chicken holds neck to one side

[NOEL LUM]

I have an American game hen and she has started hanging her head about half way down an crooks her neck so it looks like something is in her neck. I have straightened her neck out and it does not feel lk thers anything wrong with it. she also stumbles when she walks. i can straighten her neck and when I put her back down she crooks it back to one side any ideas?

 

[Eggcessive]

I would place her in a crate or box inside your house where she can be warm. It sounds like she could possibly have wry neck which can be a neurological symptom of many different things such as a head injury, vitamin deficiency, Mareks disease, or other things. But I have a hen who has the same symptoms right now, and for the past 3 days has not responded to anything. Start some poultry vitamins with electrolytes in the water. Vitamin E, B1 (thiamine) and the minerals selenium are most important. Since this can be kind of a mystery illness, watch her symptoms, and try to get her to eat and drink. Let us know how she is doing n a day or so. Here is some reading about wry neck:
http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/Crookneck/Crookneck.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/97121/lets-talk-wry-neck-crook-neck

 

[NOEL LUM]

Right now she is still eating and drinking ok. she had a litter mate that died about a week ago with no symtoms, just went to check on them one day and she was dead.

 

[Eggcessive]

Below are some links to read about Mareks disease with good info, and the last link is for your state vet, where you can send a refrigerated body to test for Mareks:
https://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000791_Rep813.pdf
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-great-big-giant-mareks-disease-faq
http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf