Crooked neck 6 weeks

[Millymoloney]

Hi everyone, I am a teacher and know nothing about raising chicks. My school hatched some eggs, one was taking way over 24 hours and I helped it ( I then read online that I shouldn’t have).In any case this chick is now 6 weeks old with a crooked neck and bald patches. He eats and grows well but I am worried that food is getting stuck in his croup. I have massaged it when it looks bulgy but I am wondering if I need to do this or if it is a normal part of digestion for food to fill the croup for a while. Any help or advice would be much appreciated. I thought his condition may be wry neck and have been giving him vitamin E, but I also think it may be a deformity. Thanks in advance, Milly

 

[Eggcessive]

How long has the wry neck been going on? What do you feed him? Chickens do have slow feathering in certain areas. Has the chick been feather-picked by others?

Wry neck is a neurological symptom. It can be caused by genetics, head injury, a vitamin E or B1 (thiamine) deficiency, and is sometimes a sign of Mareks disease. Most people treat with giving 400 IU vitamin E and 1/4 tablet daily of human crushed super B complex. Scrambled egg, just a bit contains selenium that can be helpful in vitamin E uptake. I would treat for at least 2 weeks.

Make sure the chick is getting a balanced chick starter grower, and few treats. The crop should fill up during the day, and empty overnight if it is sleeping at night. Chicks tend to eat around the clock, though, if they have a brooder lamp.

 

[Millymoloney]

Thanks so much for getting back to me. He has had starter crumb up to now( week 1-6) and from week 5 I introduced sunflower seeds, spinach, pepper, scrambled egg, radish and broccoli most days. I have been giving him vitamin e in water for about 1.5 weeks. The wry neck began a day or so after he left the incubator, and went into the brooder. He had shell still attached to him when he hatched and the others did peck at him a bit when he was 1-2 weeks but they don’t anymore.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would stop the veggies right away, and mainly give his feed which has all of the nutrients. A little bit of egg can be a treat. A tiny bit of sunflower kernels also have selenium, and can be substituted for egg. In addition to the 400 IU of E, try giving a little B complex for thiamine. Some cases of wry neck may never get better. I had an older rooster who developed it, and had it only when he was resting or sleeping.

 

[Millymoloney]

That is really helpful, thank you I will give it a try.

 

[Eggcessive]

Let us know how he is getting along in a few days. His feathers will probably grow in soon. I hope his wry neck gets better.