Please help my silkie with turned neck w/ spasms! 9 weeks

[lady feathers]

Please help I am new to silkies and have never had to deal with an issue like this.

One of my Silkies got locked out of the coop last night and had to suffer the cold of mid-michigan weather last night on its own (about 40 degrees)...... curled up in a ball on the little ramp to the coop is where I found it this morning. The chick was sound asleep with the others in the coop until 2 am when we got home late and I closed the door I had done a head count but it must have slipped out the door after I had moved the flashlight. I feel awful! The chicks are now 9 1/2 weeks old and fully feathered. They have had acess to a small portion of the yard in a tractor for roughly a week now. When I found the chicken this morning it wasn't moving much.... I let the others out of the coop and it tried to get out of the way but was struggling to move, so I grabbed it up and felt that it was cold and shivering a bit. I brought it into the house to be placed under a heat lamp to bring it's body temp back up. As I was carrying it into the house though I noticed it's neck is completely limp it couldn't hold it up I wasn't sure if this was because it was cold or what... and just before picking it up it was twitching it's neck side to side a if it had a seizure/ neck spasm. Now about 6 hours from finding it he/she is opening it's eyes and looking at me, breathing normally, but still has it's head turned upside down and tucked under it's chest. f I pick it up it's neck spasms again unless I hold it steady for it.... I was able to get it to drink some after it had warmed up. I have added an elctrolyte packet to the water, but it hasn't eaten yet (I don't think- the small feed dish I put in was tipped over not sure if she had tried to eat). I am going to get her now and try to hand feed/water her some more. She seems fine now other than her tucked under and twisted neck, and the occasional spasm.


Is this CROOK NECK/WRY NECK? an ear infection? or a vit deficiency? Please help the silkies are my 2 1/2 year old daughters she knows it is "sick" right now but I'd hate for her to lose this little guy/gal! (sorry I can't upload any pics at this time)

I am going to take a better look at it now that it has warmed up and is more active to see if the ears are swollen leaking any fluid (it looked a bit wet on the side of it's head, but maybe it just had trouble trying to get a drink). Anyway, any advice on how to diagnose, treat would be appreciated.... as long as she isn't suffering and can eat/drink we will try to save her. Could someone tell me how often I need to feed/water her by hand if that is what we have to do for her. Thanks!

Also this was a hatchery chick, but non of the other 5 silkie nor the two OEG bantams in the same coop are showing any signs of illness. I did notice the day befoore oe of the black silkies (not sure if the same one) was twitching it's head and scratching at it a bit and rubbing it across the grass. We have notcied some wolf spiders in the coop here and there and have tried to remove them, could this be a reaction to a spider bite? Please help!

 

[lady feathers]

Well, he/she was willing to accept help long enough to drink the water with added electrolytes. But I haven't seen her eat yet! She will stand up on her own but doesn't move around much just enough to rub the side of her head on the ground every once in a while (still hoping this is just an ear infection or bite that will clear up quickly). Seems to only be opening one eye (the opposite side she is rubbing against) but there is no swelling or fluid of any sort on her head anywhere. Otherwise she seems content she is busy preening herself next to me on the couch now. Makin big sweeps with her head in a circle everynow and then. Any advice would still be greatly appreciated.... if she needs antibiotics for an infection any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[chicmom]

Just try......baby liquid vitamins without iron....Feed the chick a few drops and see if it resonds......Not sure, but it's worth a try at least.....

 

[lady feathers]

thanks chickmom will try to get some as soon as my husband gets home with the car!

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

It certainly sounds like wry neck which is fairly common in silkies....don't ask me why because I don't have the scientific answers. I suspect vaulted skulls contribute to it.

At any rate, this is how we treat all our birds with wry neck and have had very good success. It can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for them to completely get over it.

1. Antibiotic in their water...just in case it is from an infectious process of some kind. I use lincomycin but any broad spectrum antibiotic is fine.
2. Prednisone 2.5 mg twice a day for about 5 day and then once a day for a few more days. You want to taper it off. If they get better and then worse when you taper, you need to start back at twice a day for a bit longer. I always give 5mg for the first dose as a loading dose.
3. Make a mash with 1/2 cup of chick starter, warm water to make it the right consistency, 4 Vit. E capsules squirted into it and 2 droppers of Poly-vi-sol in it. They eat the mash
easier than dry food when they are twisted like that. You may have to ease their head up and hold it inside a small bowl of the mash. They will generally eat well when helped.
Do the same for their water....and I would offer it at least 5 times per day.
4. Keep them inside by themselves. This protects them from the others and also reminds you to feed and water them during the day.

Prednisone does require a prescription. Either find a friend or relative with a few they can spare or call your vet, explain what you want it for and ask if they will sell you a few tablets. If you have an established relationship with a vet, they generally will. Most don't want to see the bird and don't have a clue what wry neck is anyway.

I am convinced that it is some sort of inflammatory process because the prednisone works so well and generally gets them over it quickly....quickly meaning 7-10 days.

Edited to add that ear infections from mites can also cause these symptoms so check the bird over for mites. You can use the ear mite medication for dogs in their ears.