Need help!

[rssnbabybear]

I don't know what is wrong with my hen. I noticed her cowering in the yard. She is keeping her head pulled down into her body and twisted to the right. She had a bulge in the front of her chest and I thought her crop might be impacted. But as I gently handle her she can straighten it out a little but not all the way. Also, she can turn her head backward to the right and forward with some effort but not to the left. She keeps making and odd gasping sound like breathing takes some effort in some positions. I don't see anything in her throat that might be stuck. I felt along her neck line and I'm concerned that it may be broken near the Breast bone, but I don't know how that is possible. She can stand and walk but obviously doesn't want to. What can I do? I don't have a vet that works with chickens. I also can't post a pic because my phone says it is all out of storage.

 

[Eggcessive]

It is possible that she could have wry neck (crook neck, torticolis twisted neck.) I would also check to see if she could have a leaking air sac in her neck, and that would feel like air trapped under the skin like a balloon. Wry neck is fairly common, but is only a symptom. Some causes can be a head or neck injury, a vitamin E deficiency, and can be a symptom of some infectious diseases (Mareks, leukosis, and many others.) Most people treat by separating the chicken so they are not pecked or bullied, and give them vitamin E a the mineral selenium. Selenium is easy to replace by feeding some chopped egg, tuna, or crushed sunflour seeds. You can use vitamin E capsules, give poultry vitamins in the water, or use 2-3 drops daily of Polyvisol without iron baby vitamins.

 

[Eggcessive]

Make sure that she is drinking water. Here is a good article and a long thread to read about wry neck:
http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/Crookneck/Crookneck.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/97121/lets-talk-wry-neck-crook-neck

 

[rssnbabybear]

Make sure that she is drinking water. Here is a good article and a long thread to read about wry neck:
http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/Crookneck/Crookneck.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/97121/lets-talk-wry-neck-crook-neck

Thanks for the links. I have to admit I'm really freaking out about this. It was so sudden. I will try to give her some electrolytes an see if she will eat or if I have to hand feed her. I already tried dipping her beak in water and she wouldn't take it. Hopefully I've caught it early. Do you think it is a vitamin problem? I ferment my own mixed grains. They get sunflower seeds which I read have the vitamin E, but could this be the problem? Or is infection more likely? I know that I have staph in the ground as my dog used to get infections in her nose (diagnosed by a vet) and I've had chickens with bumble foot and that can be staph related.

 

[rssnbabybear]

OMG! I don't know what to do! I tried giving her some water with a dropper. The first drop she acted like she tried to swallow. The second drop and she started gurgling. Then I realized, I can't even see her toung in her beak, even if I look far down her throat. Is this really wry neck! I'm so freaking out.

 

[rssnbabybear]

It is possible that she could have wry neck (crook neck, torticolis twisted neck.)  I would also check to see if she could have a leaking air sac in her neck, and that would feel like air trapped under the skin like a balloon. Wry neck is fairly common, but is only a symptom. Some causes can be a head or neck injury, a vitamin E deficiency, and can be a symptom of some infectious diseases (Mareks, leukosis, and many others.) Most people treat by separating the chicken so they are not pecked or bullied, and give them vitamin E a the mineral selenium. Selenium is easy to replace by feeding some chopped egg, tuna, or crushed sunflour seeds. You can use vitamin E capsules, give poultry vitamins in the water, or use 2-3 drops daily of Polyvisol without iron baby vitamins.

I don't notice any air. I'm a nurse so I know what that feels like. But she has a speck of blood on her feathers where her head has been resting and I can't see her tounge in her mouth. (See explanation in reply above)

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you check her crop to feel if it is full and hard or puffy? She might have something stuck in there hich could have caused the tongue problem and gurgling. I haven't had the experience like this to not see a tongue, but seem to remember someone else recently had that problem. I will try to do some looking for that thread. Many cases of wry neck may be from injuries to the head or neck. Be careful to just give a drop or two at a time of fluid, giving her time to swallow.

 

[Eggcessive]

You may want to check for the tongue in the back on the throat, in case a string or hair has become wrapped around the tongue. In the recent thread about not finding the tongue, the end of the tongue was cut off by a string. I suppose this could be the case if she perhaps swallowed one end of the possible string. How is she doing at this time?

 

[junebuggena]

I ferment my own mixed grains.

As in, no complete ration at all? Grains alone will not provide everything a chicken needs nutritionally. Definitely makes a nutrient deficiency more likely.
You have to be very careful with droppers. You can drown them on accident.
Go pick up so poly-vi-sol infant vitamins, without iron, from your local pharmacy. You have to ask for it at the counter in some states. Then give her a drop or two, just inside the beak at the tip, so she can swallow it herself, and you don't risk it going down the trachea. Keep that up, every 4 hours.

 

[Eggcessive]

I used fermented feed as well for most of a year once. I used an all flock feed with whole grains added. Not sure what the OP is using.