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stengelc

stengelc

Chirping
5 Years
Joined
Jun 12, 2015
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Location
Muskoka ontario
Hellooooo. I'm new here. And I think I have a sick silkie/frizzle chick. 2 weeks old. She is hanging her head and walking backwards dragging it. Sad to watch. What could be going on.
 
Sounds like silkie syndrome. It can be caused by a bump to the soft spot on their head or nutritional deficiency. Get some Polyvisol(NO IRON) infant drops drug stores have it like Walmart etc. Give her 2 drops 3 times a day. If she won't take it off food put, the dropper just inside her beak so she can push it out if she won't swallow it.
Get some vit.E capsules, pierce one and squeeze a couple drops out of that once a day - sometimes you can get them to take it off food which is the easiest way.

Now to her, otherwise is she acting normal, eating, drinking pooping? Can she raise her head at all? Make sure to give her a shallow water dish,with some clean pebbles or marbles in it so she won't drown- if she can't lift her head out. You can massage her neck very gently a few times a day in a more upright fashion. Make sure she is warm enough (I assume she is in a brooder). If other chicks are in with her = you may want to make a partition so they don't climb all over her and tire her out.

This is NOT CONTAGIOUS. If a vet thinks there is swelling around the brain he may treat with prednisone. This is something you would use ONLY by vet's order and exactly as he says it should be used. Sometimes the chick(or bird) seems to improve and then relapses - don't let that upset you. I tis fairly common. Otherwise, recovery itself can be a slow, gradual thing. I have never heard of a chick dying from this but, some owners are so distressed by the sight of them - they cull them to make themselves feel better.

My friend had a silkie mix cockerel with it but, he had complications, seizures etc. Everyday she thought would be his last but, he is several years old now, and you would never know all the troubles he had. He is the protector of her house chicken flock -silkies and serama hens.

You may also want to post on the "Silkie thread." where the folks may know if anything else has been added to the treatment.
 
Hi :welcome

Glad you could join the flock! Sorry to hear you have a poorly chick :hugs I too agree with drumstick on that it could be a bump to the head or vitamin deficiency and drumstick has left you some great advice. Often called wry/crook neck. I have suffered this myself with a polish chick. I would certainly separate the afflicted chick as soon as you can. You will need feed and water the chick as often as you can so it does become dehydrated. It tends not to be the condition that kills the afflicted bird but the dehydration and malnutrition. I found wrapping the bird up in towel so just the head was out and holding the food and water under the chicks head while supporting it the best way. There is no quick fix to this but time and patience can get the chick well again.
Here is an article ~ https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/wry-neck-causes-treatment-and-prevention

Wishing you the very best of luck and I hope your chick is well again soon :fl
 
Welcome to BYC!

You've received some excellent advice above so I'll just say hello and it's nice to have you join us.

Hope your little chick will be fine!
 
Thank you. I picked up the vitamin and vitamin e. Someone told me pretazone. I don't feel comfortable giving that to this tinny girl.
 
She's not doing to bad. She's only doing it periodically now. Almost looks like she's playing a game.this is her and her sister. She's the one with yellow head.
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