Not urgent, just wanting second opinions.

[pippo]

So we have a silkie roo who is about 5 or 6 months old. I have noticed be is a little unsteady on his feet and often stumbles or falls on his face when he jumps off our arms (even when we are squatting on the ground).
This morning I was watching and he extended his neck and then rolled it right back onto his back. Stayed like that for a good few seconds. He looked spaced out, like he had gone unconscious or something.
And before I left for work he was right near the back door where it's protected from weather, I've never seen him this close to the house before, kinda bobbing his whole body. Not shaking just little up and down motions.
We are having another cold snap and I hope I'm overreacting but I have a bad suspicion it could be the early signs of something sinister.
Thoughts?
Thanks!

 

[mg15]

I found this on a thread from BYC. It is star gazing and she needs Vitamin B1, Thiamine, Vita E and Selenium. Also check out this address for Avian Vitamins
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/921336/star-gazing

Posted by ReikiStar
Star gazing is a neurological problem where the chick's head spasms backwards over it's back. Sometimes they flip over. Hence the term "star gazing" as if they are looking up at the sky. Silkie's are prone to this problem. Other times it's a deficiency of Vitamin B1 or Thiamine. If you're using "medicated" feed it contains Amprolium which blocks the absorption of Thiamin in the chicks body, the reason it's used is because Cocci feeds on Thiamine.

So for any of the chicks having this problem, drop the medicated feed if you're using it. Then give them additional Vitamin B1 in their water. I'm sorry I don't have an exact dosage but in the past we added Vit B1, Vit E and Selenium as all 3 work synergistically in the body -- we eyeballed the amount and had our chick looking better the next day. We continued treatment for a week and never saw it again.

Sometimes this type of thing happens if the parents' diet is lacking in Thiamine.

Hope you're able to cure them otherwise it's a life long condition. Do a search as there are tons of threads on star gazing.
POST NUMBER 5 https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/653515/star-gazing

 

[pippo]

Cheers for that!
I'll have a read of those links and start some extra vitamins.
I know they are prone to wry neck which I think is similar to star gazing.