Please help asap: my Australorp 9 m old hen holding neck at weird side angles, mild tremors?

Marianne Monagle

In the Brooder
Jun 15, 2017
19
22
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My totally healthy girls include a flock of 4, the Australorp hen fine yesterday they went out and ate some grass and pecked around for a bit while I talked to neighbor. I normally keep them in coop ( its cold) or in the protected dog run attached, so no free ranging typically until yesterday for about 15 min.. I hope they did not eat something when I was not looking that is poisonous?? Not much available and they all nibbled the same stuff, mainly shoots of green grass. No other of the three other girls are affected.... So this is the issue, just tonight noticed a head tilt using one eye or turning head at weird angles to look at things, Her balance seems ok, eatting drinking ok, preening ok, talking ok, but definitely not normal head positioning and clear to me and my daughter too, so not my imagination. Appears to have normal looking eyes, no injuries or anything... It reminds me of head tilt in rabbits, if anyone knows what that is, but she seems like her balance and walking fine and she flew up to her roost ok it seems. Also, while checking her once tonight, ht I noted she has a nild tremor ( her head and comb moving rhythmically very slightly, I only saw this once.... Anyway this is NEW and just come up tonight, or might of been there this am, and it was just so mild, or I was not looking for anything so I might of missed it earlier today....Definitely neurological I think... HELP. I am not sure what happened and if this is going to kill my sweetest girl. What do I do? What might I expect, does this seem like the start of some clear cut disease I need to treat right away?? Again, all three other girls ( a Blonde comet, a New hampshire and a Ameracuna (EE) her sisters of the same age are not showing any head positioning issues. Should I take her to a vet in the am, its late now 10 PM....I am new at this!!
 
Can you post some photos or a video of her?

Check her crop - how does that feel?
Look inside her beak for any obstructions.
Anything in her ears?

It's hard to know what's going on with her, strange neck/head movements can be a number of things from adjusting the crop to something more serious like head trauma or Marek's disease.
 
Can you post some photos or a video of her?

Check her crop - how does that feel?
Look inside her beak for any obstructions.
Anything in her ears?

It's hard to know what's going on with her, strange neck/head movements can be a number of things from adjusting the crop to something more serious like head trauma or Marek's disease.
Hi, thanks for the reply, no, no crop issues, eating and pooping ok, and she even is talking a lot. I checked her for any thing I could see in her ears, nothing. She is still laying eggs, two since this started.... her eyes are clear as are nose, mouth etc. No lice or bugs on her; I doubt trauma, but could be, no obvious injury, but who knows, you can't watch them all the time.... Thought she was a bit better on Tues, but today was worse, head keeps turning to the side to look at things and almost upside down, yet even with these symptoms was able to make it (fly up a few feet) up to the next box and roost ledge, but is a bit wobbly and not going outside in the run. I really think it is her inner ear, and have appt with avian (chicken experienced) vet in am.... I will post an update for this. She sure seems healthy except for balance and neck/head position. Hope it is easy to diagnose and treat!!
 
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I don’t know. Hopefully someone will chime in. Look at this article and look up wry neck and see if that matches your symptoms.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/wry-neck-causes-treatment-and-prevention.67732/
She still can control her neck, well enough to eat her regular layer food and any treats but in between she turns her head a lot, as if trying to look at something sideways, almost upside down at times, but does not fall over....so I don't think its wry neck. Thanks for offering the reference. PS; she already gets Purina complete layer mix and treats of scratch seeds that I add soft shelled black sunflower seeds to for Vit E and Omega Fatty acids. (I just added multivit to her water since symptoms started - Avian Super Pack).
 
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I was thinking Wry Neck too. How old?
2x Wyorp - Check her crop, ears & in her mouth. Picture/video would really help.

You can try, won't hurt - Vitamin E 400IU & Selenium 25mcg 2 - 3x day, NutriDrench, Thiamine/Vit B1, tuna
Thanks so much, she is about 8 almost 9 months old. I just added Avian Super Pack vits mix to her water as that is what I had on hand, and thanks for the tuna reminder! Ill try that in am. I don't see how to post a video but I have some....
 
She sounds like she is having torticolis (wry neck, crook neck, twisted neck,) and that can be a neurological symptoms of several problems. Those can include head or neck injury, a hereditary tendency, a vitamin B1 (thiamine) or vitmain E deficiency, and in certain diseases, such as Mareks disease, and some respiratory diseases.

Most people use vitamin E, thiamine, and the mineral selenium to treat it. I would use a poultry vitamin such as Poultry NutriDrench or Poultry Cell2-3 ml daily. Make sure that she is eating and drinking well, and you can give her wet chicken feed, mixed with some egg. If her condition prevents her from eating, you can wrap her in a towel, and hold her to get her eating.
 
I agree Wry Neck is likely and you should treat her with vitamin in case there might be a deficiency. I hope the avian super pac helps. I have read that molasses might help, as well as sunflower seeds, but you are already supplying those. I am sorry not to be of more help at this time. Please keep us posted.
 
She sounds like she is having torticolis (wry neck, crook neck, twisted neck,) and that can be a neurological symptoms of several problems. Those can include head or neck injury, a hereditary tendency, a vitamin B1 (thiamine) or vitmain E deficiency, and in certain diseases, such as Mareks disease, and some respiratory diseases.

Most people use vitamin E, thiamine, and the mineral selenium to treat it. I would use a poultry vitamin such as Poultry NutriDrench or Poultry Cell2-3 ml daily. Make sure that she is eating and drinking well, and you can give her wet chicken feed, mixed with some egg. If her condition prevents her from eating, you can wrap her in a towel, and hold her to get her eating.
:goodpost: Agreed!
 

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