head trauma/ off ballance chicken. help!

[tegg]

hello, im new and desperate i have a chook wich must have hit his head...i thought when i first came to check my chickens that it had brocken its neck, its head was tillted to the left and it was rolling around on its back. i took it imediatly to our vet ( this is a pet chicken and means alot to me) the vet sait it had posably hit its head causing trauma to its brain throwing the chickens balance off. i was given anti inflamitories and told it might be posable to nurce it back...but not to hope too much,. has anyone out their expeirianced this terrible thing im desperate for hope, or info that will help.

 

[dlhunicorn]

for brain injury then prednisone is given ... antiinflammatories have insufficient activity in the brain...the article (link) below is very common treatment for silkies... (The vitE and selenium helps ward off permanent neurological injury) :
http://dlhunicorn.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=casestudiesemergencies&action=display&num=1160927052

you will need to ensure your bird drinks (dribble alongside beak , do not squirt in beak as the bird MUST swallow it self or it will get the liquid in its lungs) and eat until it starts to recover

 

[Scrambled Egg]

What do you think dlhunicorn, could the little guy have been pecked in the head? Just wondering if the pecking could be that dangerous?

 

[dlhunicorn]

yes it can...there are many causes of this symptom and pecking is often one of htem (especially in silkies and Polish where there are literally "holes" in their head...it is a skull anomaly in these breeds) ... the treatment posted works in many cases but recovery can take many weeks

 

[peepkeeper]

I have a GLW like this. She went missing for two days when she was three weeks old, I thought a critter got her. When we found her she was holding one wing down and was stumbling like she was drunk. I don't know what happened. She never really recovered. She wobbles and can't really balance herself so we call her Dizzy. She eats and drinks and enjoys her life, but can't fly up to the nesting boxes. Don't you wish chickens could talk and tell us what happened?

 

[Scrambled Egg]

Thanks for the info unicorn, I was wondering about that, although I had no idea about the holes in their skulls (I have no bantams or other small chickens).

peepkeeper that is so sweet and sad about your Dizzy chicken --cute name though. I have a handicapped one too, she has a really solid gumball sized lump under one wing and it makes it alittle hard for her to fly, not entirely impossible and she can get on the roost. She isn't as fast as the others either. Also, her head turns slightly to the other side, she looks hunchbacked actually. She is protected by my other RIR's, they look out for her so much when the Dominiques, who are so much bigger want to peck at them, they shelter her --we call her Pixie and she answers to it becasue we love on her so much, she is rotten! She sees us and whines to be held. I bet Dizzy is rotten too!!

 

[amyeca]

So hens can survive a head injury ?

 

[Peepsdanvers]

Mine did

 

[LouisesMama]

Mine did

Hi Peepsdanvers, I know this is an old thread but I am having the same issue. You say your hen survived a head injury, mine did too but she is still recovering. I have been hand feeding her daily since June 21. She was attacked by a raccoon and was scalped. She was in very bad condition for a long time. I found out about tube feeding and she has shown dramatic improvement but still cant eat or drink on her own. She tries to peck and she does get something every now and then. She is finally walking forward with her head up but still has her moments where she goes in circles. I am not giving her prednisone, but she is getting natural inflammatories everyday. Any advice on moving forward for my lil girl?? There is not much information about this issue and I'd love some feedback from someone who has successfully experienced this! Thank you for your time!

 

[Cristina D]

What natural anti-inflammatory are you giving her? Your story is similar to mine. My hen got attacked by a mink. She got a head injury 3 weeks ago. She walked for 4 days after the attack but then one of her legs got stiff. I hand-feed her. She can't stand. It breaks my heart. I am trying to find a vet that takes care of farm animals in this area. I am praying for a miracle.