Day old silkie chick has wry neck

[Burnttoast5475]

I have a chick that was just born yesterday and she has wry neck. She’s so tiny so I’m wondering how I can give her selenium. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Here's a link to another post that shows a treatment regimen.

When I was treating a small chick, I had to crush the B-complex and empty the Vitamin E soft gels (using a thumbtack), mix that with a TINY bit of water, then suck everything into a 1mL (needle-less) syringe.

I'd hold the chick and slowly apply drops along the side of the beak, which would work into the mouth to be swallowed. It takes forever, but there's no risk of aspiration. And I didn't force the whole amount... just as long as they'd put up with me. You could also try mixing the vitamins into egg or tuna if they'll eat it.

Best of luck getting your chick sorted. It can be very challenging to deal with.

 

[Burnttoast5475]

Here's a link to another post that shows a treatment regimen.

When I was treating a small chick, I had to crush the B-complex and empty the Vitamin E soft gels (using a thumbtack), mix that with a TINY bit of water, then suck everything into a 1mL (needle-less) syringe.

I'd hold the chick and slowly apply drops along the side of the beak, which would work into the mouth to be swallowed. It takes forever, but there's no risk of aspiration. And I didn't force the whole amount... just as long as they'd put up with me. You could also try mixing the vitamins into egg or tuna if they'll eat it.

Best of luck getting your chick sorted. It can be very challenging to deal with.

Thank you so much! So Frustrating because I felt like maybe I did something wrong. I’ve been hatching for a year and this never happened.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Thank you so much! So Frustrating because I felt like maybe I did something wrong. I’ve been hatching for a year and this never happened.

I'm sure you didn't do anything wrong! It could just be genetics or a developmental kink where she didn't absorb enough nutrients.

The one other thing I see mentioned is something called Nutri-drench for Poultry. I keep it for lethargic chicks. It doesn't have B vitamins or selenium, but it contains Vitamin E. It's also fast absorbing. So maybe getting a drop in her could help kickstart things. You'd still need to do a more comprehensive vitamin regimen with the B-complex.

 

[Eggcessive]

You only need a small amount of selenium which can be found in egg yolk. I would just add a little raw yolk to water along with the B complex for thiamine, and human vitamin E. Poultry Cell and Poultry NutriDrench do have thiamine (B1) and a little E. B1 and E deficiency is what to treat.