Chick trying to turn it's head upside down...

[dannyj]

I have a two week old chick. One of 6. It is off to the corner of the brooder and looks like it is trying to turn its head upside down... like it doesn't know up from down. This has just happened over the evening. it is laying down right now. I don't think it's able to stand. I hope it's ok by morning but I'm not expecting the best.

 

[TajMahalChickens]

Has anything changed? There was an article in Back Yard Poultry magazine oct./Nov. 2009 about a chick with a twisted head/'neck. He said that is could be Newcastle disease, b vitamin deficiency, genetic, or injury. You might try googling those.

 

[Chicken Chat]

sounds kind of like crook neck. I had a few chicks come down with it, they were silkies and a little more prone to it, but all three made full recoveries and never had a problem as adults. I had to hand feed my birds as they could not feed themselves. I bought some baby parrot food that you mix with water, and held their heads still so their beaks were in a spoonful of formula and they were able to slurp it themselves off the spoon. This is the information I followed: (I did not use the prednisone)


If started before symptoms get severe, the bird will totally recover. The following is for an adult about 2 pound bird. Scale back for smaller birds. Do not over do the selenium; it is toxic in large amounts. Animals are more tolerant of vitamin E especially and of vitamin B.

* For the first week I give
o Once a day
+ About 1/4 piece of human vitamin B complex pill or a squirt of human B liquid vitamins
+ :25 micrograms selenium
o Twice a day
+ 2.5 mg of prednisone
+ 400 IU of vitamin E
* For the second week I give
o Once a day
+ 2.5 mg of prednisone
+ 400 IU of vitamin E
+ About 1/4 piece of human vitamin B complex pill or a squirt of human B liquid vitamins
o Every other day
+ :25 micrograms selenium
* For the third and following weeks I give
o Once a day
+ 2.5 mg of prednisone - less and less each day - none after third week
+ 400 IU of vitamin E
+ A piece of human vitamin B complex pill or a squirt of human liquid vitamins
o Once a week
+ :25 micrograms selenium

 

[HHandbasket]

My Little Linda (bantam buff cochin) had something similar, and it sounds like wry neck. I added vitamins and electrolytes to her water at full strength, and within a couple of weeks she was normal again. If it is true wry neck, it is caused by a vitamin deficiency. I don't know why some chicks get it but others don't, especially if they're all on the same feed/water. However, my li'l girl is doing much better and is normal now at 5 weeks of age, has had her head on straight, so to speak, for about 10 days now.

 

[Cannoka]

I have a week old Black Jersey Giant chick that I found like this today. I have her isolated and am giving her small drops of water w/ Terramyacin (sp?) and am also massaging her neck.
I was worrying about feeding her but am going to try what the poster above suggested with parrot food.
She is the only chick with these symptoms so I am wondering if she injured herself somehow.

 

[Chicken Chat]

If you help to keep their head steady, mine eagerly ate from the spoon. The baby parrot food, if you can find it, is very handy to have on hand. Once you are done with it, you can put the rest of the bag in the freezer to keep it fresh longer to have on hand later down the road. Crush the B vitamin pill up and mix it and the vitamin E on your spoonfull to make sure they get it in their system. It will be a few days before they show improvement, don't give up, they can come out of this.

 

[TarHeelBlue]

Had a silkie chick with this same problem. So scary!! Did just what these fine folks are recommending - Vit. E and poly vi sol. Dropped it onto her beak for a day or two, then made sure it was in her water. she acted really funny for a while, but got better and better as the days went on. good Luck with your Chick.

 

[Cannoka]

Wrong topic.