Let's talk Wry Neck/Crook Neck

[harmonylanefarm]

Our silky rooster can down with wry neck about one week ago. Over this time we have noticed some improvement and found ways to feed him that seem to work. We are using vitamin e, selenium, polyvisol, and predisone. If you are interested in learning more about what we have done I have started a blog that includes this information (harmonylanefarm.com).

 

[Ruby243]

my silky chicken got crook and his head was upside down, he was loosing his balance, he was spinning around and he wouldn't go out the coop so we had to take him out. so we took him to the vet when he got really bad and they offered to put him down or take him home to die, so we took him home. for a few days we fed him by hand and have him vitamin tablets in corn and fish oil. after about 2 weeks he recovered from it but now about a month later we have notist his neck was a bit crooked again, so wee just hoping for the best! so my advice is just give her a lot of vitamins and fruit and hope she survives! x

 

[Nemmie]

So my 'youngest' or 'baby' (we brought all of our hens together, but she has always been called this) has had wry neck for a few months now. She never properly developed and never began laying any eggs, but we love her for it all the same. She's unique and a part of the family and has always brought smiles to our faces even though medical opinions always told her it would be a miracle if she lived to six months.. Now at the age of almost two years we're really beginning to worry about her.

It suddenly appeared over night but until recently has caused her no real problems eating, standing etc. She'd occasionally fall over and need help back up, but apart from her spine obviously being pushed forward I can't say she had any more health issues than the rest of the flock, generally being an active and healthy girl. This all occurred when I went away to uni ( a little later than most) and another family member was left to care for them during term time. They increased and changed their changed their bedding, changed their diet and also stopped feeding them treats altogether (such as meal worms, fruit etc).





In the last week her spine has really caused her neck to twist though. For several days she couldn't eat or drink without human interaction and can now only manage to eat soft foods (e.g. porridge, wet biscuits, soft bread etc) and is no longer able to stand or balance by herself. She has been living inside for the past week in an old, large fish tank and in all honestly I can't say she's unhappy. I've dealt with moody, grumpy, injured and unwell chickens before and she seems to be loving the extra attention and cuddles but obviously at present cannot survive outside with the rest. I went to care for her for a few days and she improved almost at once as I experimented with her diet and removed a lot of her bedding (to me more than two or three inches all round is far too much).

No vets in our county are qualified to treat her and whilst she's so happy it actually seems like putting her down would be unfair. All our vets have ever been able to advise is to keep her as happy as possible and that if there were any major problems they could not put her down and we'd have to do it ourselves. I've read on these forums giving her vitamin E could improve her neck issues as well as reducing her bedding (which I can't deny I'm pleased to read, it has thoroughly annoyed me how much was used and wasted when they were perfectly fine before). I have to ask though as it'll be another few weeks until she is back in my care and I'm currently passing all research on, are there any more tips to improving her?

My main goals are to really get her neck untwisted enough at least so she has a little more ease eating and to get her to be able to balance and stand again. Her grip is good, her legs are working but she really cannot balance. We are thankful she has lived this long altogether, but obviously at such a young age we are also not ready to lose her.

All advice is welcome no matter how big or small and even if it is generally advice you think I will not like. In the end no matter how much I want her to survive, her happiness, comfort and wellbeing is all that is really important.

 

[Nemmie]

I apologise, i double posted

 

[JesikaD01]

I have a 10 week old chick who I am thinking had wry neck but she cannot walk at all. she was getting up on her knees (for lakc of a better word) and balancing with her wings but today she is not even doing that just flipping from side to side...can leg paralysis be a symptom of wry necK?

she can move her legs so I think they are just weak. any help would be appreciative

 

[Nemmie]

Unfortunately, my baby Casserole passed away on Sunday after her illnesses suddenly taking a turn for the worse.

In response to your question, in the last three weeks of her life she was unable to walk. She could still grip with her feet and move her legs, but the strength and balance was just not there. We either had to hold her whilst she was being fed, bathed, having a cuddle or prop her up and leave her to sleep when she was not. She simply could not do it on her own and would fall over, including one time when she was placed right at the back of the sofa (left for a moment whilst I got her water), tried to move and just fell off and couldn't get back up herself. It was sad to see her like that.

My advice to you is try giving your hen vitamin E. When we gave it to her, we did notice subtle differences in her legs and spine. Unfortunately, Casserole had been ill since birth with various things and it was honestly a medical miracle she lived this long at all. One of her other disabilities took its toll and she couldn't handle it any longer.

 

[JesikaD01]

Thanks for the response and I am sorry about your chicken!
I have been giving her baby asprin, selenium, vitamin E and the infant multi vitamin she seems to be attempting to walk more but it is only 2-3 steps and she has to balance with her wings and falls forward but I am taking the fact that she is at least trying as a good sign

 

[hillfloweranch]

I hatched a couple of pekin ducks and one has "crooked neck" at first she was eating/drinking ok. shes now 1 week old and twice today I found her head soaking wet, I'm guessing she got stuck in the waterer. I've done the electrolytes in the water and seemed to help at first but when I stop for a day her neck gets worse. So I'm wondering if I have to put her down, how does one go about putting down a duckling?

 

[sol2go]

I just realized my 4 month old splash Marans pullet has a crooked neck. I'm not sure what that means, especially in this case. I had thought it always seemed like her neck looked short, as if she was cold until today when I mentioned it to someone and they showed me that it is crooked.

It is such a surprise to me, especially since her brother's neck looked ridiculously long like an ostrich. He eventually grew into it. She has a sister that looks perfectly normal.

Thinking about that, could it be genetic and in her case the neck couldn't support itself? Or dietary? She has always been the friendliest of the flock, can run around with the best of them, and eats ravenously...

I am sort of upset about this and would appreciate some helpful options. I glanced through prior postings, but thought I would post anyways.

 

[Nemmie]

I did lots of research into this before treating my own hen and there are three main theories behind wry neck:

1. Genetics, in which case as long as they're happy and healthy there's not really anything you can do.
2. Diet. It's often thought this is due to a lack of Vitamin E and Vitamin A in the birds diet, which is actually awesome if this is the case for your maran, you can pop down to your local drug store and find capsules or tablets that you can give to them (you might have to break tablets down / give them half a tablet daily instead of a whole one, depending on age / size / what that chick can actually handle)
3. Another is environment either being lack of room to move (which I highly doubt from your post is the problem) or too much bedding in their nesting box. If there's too much bedding, especially if they all sleep in very close proximity, the bedding can shift and beneath the animal and cause them to sleep at odd or uncomfortable angles. Sometimes it can occur with a sudden change in bedding (i.e. changing from wood shavings to straw), an increased amount (many poultry owners increase the bedding in the winter, but often put more in than the hens need) or can slowly occur over a longer duration of time if the problem is persistant.

So! I recommend you first look at their bedding and what they're sleeping in. Any more than 2-3 inches is often excessive, hens have ways of regulating their body temperature so you shouldn't worry that any less will make them cold. Just make sure any large drafts are covered and you'll be fine. It may also be worth depending on your budget trying a different kind of bedding to see if that helps at all. If it's not your bedding, the vitamins are really cheap and very affective, especially when the problem is caught at such a young age.

But really, as long as she's happy, healthy and it's not affecting her life too much, don't panic. Wry neck can be solved with time and attention. c:

I hope you're a step closer to helping you poullett now!