Illness? Broke neck?

[NuttHouse]

HELP! I found my hen like this. She can't hold her head up. Is her neck broken?! She has apparent injuries.

 

[Friendly_Lurker]

I wouldn’t be able to tell without touching her. Keep her in a warm place, and try to get her to drink.

 

[pozees2]

How old is she? Any history of illness or injury? When you pick her up does she feel light or normal weight? Does she live with other birds who appear to be okay? Have you checked for injuries and parasites? Is she moving her head at all or just still as in the picture?

It is probably best to separate her from the flock, for two reasons - one, if she is sick with something that can affect the other birds, you want to stop transmission as soon as possible, and two, as a weakened member of the the flock, she may be killed by her flock mates, which sounds horrifying but it's how flocks behave to protect themselves from predators. You can bring her inside the house for the night in a crate, small animal cage, storage container with a hardware cloth cover, or whatever you have to confine her and keep her safe - you want her to be able to stand and turn around, but not much more than that, as once it's dark they don't do a lot of moving around anyway. If she is shocky she should be kept warm and quiet, and if you aren't sure how long she's been this way, she probably needs water. If there is a chance she has wry neck (also called stargazing by some), try to get some B and E vitamins into her.

There are many possible things that could be wrong. Could be an injury due to rough treatment by another bird or other animal. Could also be egg bound, have wry neck, external parasites such as mites or lice, internal parasites such as worms, organ failure, dehydration, nutritional deficiency, infection, disease ...

Sorry, I hope she pulls through. Birds are especially good at hiding ailments until it's too late to save them.

 

[micstrachan]

@NuttHouse how us your hen? When you say apparent injuries, are you only referring to her neck? Can she open her eyes? Is her breathing ok? Does she grasp your finger if you touch her foot?

I 100% agree she needs to be kept warm. I might be reluctant to move her just yet, though, if you haven’t already done so.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

HELP! I found my hen like this. She can't hold her head up. Is her neck broken?! She has apparent injuries.

Can you please give more information?
You mention apparent injuries - does she have wounds, blood....?

How long have you had her?
Has she laid an egg today or in the last couple of days?
Has she had access to anything toxic, moldy (including feed or spoiled feed on the ground) or rotten?
What do you feed?
The feathers under her "chin" appear to be wet (could be light/shadows) - is she leaking or spilling water out of her beak? Is her crop full or fluid filled?
Is she having trouble breathing or do you notice any gurgling sounds?

She can't hold her head up, but she has it back in an odd position that reminds me of Wry Neck which is a symptom - some causes are injury, vitamin deficiency and disease like Marek's.

If she has apparent injuries, then I would gently move her to check her over. Tend to any wounds and then access her condition. She may need to be treated with vitamins to see if that helps her out. If you have access to and can afford vet care, that would be best.

 

[NuttHouse]

She doesn't have any apparent injuries.That's what's so strange. She is still alive this morning. I'm gonna research wry neck. What kind of vitamins? Could I feed her liquid vitamins with a dropper?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She doesn't have any apparent injuries.That's what's so strange. She is still alive this morning. I'm gonna research wry neck. What kind of vitamins? Could I feed her liquid vitamins with a dropper?

Can you answer some of the questions in the previous post (referenced below too)
Was her crop empty this morning?
Can she stand?
Did she poop overnight?

Yes, I would give her vitamins. 400IU Vitamin E along with 1/4 tablet B-Complex.
You mention you have vitamins - what do you have? Post a photo.

Can you please give more information?
You mention apparent injuries - does she have wounds, blood....?

How long have you had her?
Has she laid an egg today or in the last couple of days?
Has she had access to anything toxic, moldy (including feed or spoiled feed on the ground) or rotten?
What do you feed?
The feathers under her "chin" appear to be wet (could be light/shadows) - is she leaking or spilling water out of her beak? Is her crop full or fluid filled?
Is she having trouble breathing or do you notice any gurgling sounds?

She can't hold her head up, but she has it back in an odd position that reminds me of Wry Neck which is a symptom - some causes are injury, vitamin deficiency and disease like Marek's.

If she has apparent injuries, then I would gently move her to check her over. Tend to any wounds and then access her condition. She may need to be treated with vitamins to see if that helps her out. If you have access to and can afford vet care, that would be best.