Help with my 6 week old tucks her head down and backs up, sometimes flipping over

Alene16

Chirping
12 Years
Mar 7, 2013
9
1
74
Vancouver WA
She was fine when I left for work on Friday but by the time I saw her around 6 that evening I was sure there was something wrong. She was laying on the floor of the brooder tucked in a corner and when I went to pick her up she started backing up. I took her outside to get a better look but couldnt find anything else going on. No lumps no bumps no sores. I tried feeding her from a dropper at first but she will eat out of a dish okay it I hold it. I have to hold her under her chest and keep my finger under her chin and my thumb behind her head and keep the dish high to get her to eat. This has been going on for three days. I have spoken with a rescue in town and they have no idea. I have her back on mash and electrolytes. She is also getting a little sugar water and seems to do better with that.
I have no idea what else to do other then to keep hand feeding her. She will stand on her own for a bit when she is eating. The rest of the time she tucks her head under her chest like she has an itch and then walks backward. She is still pooping, no vomiting, no stinky anything and no sores that I can find. She does make a gassy sound when she eats.
She seems to feel the best when I wrap a towel around her and tuck her in with another under her chest to keep her upright. She goes to sleep right after she eats and then when she wakes up she backs up and poops at the edge of her bed.
Any thoughts would be helpful. She is eating but getting skinnier by the day. I dont want her to suffer but I also dont want to give up on her too soon.

thanks
 
Whatever the cause, the symptoms sound neurological now. If there isn't quick improvement, I would, sadly, err on the side of euthanasia for the sake of kindness. She can't tell you if she has something like headache or neck pain like that which accompanies meningitis. Hope she gets better.
 
Get adult Vitamin E capsules. Break the liquid into a bowl and use a dropper and feed her the liguid. Do this several times a day for a week. Selenium also is a great help. Often, you'll see results within a day or two, sometimes it takes a bit longer.

If there is no change after a week to ten days of treatment, I would also cull her.
 
We have talked about that, she seems a little better each day. Today she moved out of her bed and looked around when I came to feed her breakfast. I am still slightly hopeful.
 
Fred's Hens.... I will try that the vitamin e when I get home. She fights the dropper but will take from a shallow dish its just hard to tell how much she is actually getting. If you have tips on how to get a dropper in her I am all ears. And thanks for your response, this is my first flock and everything was going better than I thought until Friday...
 

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