Is this wry neck? / support treating ill bird

[GOChickens]

Hi folks,

I’ve got a 6-week-old Bielefelder that over the past few days I’ve noticed has gotten more lethargic and I realized its neck is out of position. Last night I removed the bird from the rest of the flock in the brooder and hand fed and gave water with chick vitamin/electrolytes. I’m thinking it’s wry neck because I don’t see any parasites, no signs of sour crop like bad breath, eyes are bright and nostrils are clear with no discharge from either, is still sitting upright and able to walk, but hardly wants to move. Neck feels like it’s curved around at a 90 degree angle or so. She took water this morning but not food yet. Help is greatly appreciated!

 

[GOChickens]

Quick update: got her to take some hatch-to-hen feed finally. Poops looked normal last night, found one in the bed that also looks normal. They are a bit small but that checks out if she’s not eating much.

 

[GOChickens]

Another update. We’ve got her on 1/4 tab vitamin B complex and 400iu vitamin E mixed in some egg and been doing that since Sunday. She’s losing weight although I see her eat her chick feed on her own sometimes and I encourage her to eat by positioning her in front of the food around 6-8x daily. I also have been encouraging her to take in sav-a-chick mixed in her water during those times. She only poops about once daily now and it’s a huge turd the size of a small dog’s. I’ve been preening her feathers for her because she isn’t moving much on her own, much less to take a dust bath and preen herself. I’m worried about the weight loss and that we might be losing her. Any other recommendations?

 

[FarmerGirl101]

At this point, her being lethargic is likely exacerbated by her not eating much. Feed her scrambled eggs and some of her chick feed. You can even make a little bit of a mash for the chick feed. If she isn't eating by herself you can always force feed her by putting the food in her mouth either just little pieces or in a mash (chick feed only for mash).

You can also check how much she is eating by if her crop is full at the end of the day or not. If it is empty then she isn't eating much but if it is full then she is getting what she needs. If her crop is full when checking at night, then check first thing in the morning if her crop is empty. This will make sure that if she is eating enough that she doesn't have an impacted crop which would limit her nutrition.

I would pick up poultry cell (best in this case) or nutridrench and give it to her via syringe through her mouth. This will help give her extra vitamins and minerals which should hopefully give her a boost. Sugar water is also good for quick energy and might give her a boost but don't give her too much.

You are doing great for the vitamin E and vitamin B complex. I'm not sure on exact dosage (look elsewhere on byc) but just confirm you are meeting that dosage each day. Going a little over is fine. I also would add selenium to this vitamin combo. It helps with wry neck. Make you feed the selenium with vitamin E (doesn't need to be combined but just the same feeding period) as selenium needs vitamin E to be absorbed. Wry neck does not go away overnight so it can take a week to a few weeks for it to resolve or improve. Just stay consistent on giving her the vitamins. Also make sure she is getting the full dose. I know you feed it in an egg, make sure you aren't cooking the vitamin if you happen to put it in raw egg then cook it to make scrambled eggs.

Also make sure she is drinking enough water. Proper hydration is key. You can syringe the water on the side of her beak if she isn't getting enough or even give her something like watermelon.

I know that she was in the brooder but give her some sun time if possible. Sometimes that helps perk them up when they've been inside. Nothing too long but just enough to warm her up and get fresh air. You can even do it on grass or dirt and see if she decides to peck at it.

Sorry that this is so long but let me know if you have any questions.