How long does it take to cure wry neck?

[as110]

I have a 10 week old chicken with wry neck. I have been hand feeding for about 9 days. I saw a video on how to treat and handfeed and she mentioned that it would take 2-3 weeks to get better. It has been a roller coaster ride, some days are better and I see improvement and orher days it is worse, I can hardly give anything to eat.
My question is as it says in the title. If it takes 2-3 weeks, I should start to see a little improvement by now, but as it is, my chicken just sleeps and he won’t open the eyes when I try to give food or water. He still drinks water though and poops regularly every day. Today is just not looking so good but the crop is not empty so I am not freaking out just yet. It was a bit hard and dry this morning but he got some water and it is soft now. He was talking chirping before but since last night he is very quiet. If I chirp he chirps back, and when he hears the hens and chickens he makes some noise.

Has anyone successfully treated wry neck in young chicken and how long did it take before you were confident the chicken could eat and drink on its own?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Sorry for your trouble.

Please... what are you feeding? Are you adding supplements to combat the wry neck? What are they? Are you doing any sort of physical therapy? Are you giving him/her any grit?

 

[coach723]

Every case is different, it can take up to a month sometimes, if it's caused by a deficiency.
Are you giving vitamin E and selenium? The selenium is necessary in order for it to be able to absorb the E. I would also probably give some B complex vitamins also. You can use human supplements if you can't find a good poultry one.
Make sure you are using a balanced feed that is not more than 6 weeks from the mill date.
Here is more info that may be different than what you saw before:
https://www.raising-happy-chickens.com/wry-neck.html

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Make sure you are using a balanced feed that is not more than 6 weeks from the mill date.

And age appropriate.

 

[as110]

Sorry for your trouble.

Please... what are you feeding? Are you adding supplements to combat the wry neck? What are they? Are you doing any sort of physical therapy? Are you giving him/her any grit?

This chicken is 10 weeks old. We got a few from a breeder to break a broody hen. He was on medicated starter for 6 weeks while he was isolated from the rest of the flock with the broody and the other chicks. Once they were big enough they were together with the rest of the flock. I tried to feed them grower and isolated them at night when they slept so I know they got the grower for sure then, but during the day the hens would eat up everything and the mom hen wasn't very helpful to protect them.
So at 7 weeks I got on with coccidiosis which was treated and got well and now he is growing and doing well with the hens. I still hide the grower in a little house for the chicks but if I don't stand there the hens eventually break in.
9 weeks and the other rooster started to walk funny and look up with a crooked neck. At first my guess was that he got pecked and injured. When I took him out I didn't see any injuries or peck marks. I looked up wry neck and started to treat right away.

I mix the grower feed with scrambled egg, poultry vitamin that has added antibiotics, Vit E and Selenium, water or milk or yogurt, and make this a mush. I use a different mix everyday but always something high protein and soft so easy to pick up and swallow. Water in a small cup as long as he is trying to drink.
I feed 4-5 times a day. The food is in the box with him in case he tries to eat. A few days ago he managed to stand up and he fed himself. Then yesterday was all downhill and he didn't eat anything at all so I put the Vit E on his beak and he took some like that. He slept all day and didn't open the eyes and didn't move much.
Today I woke up to flapping. He is trying to sit but he is still not eating just a few pieces but he drank water. He always seems to be thirsty. The crop is almost empty now. I added B complex in the mush this morning. Yesterday I tried grit but he didn't want it. he took one pebble and that was it. In the yard they had access to grit from very early when they were with the broody and she was showing them where to eat.

Physical therapy: no. I take him outside on the grass and help him stand, look around and get fresh air. I visit the coop so he can see and hear the other chickens. Sometimes I sit there and feed him there where he can see the rest of the flock. When he looks too tired I let him sleep in the box in my room where it is quiet. He sleeps on his side and neck curled under.

 

[as110]

Every case is different, it can take up to a month sometimes, if it's caused by a deficiency.
Are you giving vitamin E and selenium? The selenium is necessary in order for it to be able to absorb the E. I would also probably give some B complex vitamins also. You can use human supplements if you can't find a good poultry one.
Make sure you are using a balanced feed that is not more than 6 weeks from the mill date.
Here is more info that may be different than what you saw before:
https://www.raising-happy-chickens.com/wry-neck.html

Yes this is the web site I read and started to treat right away. She says you can see improvement in 2-3 weeks.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

poultry vitamin that has added antibiotics

Why antibitotics?

Possible the coccidiosis caused some necrosis in the intestine causing malabsorbtion?

Since you thought you saw some improvement yesterday... you can continue to treat if you have the time, energy, and will to do so.

I breed my birds, so this would something I would cull for... knowing not all will survive and if it's a boy we are gonna eat it anyways but it will take forever to get up to a good size and time is valuable. So it wouldn't be in my best interest or that of my flock to try and continue saving it. But I know that isn't the right answer for everyone.

Not sure if this will help or not...
My broody's raise their chicks with the flock. By the time they are 6 weeks old chicks have very often been kicked to the curb to fend for their own. They were taught earlier on who to avoid while the broody still had her protective hormones full on raging. You waited to long to integrate them, either try a lot earlier next time or don't let that hen brood again. The whole flock can eat chick starter or flock raiser or grower with oyster shell available on the side for layers. I use multiple feeders and all are filled to last throughout the whole day. They will run around and access another one. But the big's ALWAYS insist on emptying a feeder I fill for the little's even when it is the same food.

I hope your chick recovers strong. Sounds like it has been a challenge for you and you are a brave soul! Hang in there.

 

[as110]

This was the only multivitamin tonic for poultry available. The label says it has antibiotics added. I doubt it is medical grade since I got it at our farm supplier.

This is a different rooster not the one that had cocci 3 weeks ago.

I am not sure how else I could have integrated them better. These chicks were with the broody since they were 3 days old. They lived in the coop but behind bars until they feathered out. It was cold until the end of june. The broody was feeding them happily but when they were out with the other hens she always ran, I never saw her protect the little ones. They just followed her everywhere she went. At 5 or 6 weeks she abandoned them completely but the little ones still ran to her when they were chased around. She was the only one not pecking them but didn’t really do anything to protect them. They were really stressed when she went to lay her eggs. They are ok now but my guess is there is a lot of stress for the little ones.
2 more chicks 9 days younger are always hiding in the coop and run to me when I appear. When I sit there they hide under my legs. I have to push them outside to socialize.

Would it be beneficial if I separated the chickens from the hens now, until they are all the same size? I got rid of the roosters yesterday so I have their space available now.

My little rooster seems to be better today. He is trying to sleep standing up and manages all day with the head on the floor. He ate today and better when I took him to the yard to see the flock. The eyes are open and more alert than yesterday. Of course I saw him in this state before so I am holding my breath that it will last this time. I didn’t give the multivitamin today, just the b and the e and grower feed with cottage cheese.

These chicks are dear to my kids. They cried for the roosters yesterday but we can’t keep all of these animals as pets. (I learned an important lesson: I will never hand raise roosters again!) ;0)

 

[as110]

Update: my little chicken has been getting better in the last 4 weeks. He was already standing and spending time erect without a twisted neck and eating by himself. Then suddenly he developed breathing problems over a two hour period and he passed away.

I will not try to save a chicken with wry neck again. I thought vitamins would cure him but I am not sure that we helped his quality of life by prolonging the end.

 

[coach723]

I'm very sorry you lost your chick. It's hard to spend so much time trying to get them better and then lose them anyway. Treating or not is always a personal decision. This chick may have had another underlying condition that was not obvious, many chicks with wry neck respond to treatment and go on to live normal lives after recovery, so I never really think it's bad to try. I nursed a very weak chick last year that seemed to recover and then died suddenly at 24 weeks, necropsy showed it was heart failure, and very likely genetic, so it can be very hard to tell what is going on inside. Again, I'm very sorry.