Chicken with Crooken neck. HELP!

[SuburbSpurs]

So today when I was feeding my golden D'uccle and I noticed her neck was crooked and twisted. Her neck twisted all the way around in order for her to eat the bread treat I gave her. I have tired massaging it and she only squirms. It doesn't seem to be causing her very much pain but she walks in sideways in circles and its worrying me. I am worried this will be a permanent change. She is a breeder and show chicken and I can't show her like this.

What could have caused this? Are there any of you with a similar problem? How can I help my little girl?

 

[Eggcessive]

This is a condition called torticollis or wry neck, and can happen with an injury, vitamin deficiency, or from diseases like Mareks, Newcastles, and others. It is fairly common, and most people will isolate the chicken to keep it calm, then start on vitamins, especially B1. E, and selenium. Selenium has to be given in very tiny doses, and best if found with vitamin E. Here is some info: http://oureggbasket.blogspot.com/2013/04/wry-neck-or-crook-neck-understanding-it.html

 

[Eggcessive]

Here are 2 more links from BYC:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/97121/lets-talk-wry-neck-crook-neck
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/630079/wry-neck-confused-about-treatment

 

[SuburbSpurs]

oh! My Poor baby girl. I am not sure if it is a vitamin deficiency or a neck injury. What do you recommend I do if it is a neck injury? Also I have the water with electrolytes but I could not find selenium.

 

[Eggcessive]

If it is from an injury, it is probably fro a head injury, and wry neck is a neurological condition. It is kind a posturing or muscle spasm. The vitamins and peace and quiet are all you can do for that. Some people have used prednisone, but it is a prescription drug, and you have to know what you are doing. I have never treated it, but from reading it can take a few days to weeks to get over, and not all recover. Do all the reading you can about the vitamin therapy. If you can find Vitamin E with selenium in it it is best. They sell it on Amazon and in the oureggbasket link, there is an ad under the vitamin section. Wishing you good luck. Poultry Nutridrench seems to have all of the vitamins in it with selenium. Here is a link: http://www.amazon.com/Bovidr-Laboratories-P-4-Poultry-Nutri-Drench/dp/B000HHQEBK

 

[Goathead]

I agree. Wry neck is a symptom so that still leaves the question...what is wrong with Star? I have raised chickens for about 20 years. Had 100 at one time and have never, ever seen this! Maybe I have been lucky because in researching "upside down neck" I find it is very common. At first I thought she had botulism because I did find wet food under the water heater in Star's coop. And mice had been under there so there was urine and droppings. But I have had these same conditions with other chickens in other coops and again, I never had a chicken with wry neck. I tried to do an epsom salt flush but didn't get much down her. That was probably a good thing. After reading more about all the causes of wry neck and I think back to days before she showed symptoms, I recall her literally flying into the nesting box. I'm pretty sure she hit her head. I didn't realize chickens had such sensitive heads/brains. I carry her to her coop every night. She is very spoiled because she lost all her "coop mates" to a mink last summer. I carry her in and before these symptoms appeared, she would fly out of my hands as I was setting her down. She did hit her head before this started. I will start her on the E, selenium, electrolytes and polyvisol. She is eating okay and drinking her water so I am hopeful she will get better but I want to stay ahead of the game and help her along! I wonder if because of an injury, they get brain swelling and that is why they get worse before they get better. Thank you for all of your posts and sharing your stories and knowledge with the rest of the "chicken world"!

 

[realsis]

Hi I'm very familiar with wry neck as I had four cases in my flock I was able to treat and cure. Yes the brain does swell, this is why some choose to add predinsone to the treatment plan. Predinsone is a steroid and will help reduce the brain swelling. All my cases were very severe so I use predinsone with them all. I actually followed Alan Stanfords treatment plan from browneggblueegg.com. but to answer your question, yes their is brain swelling. I suggest you read a article by alan on browneggblueegg.com look under crookneck and he explains it in great detail in fact he said they did a neurscropsy on a wry neck bird and the only issue they found was the brain swelling. Causes can include injurey, vitamin deficiency, or genetics. Those are the main cause of the wry neck symptoms.hope this helps and I wish you the best.

 

[Goathead]

I did read the posts and found them very helpful. Thank you! I do have some prednisone and will use it if she gets to where she is not eating and drinking. She is not bad at all. She still eats, drinks, lays eggs, forages in the pasture, etc. I started her on the vitamins. I used chick feed and crumbled 1/8th a tablet of selenium into that. I squirted a vit E capsule and 1 ml of Poly Vi Sol over the crumbles and wet it all down with pedialyte. She ate this very quickly so when I do it again this evening I will give her twice as much chick feed. Anything else I should be doing at this stage? She actually looks normal in some of the pictures I took. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge on this subject.

 

[arkansaschicks]

Hi I know no one has been on this thread since March but does anyone know why all of a sudden a 5 year old chicken could get wry neck. She is was a very healthy chicken and laying eggs every other day. I know she has not had any kind of head injury or been sick. It's been two weeks. She is on all the vitamin regiment and my vet put her on a steroid for 5 days and baytril in case it was an ear infection. Does anyone know if it is ok to put a brace on their neck and how?
Thanks for any advice, I have had chickens for almost 6 years and never had to deal with this!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Hi I know no one has been on this thread since March but does anyone know why all of a sudden a 5 year old chicken could get wry neck. She is was a very healthy chicken and laying eggs every other day. I know she has not had any kind of head injury or been sick. It's been two weeks. She is on all the vitamin regiment and my vet put her on a steroid for 5 days and baytril in case it was an ear infection. Does anyone know if it is ok to put a brace on their neck and how?
Thanks for any advice, I have had chickens for almost 6 years and never had to deal with this!

How about your feed? Any old feed with vitamin degradation (like Vit E)?
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/6/diseases-of-poultry/218/vitamin-e-deficiency

There are diseases also with "twisted necks"- see here:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044
diagnosis charts at bottom