Let's talk Wry Neck/Crook Neck

[casportpony]

http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/Crookneck/Crookneck.html

-Kathy

 

[sunshynertc]

When I bought my pullet a few weeks ago I noticed that she was holding her neck in a strange position. I thought maybe it is because she was adapting to her new surroundings. She then seemed to be off balance and the hens pecked at her. She kept her eye closed and I thought her neck issue was due to in injured eye. After a day her eye seemed fine but her neck issue got worst. She was also severely dehydrated.

I found information on this page as to wry neck and realized that I was not treating her for the correct condition. I have given her the vitamin E and the Poly Vi Sol. I hope she make it to the morning.

 

[Lobzi]

When I bought my pullet a few weeks ago I noticed that she was holding her neck in a strange position. I thought maybe it is because she was adapting to her new surroundings. She then seemed to be off balance and the hens pecked at her. She kept her eye closed and I thought her neck issue was due to in injured eye. After a day her eye seemed fine but her neck issue got worst. She was also severely dehydrated.

I found information on this page as to wry neck and realized that I was not treating her for the correct condition. I have given her the vitamin E and the Poly Vi Sol. I hope she make it to the morning.

Hang in there. Id say she has a great chance of doing just fine. I have had many as I think I have a genetic propensity running in my flock. All have survived just fine. One is a mama currently and one of her offspring started showing crook neck. I took the baby in so I could care for her and she is doing very well as is her mama. I really didnt do anything much special for either except to turn over their heads when they got "stuck" and ,make sure they had plenty of nutrients and were not abused by the other flockmates.

 

[JackyJ]

I just joined BYC to Thank all of you guys for your posts! New to this chicken world and had my 4 month old Barred Rock get ill. Walking backwards, head hanging down. Read threw post here. And SAVED her! Figured out it was Wry Neck. Vitamin E tabs twice a day.
Just bought the liquid gel tablets and poked a hole in it, then squirted into her beak.
I could not find the liquid vitamins, so I just had Pedilyte and used a syringe to give her fluid the first day. She was unable to drink on her own. And someone posted feed scramble eggs. I would also soak them in the Pedilyte. Also I used watermelon in her cage to keep her hydrated when she was stronger and able to peck. I would say after one week she is back to normal. Only treated her for 3 days with the vitamin E, it was just to hard to get it down her after she regained her strength . Only separated her from the flock the first day. And keep her in a crate with towels to prop her head up. After that she felt better with her sisters, I would watch and at times have to hold her head up when she went into a backward walking fit. Thanks to all who post! Great information!"

 

[Helpthechick]

Same here but I try to get mine to eat and he won't.

 

[JackyJ]

I'm so sorry to see you're little one sick! Mine was 4 months old so much bigger and I could more easily force food and liquid into it. Wish you the best with that little guy....

 

[Uberprof]

We have one exactly like that! It seems to always get really nervous when we approach that it starts spinning with its neck crooked.
Now it's almost mature and can eat one its own. I feed my chickens in their run every morning. When I step into their coop, the crooked one would spin like crazy, until I hold out my hands to catch it and carry it out to the yard.

 

[dawnmbailey63]

Update for Lucky my Silkie Hen. Well Lucky turned out to be a Rooster. He is doing fine, living with the wry neck. He never got better he just learned to flip himself over when his neck went into a spasm. At 1 year now, he is outside, but in a pen where he cannot hurt himself or other chickens cant hurt him. I have a hen in with him, he tries to breed her, but she politely declines.. It is very funny, but I am happy that I didn't put him down. He is my special little guy that I do bring in the house on occasion. I have learned alot about this disorder and now I make sure that all of my silkie babies get enough sunlight and green grass. Lucky was inside the house and never had other foods except the chick starter feed. It could also have been that I had taken too many flash photos of him for my christmas pictures. Not sure, I know now that if I take a flash photo, he goes upside down with a neck spasm, so this could be caused from the flash??? I posted a video of him on youtube, Silkie hen turns into a rooster if you want to see him.

 

[Uberprof]

Mine eventually got better. I fed it two doses of Vitamin E and it became well in practically 2-3 days.
You could try that if you like.

 

[windyridgefarm]

I finally found what I think will works best for keeping my chick fed and hydrated while I am treating it for wry neck with a vitamin supplement. I am feeding it with a powdered food I use for hand feeding baby parrots ( Kaytee Exact, available at most pet stores). I suppose you could also pulverize the chick feed, however those who have talked about it said they could not get it to work well with a syringe or eye dropper. Perhaps the secret is to get a fine enough powder. In any case I found it much easier and safer to mix the vitamins in the water I use to make the slerry. Then draw it up into a syringe and put a little it in the front of the chicks beak so they can swallow it on their own. This eliminates the risk or the chick aspirating the fluid as it did when I was trying to give it liquid vitamins and makes sure the chick gets some food it. So much easier than everything else I tried.
Now my question(s) is... is the problem with vitamin B1 or E? I have seen both.
What is the consensus about this being a genetic problem? I have also heard that it could be caused when the chicken, or in the case of chicks, the hen that laid the egg, was given too much dewormer. This makes sense in my case as the woman who sold me the eggs had me wait a few weeks to get them because she had just dewormed her flock. Seems like there is so much conflicting information out there. Would be nice to get the answers all in one place.