Dead chick and Chick with hurt neck - (silkies) HELP!!!

[askjcm2005]

We havent even had them a week and a few days ago I noticed 1 was walking funny. I noticed it had really messed up toes and they had lots of food/waste stuck to its feed and hardened so it could barely walk. I soaked its feet in water for a while and eventually got most of it off. But now it is the same way again. Then this morning we went into take check on the chicks (they are indoors) and a different chick was dead. Now tonight I look in to check on them when I get home and another 1 has a crooked neck almost like it has a sore neck and it holds it to the right and almost walking in circles to the right...



They all seem to be eating and drinking fine. Even the 1 with the crooked neck. But now I look and 1 has a really dirty behind like if he tries to poo I dont know where it would go because there so much collected there and stuck.

 

[DaniLovesChickens]

I'm not sure if I can help with everything, but I do know that I can help with the chick with poop stuck to it's butt. That's called pasty butt. That needs to be cleaned off immediately. Just as you said, if it tried to go poop it would have no place to go. This isn't a horribly uncommon problem. You clean it with warm water and a Qtip - very gently. If it's really stuck, put it's butt under running water or soak a paper towel in warm water and hold on it's butt long enough to soften the poop. Just don't pull!
As far as one chick having feed/poop stuck to it's feet, how often are you cleaning the brooder? The brooder needs to be cleaned constantly because chickens will poop constantly! Plus they will peck at what is on the ground and you don't want them eating that. I would suggest a "starter" book. I started with "Keep Chickens" by Barbara Kilarski then went to "Chickens: Tending a Small-Scale Flock for Pleasure and Profit" by Sue Weaver. They tell you a TON about taking care of chicks.
The one with a turned head sounds maybe like an illness. First, try looking into the eye that it would not being looking out of. See if the pupil (center black part) looks hazy blue. It's a long shot, but a possibility. This year I had a chick end up being blind. Otherwise there is a genetic illness that is sometimes referred to as "star-gazing". I don't reall know anything about it, but maybe?
Hopefully I helped a little and someone else can help more!

Good luck!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Stargazing is not genetic. THere are a number of causes and names: crook neck, limberneck. Could be from injury (brain trauma), encephalitis (probably cause by mosquito bite), nutritional deficiency, etc. With a chick, first guess would be injury.

Add poultry vitamins to the water, plus extra vitamin E with selenium (best to get a form that includes both as too much selenium is bad) and B-complex. Metacam or prednisone can help, but both require a prescription.

 

[askjcm2005]

So this morning I woke up and the poor little partridge silkie chick who neck was held to the side a little and now it was even worse!!

The poor little guys neck was all the way twisted around. Its neck had to of been broken or something!! I have no clue! Te top of its head was basically on the floor and its beak was facing up!! It couldn't really walk but was still trying to eat!! I am just crushed. Now I am scared for the others only because that other one died yesterday and we never saw anything wrong with any of them until yesterday and I always hold them...