HELP CHICK WITH FLIPPING PROBLEM

[cockadoo]

ok last night we went out and checked on our 12 week old RIR's and they were all doing good running around when we came in
then we noticed one of them was just laying there not moving
we thought the worst THANK GOD it was not that
SOOOOO now we have a chick in the dinning room that is in a pen and she is doing better than she was she is up and walking and she is drinking and eating has been so that is a good thing

NOW the problem

she keeps her head down and looking toward her tail but she is jerking her head as thou she is trying to lift it up and fighting herself to do so
when she walks she walks with her head between her legs and backward
NOW she has started backing into a corner and flipping over forwards
then she did not need the corner and just started doing it standing in the middle of the pen flipping
and it seems as though when she flips she can hold her head up for just a little bit
it is the weirdest thing just wondering if anyone can help us out want to make sure she is going to be ok and what it is and what to do about it

 

[NotTheMomma]

Look for posts on wry neck, twisted neck, etc. Its a neurlogical problem. Could also be Mereks.

 

[cockadoo]

notthemama
i got it thank you so much found a thread about 3 or 4 pages back and it says that she needs poly~visol vit and that it is wry neck
thanks for leading us in the right direction

 

[fourfeathers]

She will probably need more than polyvisol. Do a search for Alan Stanford's recommendation. It seems to have helped several of mine significantly.

 

[fourfeathers]

I hope this helps. Good luck. This spring I have had 3 from the feedstore that they have called me about with different degrees of limber neck, wry neck or stargazing. One did exactly as you describe and she improved steadily, but it took at least 3 weeks to see her move about without signs of it. Another chick that I have been treating for 2 weeks was a weaker chick with other problems to begin with and she/he is not doing as well and will probably be special needs, but able to lead a quality life in a safe environment. I don't breed any of mine so I don't worry about genetics passing on if it is due to that. I hope yours gets better. It is very rewarding when they do and can dash about after bugs and do chicken stuff!

Treating "Crookneck"
by Alan Stanford
Permission to share this is granted as long as you give credit to the Author

Here is my theory and therapy for what some call "limber neck" and I call crookneck. The symptoms first show as a crook in the neck. It progresses to
tucking the head, then tucking the head between the legs, then backing up, and tumbling over. It usually hits young birds but can happen at any age.

It is unclear what causes crookneck. American Silkie Bantam Club members suggest water on the brain, vitamin E deficiency, and injury to the brain that
is outside the skull and forms the knob on the top of Silkie's heads. The brain injury is the cause I feel fairly certain about.

Water on the brain was seen in a necropsy of an affected bird. Prednisone was suggested as symptomatic relief. Vitamin E and B complex are both good for neurological disorders. Selenium helps absorb vitamin E.

Here's what I do for affected birds. If started before symptoms get severe, the bird will totally recover. To give vitamin E - just cut the end off a human capsule and squirt it in the bird's mouth.

It is important to be sure the bird gets enough to eat and drink while it has this problem. Birds with severe cases of crookneck can't eat and drink enough to survive. You will need to gently place their head in the feed dish and carefully dip just the tip of the beak in water. Be careful not to dip too far into the water and to not stress the bird while trying to help.

The following is for an adult about 2 pound bird. Scale back for smaller birds.

For the first week I give

Twice a day
2.5 mg of prednisone
400 IU of vitamin E

Once a day
A piece of human vitamin B complex pill or a squirt of human liquid vitamins
Selenium (50 micrograms/day for half size juvenile for 3 days)

For the second week I give

Once a day
2.5 mg of prednisone
400 IU of vitamin E
A piece of human vitamin B complex pill or a squirt of human liquid vitamins

Every other day
Selenium (50 micrograms/day for half size juvenile for 3 days)

For the following weeks I give

Once a day
2.5 mg of prednisone
400 IU of vitamin E
A piece of human vitamin B complex pill or a squirt of human liquid vitamins

Every third day
Selenium (50 micrograms/day for half size juvenile for 3 days)

Do not abruptly stop prednisone, the swelling rebounds, decrease dose
gradually.
Vitamin E recovery can be slow; continue the vitamin E for several weeks at
least.

You can get the prednisone from a vet; just describe the problem of
swelling in
the brain probably due to injury. Yes Silkies' brains do stick out through a
hole on the top of the skull.

You can get the vitamin E, selenium, and vitamin B complex or liquid
vitamins at
any pharmacy.