Chicken walking backwards--can I give pet bird vitamins?

[kaddidle]

My eight week old PR pullet has recently started walking backwards with her head held low. She can walk forward as well and is eating, drinking, and pooping normally.

From what I've read, this may be caused by a vitamin deficiency. I have some UltraVite Vita-Sol multivitamin liquid suspension that can be added to water. Can this be used on chickens and will it help? Is it possible that something else is causing these symptoms.

 

[Kittymomma]

As long as it doesn't contain iron you should be fine. Many people use poly-visol infant vitamins too if what you have contains iron and won't work.

 

[kaddidle]

Any idea if some other condition could be causing these symptoms?

 

[Kittymomma]

I haven't seen anything like you're describing around here yet and can't think of anything else that it could be. I'd go ahead and give the vitamins for now and keep trying to research it. The vitamins won't hurt and may even resolve the problem. I hope your girl is doing better today.

 

[australorpchick]

Sounds like wry neck. I give a couple of drops of polyvisol (not the extra Iron) and a couple of drops from a Vitamin E capsule, straight to the beak once a day, until the head/neck is back to normal.

 

[kaddidle]

I wonder what could be causing it in this one bird? All of them have been eating a store bought medicated chicken starter feed. I sprayed some poison ivy near the location of their coop a few weeks before I put them in it; is it possible that's the cause? The only metals that they're exposed to are stainless steel chicken wire and feeding dishes, no lead paint or anything like that.