Help!!!!??? Something really weird with my chicken!!!!

[Silkies~Polishes]

Okay so right now I'm not sure why but a
AlReady 3 of my chickens have died and another one I think will. One was a 3 month old polish. The other two were 2 month old serama/polish mixes. They are still with their mom in a slightly heated building. Like in the 60's. All the chickens got really weak and were all fluffed up all the time. And got really skinny. With all of them they seemed completely fine until about 12-24 hours before they died, so i had no warning. None of my other chickens have lost any weight and still feel pretty meaty when I hold them.
Now Im really freaked out because the momma hen has her neck really crooked and the right side of her face is tilted towards the sky. Her left eye is closed, with no clear injuries, it's just closed. She's walking around with her neck crooked. I felt her neck and I don't think it was broken or anything. Also, she had a straight neck yesterday, then i checked on her a few hours ago and it was crooked. She can still eat and drink and stand, just off balance if i gently push her. Does anybody know what this is?
Also, reading online most websites day its a vitamin deficiency, I have been feeding her chick feed for the past couple months since she's with her chicks, could it be because of this?

 

[cbenson6820]

i've had this issue many times before and still have no cure or cause. It could be wry neck, vitamin E deficiency(i think the same as wry neck), mareks disease, or algae poisoning. I've seen many silkies get this and tried antibiotics which never work. I've never tried vitamin E specifically but i have tried using a multivitamin supplement and that never helped either.I've never thought it was caused by lack of vitamin E because all of the chickens eat the same food and only one chicken out of the whole flock will get sick. I've read about algae poisoning causing symptoms like that and if caught soon enough, the symptoms should go away. I have a splash marans roo right now that constantly looks down can't raise his head up the whole way which is how it all starts. I noticed one specific waterer of mine kept turning real red and i didn't know what it was. I kept washing the waterer out but i could never get all of the red out of the ring around the neck of the waterer. Once my marans roo started holding his head funny i decided it was from what was growing in his waterer. I cleaned the waterer out the best i could and soaked it in vinegar and from then on when i refilled it i always add a little vinegar and the red crap went away. My roo never got any better but he also never got any worse and i caught it early enough that he functions almost completely normal.

Have you noticed any bloody diarrhea? the chicks could have cocci, but cocci wont cause a crooked neck.

If the chicks were mine and didn't have any runny noses or swollen eyes, i would clean the hell out of their waterer and start adding vinegar to the water daily and treat them for cocci. I don't know if you can mix vinegar in water with corid though.

 

[janinepeters]

Marek's disease.

 

[cowcreekgeek]

Okay so right now I'm not sure why but a
AlReady 3 of my chickens have died and another one I think will. One was a 3 month old polish. The other two were 2 month old serama/polish mixes. They are still with their mom in a slightly heated building. Like in the 60's. All the chickens got really weak and were all fluffed up all the time. And got really skinny. With all of them they seemed completely fine until about 12-24 hours before they died, so i had no warning. None of my other chickens have lost any weight and still feel pretty meaty when I hold them.
Now Im really freaked out because the momma hen has her neck really crooked and the right side of her face is tilted towards the sky. Her left eye is closed, with no clear injuries, it's just closed. She's walking around with her neck crooked. I felt her neck and I don't think it was broken or anything. Also, she had a straight neck yesterday, then i checked on her a few hours ago and it was crooked. She can still eat and drink and stand, just off balance if i gently push her. Does anybody know what this is?
Also, reading online most websites day its a vitamin deficiency, I have been feeding her chick feed for the past couple months since she's with her chicks, could it be because of this?

It's not what you've been feedin' unless it's spoiled feed. Or, a recalled product. I wouldn't imagine deficiency is the immediate cause, unless when you say they 'got really' skinny' you're speakin' of 'em all. SoOo ... back to the rough logic I've been suggesting for folks.

It could be Merek's, as another has suggested. And, if it is? There ain't a thing you can do about it. That's the rough part ... on to the logic: Rather than wasting time w/ the dreaded things that can't be treated, it only makes good sense to treat your flock for what can be.

And, despite the fact it's met w/ some resistance here on BYC, I strongly urge you to immediately begin adding specifically Apple Cider Vinegar to their water, beginning right as soon as you finish readin' up on it, and at the initial rate of 4 teaspoons the first gallon (but NOT in galvanized metal containers), followed with progressively higher concentrations, by raising the amount by 1 teaspoon in each subsequent gallon, up to no more than 8 teaspoons to the gallon. (and, less, should they reduce their intake of water). This will also help to clear any coatings or excess mucus from their mouths, throats and intestines, so as to improve the uptake of nutrient/vitamins and, should any be required, medicines -- irrefutable evidence can be seen in yet another post to prove ACV does this ... your birds don't have time to wait for any/all potential arguments to end.

The reason this is so urgent is that you could be dealing with the toxins from botulism, which results in a condition known as limber neck. The ACV will also dramatically reduce the levels of botulism, which is normally present in the mouths and guts of all birds. So far as I know of? The only potentially effective treatment of such poisonings is acetic acid.

And, if it's not? Then, you've done absolutely no harm, and have prepped 'em for further treatment, and for less than a cup of coffee costs.

Clean the area they're in, being certain to remove any manner of decaying matter that you can (maggots are often the source of excessive levels of botulism bacteria). Scrub your equipment (you can use plain ol' white vinegar for cleaning), and change the water at least daily.

There are links in the bottom of this post for further research and consideration ... you can identify conditions/infections based upon the symptoms listed, and then look those up in the Merck Vet Manual, for example. And, holler if there's anything I can do ...

 

[Silkies~Polishes]

Okay thanks guys for your help! I will try the things suggested!