I am SOO sorry to hear about your baby!! They seem to be such delicate birds.....sigh....the Silkies with the huge crests I am finding to be nearly as delicate also. It is a hard choice to make, whether to end it now or to give it a good try first. Twice now we have chosen to fight the wry-neck in young birds. Weeble was the first and the MOST painful!!!!
Alas, our Buddy Weeble had to be put down a couple weeks ago. He did really well for a while....we kept him in the house as long as we could, then introduced him to a girl and her new babies. He was a happy boy. And he was still our little buddy! He learned to perch, though he wobbled quite a bit. He preferred to sleep in late...often not waking up until 8 or 9 in the morning, at which time he we crow just a few times (we live in the city, and no roos is the rule). The rest of the day he wouldn't crow.....UNLESS the firetrucks went by and all the dogs in the neighborhood started barking, then he would. But we figured that was okay. Every night when I got home from work, he would see me and get so excited he would coo like a mourning dove until I picked him up to groom his crest and massage his neck. When we would go into the pen with the birds, he would follow either of us around, and as soon as our feet stopped moving he would wobble up on top of them, fluff his feathers out, start cooing and cock his eye up to look at us....then go to sleep. If we didn't pay attention to him he would peck at our pant legs until he got what he wanted.
Last year we brought a new chicken into the flock....first one that I purchased that wasn't an egg. Ever since I've had strange problems. I think the bird may have been diseased. And it definately had lice. Weeble relapsed in late winter. Not real bad at first. He just couldn't perch anymore. He spun in circles more often. I tried the regimen again with vitamins and eventually a round of prednisone. This time there was no effect with the prednisone. I kept him on the vitamins though. His brain damage continued to worsen. Until two weeks ago, when he could no longer stand anymore. That was a terrible week! He was in so much pain. Most of his wing and tail feathers were gone from tummbling around on the floor. But every time we went out there to pick him up, he would look up at us and get that relaxed look in his eyes and start cooooing. He died on a Wednesday.
Before he died he fathered 5 chicks. They all made it to about 3 months old and then two of them had problems. One little hen had wry-neck, then withered and passed quickly. One roo had a large growth on his side and then passed quickly one night. There are three strong and healthy birds remaining. Two roos and a hen. The boys are quiet which is strange. I see them mate with the girls, but I have NEVER heard one even try to crow. I have considered trying to find someone to caponize them, but if they stay quiet, we will keep them as they are.
I am sorry that I am going on so looong with this. I haven't been on Backyard Chickens since we put Weeble down....right after him, our silkie hen Flip (who had wryneck at 3-4 months old but recovered) suddenly stopped eating and died in two days. It has just been too hard to deal with....sorry the floodgates crashed on you!
I would like to say that I would keep trying to save the wry-neck babies.....I just don't know right now. I certainly would NOT use them for a breeding program. Yes we hatched Weeble babies....it wasn't right though. I have no intention of selling the eggs. I can't even say that I would hatch any more from his resulting offspring either. If you are trying to start breeding stock, I would cull the baby. Or at least stand firm with not using it in your program. If these are pets....choose what is right for your life. Weeble required ALL DAY care and feeding. Constant attention. He was like a newborn infant. He stayed in a basket at my guy's side all day and into the night. I don't know what your financial situation is, but don't break the bank on a vet....just try vitamins and electrolytes. It's ok to decide to put the chick down. You're not giving up on it....you might be making the best decision for it and for you.
If you have any question, I promise to not be as long winded.....Best of luck!!
It died today and I just hope my other 2 polish chicks don't have it. So sorry to hear about Weeble.
