrot-beak.1050579/

You may need to trim her beak regularly once she's older if she can't keep it whittled down herself. Wet or fermented feed in a deeper dish is easier for birds with beak problems to eat.

As far as the wry neck, it may flare up again so be ready to treat if that's the case. I've only dealt with wry neck once but it took over 6 weeks to resolve in my case.

 

[macyrose92]

Parrot beak can be genetic or environmental or a cross of both, it's where the top beak overgrows and overhangs the lower and/or the lower beak is a lot shorter in comparison so the top beak overgrows it.

This is the most similar thread I could find, though this one is more pronounced: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/parrot-beak.1050579/

You may need to trim her beak regularly once she's older if she can't keep it whittled down herself. Wet or fermented feed in a deeper dish is easier for birds with beak problems to eat.

As far as the wry neck, it may flare up again so be ready to treat if that's the case. I've only dealt with wry neck once but it took over 6 weeks to resolve in my case.

Thanks, yeh i was surprised it resolved so fast. There are other threads talking about parrot beak with the mysterious lump underneath with no diagnosis. Do they live long do you know? I also have a chick with crossbeak so worried I bought some inbred eggs causing genetic defects which is sad because you want them to have a happy life.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Without knowing exactly what the lump is (the thread I linked said tumor, but there were no photos and no necropsy) it's hard to say. The reason I asked about the tongue is I've also seen lumps under the beak turn out to be something like a herniated beak floor that caused the tongue to slip down.

Crossbeak is a pretty common defect and depending on severity it can be fatal, as the bird simply can't eat. But most cases aren't that severe and can be managed with wet food as I mentioned before, possibly more user friendly waterers (my crossbeaks have all used nipple waterers but had more difficulty learning to use them), and some regular beak maintenance/trimming. My best layer for the last few years is crossbeaked.

 

[macyrose92]

Can you open the mouth and check the bottom of the mouth to see if the tongue is out of place? Rare but possible that the tongue is slipping under the floor of the mouth and into the throat.

The chick also looks to have parrot beak, where the upper beak overhangs and curves over a shorter lower beak.

Hey so we have found now that the tongue is under the beak and in the lump underneath not in the beak. So as you say herniated floor which I'd imagine is common in parrot beak as the tongue slides?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Hey so we have found now that the tongue is under the beak and in the lump underneath not in the beak. So as you say herniated floor which I'd imagine is common in parrot beak as the tongue slides?

Common, no, but since I'd seen a case like that before here I guessed that this could be the same. I don't think the parrot beak is related, though it's not unusual to see birds with one noticeable health issue have other additional issues (my wry neck chick had deformed feet, deformed wings, and neurological/balance issues beyond just the wry neck).

Wish I could remember what happened with that previous "tongue slip" case, I don't know if the chick made it or not. Not sure if we ever figured out what the proper terminology for this is either.

 

[macyrose92]

Common, no, but since I'd seen a case like that before here I guessed that this could be the same. I don't think the parrot beak is related, though it's not unusual to see birds with one noticeable health issue have other additional issues (my wry neck chick had deformed feet, deformed wings, and neurological/balance issues beyond just the wry neck).

Wish I could remember what happened with that previous "tongue slip" case, I don't know if the chick made it or not. Not sure if we ever figured out what the proper terminology for this is either.

Yeh I did lots of googling and couldn't work out the terminology either. Can't see how she could survive it as the base of the beak is missing and surely having the tongue in a skin pocket underneath is really painful? As they arnt designed to be like that?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Main concerns would be probably be suffocating (depending on where the tongue falls, there's a potential for it to block off air flow), difficulty swallowing food and water, and risk of infection from build up of any food particles that might be lodged there.

If this was my bird I'd probably cull it. Don't know if it'll survive like this or for how long, or what other issues might arise that I didn't think of.