Does my chicken have wry neck and is she too old to treat?

[Shawnasong]

Hi Friends of Fowl,
I am brand new to chickens. I got 4 on March 17th from Tractor Supply. They were all between 2 and 4 weeks. One of them is a Rhode Island Red, and we named her Ruby. She appears to be the youngest. When she was little, we always noticed that she looked distinctly different from the other 3 - she looked more like a hawk; hard to explain - basically had a forward posture and sort of a short or tucked in neck. She also peeped seemingly all the time. I chalked her appearance difference up to her variety, and she seemed very happy, with normal eating and elimination, so I assumed her incessant peeping was, again, variety-specific.

Fast forward to now. Ruby is between 9 and 11 weeks old. I have been noticing for the past month that indeed she looks very different, as far as her neck is concerned. The left side bulges out fairly far and the feathers are all splayed out. I thought all this time that they were just feathers that were the last to molt. They're all going through different stages of molting, and another chicken still has some fluff around her neck too. A few days ago, I was holding her, and I made a ring with my thumb and index finger and slid that slowly down the length of her neck so I could feel what was going on, if anything. I discovered that her neck is completely crooked, but deep down at the base of her neck.

So now I've been reading about wry neck and crooked neck in chickens. I am not even 100% sure that she has wry neck. She certainly has never had the stargazing appearance, or the dragging of the head. She can fly around and preen and stretch both wings fully. But, her neck is definitely in a side-to-side S-curve. I really don't know what to do.

Starting tomorrow, I am going to change up the routine a bit. Usually we let all 4 out from their coop into their very large yard area. Instead, I will keep her and her best friend in the coop and begin feeding her foods high in Vitamin E and Selenium. I don't feel like hand-feeding her is really an option because she's a big girl now and she eats just fine on her own. I've read that if you catch wry neck soon enough, it's curable with those 2 supplements. Well, what's soon enough??? She's a big bird now, not a little chick. Did I catch it in time? Does it matter if she has a crooked neck as long as she can still eat and drink?

Here's what I'm looking for in writing this post:
1. comfort - you've been there. She's going to be okay. She can live like that. It's really no big deal, since all her intake and eliminations are normal.
2. validation - I'm doing the right thing (starting tomorrow) by giving those foods
3. advice - You think I should actually take a different course of action. You have concrete info on how to determine if a chicken is in pain, etc.
4. feedback - You think I am overreacting or underreacting - either way, you're going to tell me that.

Folks, thank you so much for reading this. I love my chickens so much. Who knew? I really just want Ruby to be happy and healthy.

Shawna
Newbie Fowl Mom

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Ruby is between 9 and 11 weeks old. I have been noticing for the past month that indeed she looks very different, as far as her neck is concerned. The left side bulges out fairly far and the feathers are all splayed out.

I discovered that her neck is completely crooked, but deep down at the base of her neck.

Instead, I will keep her and her best friend in the coop and begin feeding her foods high in Vitamin E and Selenium. I don't feel like hand-feeding her is really an option because she's a big girl now and she eats just fine on her own.

Welcome To BYC

Can you post some photos of Ruby?

Since she's probably had the crooked neck this long I wonder if it's something genetic, a developmental issue or even permanent type injury (maybe rough handling during shipping/at feed store(?)

I won't hurt to offer her Vitamin E, B1 and foods that contain selenium.
Personally, if she's eating/drinking and active - I would not separate her from the flock. Added stress of separation can make any condition worsen.
If possible, get some Poultry Cell or Poultry Nutri-Drench and direct dose her daily at a rate of 1ml per pound of weight for a week. This way you don't have to separate her.

 

[Shawnasong]

Thank you. I will get photos of Ruby tomorrow. I did decide to NOT separate her, because I agree completely that it would really stress her out. She is very attached to Honey, and vice versa. I will get the vitamins you mentioned. Photos coming soon...