Help! Chicken emergency!

[kairosdreaming]

I'm on the phone with the vet but there aren't many chicken specialists available on a Sunday. I was cleaning their brooder today and noticed one of them was acting weird when I went to put her back in it. I don't know if her neck is broken or if she's having some kind of neurological problem.

She can't seem to hold her head up and has it tucked under her body with it tilted to the side. When I dipped her beak she did drink water and she also was walking around normally (except for her neck and head) and she isn't making excessive chirps like she's in pain. When her neck is maneuvered gently to its correct position it doesn't seem to hurt her but she can't keep it there on her own.

She's about a 5 week old blue silkie bantam. Any help would be great as no one I've talked to seems to be able to help and I don't want her suffering if there's nothing I can do.

 

[1livelychick]

I;m new but you might want to look up wry neck. I think it a vit or mineral def. I used brewers yeast from the health food store for a chick that had probs similar and it was amazing how quickly it responded. Hopefully, someone else will chime in soon. Good luck!

 

[ronikins]

Ditto on the newbie thing. I've never dealt with crookneck but your problem made me think of it.

Is your chicken like this one? https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=292818

Edit: I found this thread. Hope it helps

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=1076331

 

[kairosdreaming]

It does kind of look like that but maybe a little worse. If you're looking down on her (she can still walk around) you can't even see her neck and head its so tucked under her body. And when you look at it her head itself is a little twisted to the side. I'm still being passed around on the vet calls, no emergency services take care of chickens it seems.

***Update***

I just went out to check on her (I have her separated) and she had her neck back to normal and was drinking some water. I gave her some food and she started eating it. Would it still be wry neck, and if so, what can I do to keep it from coming back?

Thanks everyone for the advise, it is much appreciated as the 5 emergency numbers I called didn't help chickens and I was starting to panic.

 

[1livelychick]

Quote:
I still think they can "right" themselves for a bit then it goes back. THere certainly is a learning process for chickens..they seem to be so fragile compared to my dogs, cats, goats or horse!

 

[Mtn Margie]

I would do the poly-vi-sol (no iron) and read up on the threads.

 

[ranchhand]

Silkies seem to be a little more prone to wry neck. I've never had any, but I read a lot here. I seem to remember that it is a vitamin problem and the easiest fix was Poly-Vi-Sol Infant vitamins without the added Iron. You can get them in the pharmacy and some big grocery stores. I think you just put a few drops alongside the beak so she will pull it in and drink it.

Best of luck, hope I'm not wrong!

 

[Ukmumbrood3]

I'm going through the same thing with a silkie too.one minute she's fine (and can be for hours) the next her head is clamped between her legs,that can also last from minutes to hours,i'm now at the point of trying to decide what to do for the best (been going on for 2 weeks now) been using vitamin E with not much improvement.

 

[SimplySplendidSilkies]

If you look on my website on the 2nd tab I have the vet treatment for wry neck listed there. It will require precription drugs though. I have had great sucess using this method.
Good luck

 

[stargazingmommy]

man, I wish the human treatment for wry neck was so easy...