Help - Hatched out of the small end of the egg

[Lunar Ice]

I have a two-week old semi-crippled peachick. The bird was hatched by a friend (a long-time breeder of very healthy, gorgeous peas and other fowl) who gave it to me because he just doesn't have the time to work with it. He didn't think the chick would survive, but it's quite healthy at 2 weeks old and has made some improvements on it's own.


The chick has a fairly large bend in it's neck and is unable to straighten it on it's own. When it was hatched, it had trouble walking straight, but has since been able to compensate. It is a very quiet bird and it seems to take comfort in being with me rather than being in the brooder with the other baby chicks, although they don't pick on him at all. He's very gentle and I've noticed a MUCH different disposition in him compared to other peachicks I've raised. I'm actually already quite attached and fond of him after only a day and I'd really like to rehabilitate him if I can.
Every once in awhile I massage his neck and gently straighten it. It doesn't seem to distress or hurt him at all, in fact..he seems to be quite pleased as long as I support his head. My friend said that it is actually much straighter now than it had been two weeks ago when it hatched, like he's trying to correct it himself.

Has anyone had this kind of thing happen before? Is there anything I can do for it?

His beak is a little off, but I'm taking him to an Avian Vet to have it corrected.

He holds his wing low and keeps his leg out to the side but they aren't crippled or deformed. He seems to do it just to compensate for his neck trouble. Also, oddly, he can fly straight and even perch fairly well.

 

[Kedreeva]

I wonder if the neck isn't a neurological issue... Sometimes at work we get animals that have a head tilt, where they hold their heads off to the side like that, with their head tilted like it shows in your pictures. There's nothing wrong with their neck or anything. With the variance in disposition as well as posture and facial shape, it makes me wonder. Here's a link to some information about possible causes of a crooked neck: http://dlhunicorn.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=emergencies&action=display&num=1160928615

If it's not neurological, you could attempt a brace for the neck that would straighten it without you holding it, much like people do for curled toes etc. It'd be more tricky with a neck obviously than with toes, but I think you could rig something small with maybe part of a popsicle stick and some vetrap. Vetrap won't stick to the little guy's feathers like tape would, and it sticks marvelously to itself. The major issue binding a neck would be allowing the chick to eat and drink normally, which would mean you'd probably only want to bind it for short periods of time rather than constantly- or maybe just overnight or something, and work with massaging etc like you have been during the day. You're also going to want to make sure that with the bend, that it IS eating and drinking enough. If not, you may have to help in that regard.

I'd also look for some water vitamin supplement if you can. Poly-vi-sol vitamin drops I think are available at places like walmart and may help.
Quoted from another thread about crooked necks: "re vit. supplementation:
Please note that vitamin E (at therapeutic dosage) is absorbed only in combination with selenium (the two are interdependent on each other)... if there is a malabsorption issue in general this will also affect absorption and therefore it is a good idea to give a general supplement like Avia Charge 2000 ...
Vit A (in excess ) will negatively affect uptake of vit E so you should not use the Polyvisol in combination with the vitamin E/selenium as a general rule. please ensure the amount of selenium in the tabs does NOT exceed 50 micrograms.... for a small chick under six weeks of age with milder symptoms you can give half the amount."
Someone else says of their adult bird: "I cured mine [of crooked neck] by giving it 400u liquid vitaminE and 1cc of adult high dose vitaminB complex twice a day along with vitamin/electrolyte suppliments in its water."
And one more poster says: "After some research online I immediatly switched to organic chic starter, seperated "Hendrix", the inflicted chic, from the other chics, and started giving Hendrix...
1) a tiny crushed piece of human B vitamin,
2) about half of a 400 IUD vitamin E gel cap, and
3) mixed it with a couple drops of selenium to help the absorbtion of vitamin E
...each day.
I often mixed it with some mulit-grain baby cereal, soymilk, and egg yolk for nutrition supplimentation."

You can also go here and click on the crookneck link on the left side for some more suggestions: http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article.html

I'm a major softie, so I'd for sure try to save him if I could. Others here may tell you to cull him.

 

[Exotics R Us]

I would just cull it out now the way that leg is it will just get worse and be crippled for the rest of it's life that is if it lives, and you will end up culling it later when you really are attached to it.

Ricky

 

[Kedreeva]

Quote:
If I understand correctly, the leg is not crippled or injured, but is being held there in reaction to the head tilt/crooked neck- which, if that is the case, the chick would probably put the leg back under it if the neck problem can be fixed. I couldn't stop staring at the leg the first time I saw the post, and skipped reading to say the same thing you did... then went back to read it and realized it might not be as bad as it looks.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

If you support the head and help straighten the neck does he try and pull his leg back under? If so using some soft craft foam and vet wrap to support and reposition the head might be a good choice. I would trim a thin piece of foam arch it in a C shape and place the solid part against the spine leaving to open part of the C towards the throat. Wrap in vet wrap to hold in place. You will need to figure 8 under the wings around the body and up the neck so it does not spin loose.

If you are going to a vet they might have better options, or offer help in wrapping. The leg may need some sparkle leg splinting to help train it back under as well.

 

[Lunar Ice]

Small update: I have taken this little guy to the vet and had his beak trimmed. I will continue with the trimmings once a week myself (as instructed) until the problem corrects itself...if it doesn't, then I'l just have to keep an eye on it and trim as necessary. Since the bird is in good health and does not appear to be in distress, pain, or is othrewise showing deteriorating symptoms, the vet said that there is no reason to euthanize it. If something changes then, of course, I would never allow a bird (or any animal) to suffer under my care and would allow it to go with some dignity.

His leg is NOT deformed. When his neck is straightened, he naturally pulls his leg back under himself and straightens his wing. His head also does not "tilt" (or "tick") it's just very hard to see the physical bend in his neck.

Kedreeva I appreciate the information A LOT (thank you!) and I will probably start him on some vitamin suppliments tomorrow.

That's really helpful thing to know and it certainly can't hurt to try. He is on a medicated turkey starter currently and I can separate him from the other birds for a short while and let hm eat/drink to ensure he gets the suppliments. The little guy is a real pig when it comes to eating.

I would like to try to brace his neck...I just wasn't sure if I could (mostly because I was afraid of using tape). So thank you guys! I will try to post a few progress pictures if there are any, in case anyone wants to know...but if there is a change in the chick's habits, or if there is no hope then I will respectfully see that the bird is humanely euthanized. I'm avoiding that route so long as it appears healthy, active and is eating/drinking and generally being mostly normal peachick. I don't mind having a slightly 'deformed' yet happy bird and I will never allow it to free range (for obvious reasons).