Cockerel can’t raise his head

[karenls50]

That's very typical wry neck. He should come out of it soon. Most often, we never know what causes it.

Post your vid to YouTube first, copy the URL and paste it here and the video embeds as soon as you hit "post reply".

Do you want to see it or can you get the idea from the still shot? I don’t know how to post to YouTube.

 

[azygous]

I never figured out how to post to You Tube either. Yes, it's obvious from the photo he's suffering from wry neck, and enough of us have had cases in our own flocks to know how the victim behaves with it.

 

[karenls50]

I never figured out how to post to You Tube either. Yes, it's obvious from the photo he's suffering from wry neck, and enough of us have had cases in our own flocks to know how the victim behaves with it.

That’s encouraging to hear at least. Hopefully when the eye infection clears up, the wry neck will resolve too. Do your chickens just fall over when their head goes so low they loose their balance and topple forward? He does it all the time. But then stands right back up. He looks around like “What just happened?” He was a pretty cocky cockerel before this. Now he seems confused and humbled. That’s the sad part to me.

So I guess we just continue what we’re doing and ask God to heal our cockerel.

Any other suggestions are appreciated. I guess I’m not convinced that’s it not a brain problem from the infection that somehow permeated the brain. Only time will tell. I’d rather believe it’s wry neck. I’ll keep you posted. Thanks again.

 

[SmiYa0126]

You're doing a great job! Praying for a Christmas miracle for your boy!

 

[karenls50]

You're doing a great job! Praying for a Christmas miracle for your boy!

Thank you so much! I am too!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Poor guy!

I would finish the antibiotics, give the vitamin therapy and follow the directions from the vet.
It does sound like he's improving some since he's beginning to eat on his own.

I do agree, it looks like Wry Neck which is a symptom.
Does he have any infection in the ears too? Any pus?
Infection can cause a lot of symptoms, so I'm hopeful the medication will help get it under control and the symptoms will resolve.

 

[karenls50]

An update. We got home tonight to feed our cockerel. I noticed while I was holding him that the points on his comb that used to be bright red are a redish purple. A couple looked bluish. It also looks slightly curved over. Pictured below is his normal color. Otherwise he’s acting the same. What does this color change mean? He’s laying down most of the time with his head flat on the ground. Is he getting enough circulation??. Is he dehydrated? We try to syringe enough water in him but he’s not drinking on his own. How much water does an eight to ten lb cockerel need each day?
We’re making him walk around a bit but he keeps dropping head.

Poor guy!

I would finish the antibiotics, give the vitamin therapy and follow the directions from the vet.
It does sound like he's improving some since he's beginning to eat on his own.

I do agree, it looks like Wry Neck which is a symptom.
Does he have any infection in the ears too? Any pus?
Infection can cause a lot of symptoms, so I'm hopeful the medication will help get it under control and the symptoms will resolve.

OMG. Can you believe that my husband woke up in the middle of the night very concerned about our cockerel. He couldn’t get his eye infection out of his mind. He went and got him and held him down. He opened his eye and saw something stuck up. He was able to touch it and it was hard. He pushed up from the bottom of his eye. He saw a point of something. He took his finger nails and grabbed it and pulled out a chunk of a wood chip! Picture enclosed. It’s 1/4” long embedded down along the outside of his lower eye.
Do you think there’s any way now that we have that out that the eye will heal and his wry neck is a reaction to the obvious pain he’s been experiencing?
I’m very upset with the vet for not seeing it when she was deriding the eye. This could have been solved days ago. I’m thinking of calling them on Tuesday and taking him in again for her to search and making sure there are no remnants.
I’m still concerned about his blue tipped comb. His comb has been bright red. Now it’s tips are bluish purple. What could be causing that?

 

[karenls50]

An update. We got home tonight to feed our cockerel. I noticed while I was holding him that the points on his comb that used to be bright red are a redish purple. A couple looked bluish. It also looks slightly curved over. Pictured below is his normal color. Otherwise he’s acting the same. What does this color change mean? He’s laying down most of the time with his head flat on the ground. Is he getting enough circulation??. Is he dehydrated? We try to syringe enough water in him but he’s not drinking on his own. How much water does an eight to ten lb cockerel need each day?
We’re making him walk around a bit but he keeps dropping head. View attachment 3711221View attachment 3711090

OMG. Can you believe that my husband woke up in the middle of the night very concerned about our cockerel. He couldn’t get his eye infection out of his mind. He went and got him and held him down. He opened his eye and saw something stuck up. He was able to touch it and it was hard. He pushed up from the bottom of his eye. He saw a point of something. He took his finger nails and grabbed it and pulled out a chunk of a wood chip! Picture enclosed. It’s 1/4” long embedded down along the outside of his lower eye.
Do you think there’s any way now that we have that out that the eye will heal and his wry neck is a reaction to the obvious pain he’s been experiencing?
I’m very upset with the vet for not seeing it when she was deriding the eye. This could have been solved days ago. I’m thinking of calling them on Tuesday and taking him in again for her to search and making sure there are no remnants.
I’m still concerned about his blue tipped comb. His comb has been bright red. Now it’s tips are bluish purple. What could be causing that?

 

[SmiYa0126]

Oh my gosh! Your hubby is great! What relief for your cockerel! How in tarnation did that get in there?

How is he this morning?

The tips can fluctuate in color as hormones levels change.

 

[karenls50]

Oh my gosh! Your hubby is great! What relief for your cockerel! How in tarnation did that get in there?

How is he this morning?

The tips can fluctuate in color as hormones levels change.

My guess is it got in there by him scratching his head or one of his hens scratched in the wood chips and it flew in there and lodged. No idea.

He’s actually opening his eye. Not sure if he’s blind yet because if the trauma and infection. The swelling is down.

His wry neck has not changed. He stands totally up and his head is laying on the ground. He does lift it for short periods of time when we take him out of the cage to encourage him to walk a bit and exercise his legs. But it’s only as high as parallel to the floor and for a very short time. We’re keeping up with the food supplement and E, B complex, and raw eggs for selenium.

My concern about his comb is that it’s always been bright red. It started to vary in color yesterday. Thanks for responding. It helps as we navigate this trauma.