Injured or sick Red Star?

[Goathead]

I have an almost 1 year old Red Star (Star) who started acting strange a few days ago. Monday evening when I picked her up to put her to bed I thought I had handled her wrong and I told her I was sorry for turning her upside down. Didn't think any more of it until Tuesday morning when I went to let her out I noticed she was holding her head upside down. I put her up in her laying box and went inside to search the web for what might be wrong. When I went back out she had laid an egg and was acting fairly normal. I cleaned her coop, she had mostly normal poop except for one tar like, black slimy turd. When I went to put her to bed for the night Tuesday evening she was still holding her head weird but otherwise seemed okay. In searching the web, I was pretty convinced she had botulism. This morning when I went out her head was more exaggerated in the upside down position and I noticed when she backed up she would fall back, back peddle until she ran into something. She can walk forward normally. She is eating and drinking well. I put her in her nesting box and again she laid an egg. And again in cleaning her coop her poop was normal. Any ideas???

 

[Avalongirl83]

Have you looked into wry neck? Kind of sounds like it could be. If so, it may be able to be corrected with vitamins.

 

[Goathead]

I did see a lot of posts about wry neck. Thank you, I will look into that some more. Sounds better than botulism!

 

[Avalongirl83]

Haha, I think ANYTHING sounds better than botulism!! Good luck and tell us what you find. There are also some videos online that show normal actions of a chicken with wry neck.

 

[SuburbSpurs]

Same thing happened to my d'uccle if she gets lethargic you should try an Epsom salt flush.

When her neck got crooked: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/845175/chicken-with-crooken-neck-help
It progress it was botulism: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/851061/help-my-little-duccle-is-sick-dying (solutions)

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. I agree that it sounds like wry neck. It's a symptom of head or neck injury, a disease such as Mareks or newcastles and others, or it can be from a vitamin deficiency. I would separate her for quiet and less stimulation, make sure she can get food and water (she may need help,) and start her on vitamins and selenium 25 mcg daily. You can use poultry vitamins, but B1 and E are most important. Here are 2 good links to read:
http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/Crookneck/Crookneck.html
http://oureggbasket.blogspot.com/2013/04/wry-neck-or-crook-neck-understanding-it.html

 

[Goathead]

Thank you so much. I will look at these posts. She is about the same today. Looking back I think she did injure her head. I carry her to her coop each night. She comes running up to me and squats down when I come out to lock every one up. When I went to put her in her coop she flew out of my hands and literally flew into the nesting box. Her symptoms appeared after that. She is by herself as she was the only one to survive a couple of mink attacks last summer.