Possible Wry Neck - what to do? Please help.

[Jeanette56]

I went out to feed this afternoon and my young peahen was laying on the ground with her neck curled mostly backwards (star gazing). To the best of my knowledge this has only developed late last night or early today. (My son fed yesterday & said he did not notice anything unusual).
Planning on going to TSC shortly to get some poultry vitamins at the very least. I have already isolated her.
Can this be treated? and how? (Vet closed for the day/weekend)

Thanks,
Jeanette

 

[new 2 pfowl]

Poor girl!
There might be something useful here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/653515/star-gazing

Or in this document; look at the "Thiamine/B1" section:




It is interesting to note that one cause of this condition can be Amprolium, a coccidiostat...
Definitely something for all peapeople to be aware of!
Good luck!

*edited to add: sorry, that may be hard to read; here's larger version:

 

[zazouse]

Poor baby girl and poor you, i know it is so hard to see them hurt.
you got good reading above.

What are you feeding your girl? is she peened or free to roam?

 

[Jeanette56]

She has been penned but is in a large enclosure (8' w X 14' l X 10' h) with the male. They are almost a year old & they normally get a high protein grain mix that we buy locally.. They have been in a slightly stressful situation which I'd rather not go into but I figure it could be what triggered this problem. I got some vitamins & electrolytes for her this evening and a small syringe to try to feed her & keep her hydrated. Wish I had a large box so that I could bring her indoors but that might also add to her stress.

Jeanette

Poor baby girl and poor you, i know it is so hard to see them hurt.
you got good reading above.

What are you feeding your girl? is she penned or free to roam?

 

[casportpony]

I had a couple of chickens do that. Both got better after 2-4 weeks and *lots* of supportive care (tube feeding). Sure wish I had known about BYC back then!

 

[casportpony]

From: From: http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/avmed/cam/07_emergency_and_critical_care.pdf

FLUID THERAPY
Oral Administration
Oral administration is the ideal method of giving fluids.
This method is more commonly used in mildly dehydrated
birds or in conjunction with subcutaneous (SC)
or intravenous (IV) therapy. Oral rehydration (30 ml/kg
PO q 6-8 h) also may be used in larger birds (eg, waterfowl)
that are difficult to restrain for parenteral fluid​

therapy.

ORAL NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS
Below are listed some of the oral nutritional supplements
that can be gavage-fed to debilitated birds. Various
hand-feeding formulas are on the market and, as a
whole, are far superior to the homemade formulas used
decades ago that contained monkey biscuits, peanut butter
and ground seeds. Commercially available hand-feeding
formulas for baby birds are often utilized in the treatment
of sick and debilitated adult birds. The quantity
that can be fed at one time to a sick bird is greatly
reduced from that of baby birds. On the average, a baby
parrot can accommodate 10% of its body weight per
feeding due to the elasticity of the crop and its rapid
emptying. Adult birds have a greatly decreased crop
capacity, averaging 3% of their body weight. Additionally,
sick birds are less tolerant of food in the crop and care
must be taken to avoid regurgitation and/or aspiration.
A sick or debilitated bird should always have its
hydration corrected prior to attempting to initiate​

oral gavage-feeding.

 

[casportpony]

Jeanette, I know you said the vet is closed for the weekend, so does that mean you are going to take in on Monday?

Between now and Monday is a long time to go without proper amounts of water, so you should read this link on tube feeding:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...cken-and-give-subcutaneous-fluid#post_9910754

To keep her properly hydrated is going to be your hardest task. Because of her head and neck position, aspiration is a very serious risk, but I believe it can be done by giving small amounts, like 20-30ml every couple of hours.

If you can find any open vet, they should be able to sell you a size 18 french catheter and 35cc catheter tip syringes.

 

[Jeanette56]

Thanks for the link Kathy. I will read through it. I have been able to get a little water down her (I think). When she is lying on the ground her neck seems a little more relaxed and I can guide her beak to the water. If she makes it through until Monday I will probably take her to my vet. She is experienced with ratites & advertises that she works with exotics so we will see. Fortunately it is cool & overcast here for a few days so heat is not an issue. I really appreciate the suggestion on the amount of water to try to give her.

Jeanette

Jeanette, I know you said the vet is closed for the weekend, so does that mean you are going to take in on Monday?

Between now and Monday is a long time to go without proper amounts of water, so you should read this link on tube feeding:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...cken-and-give-subcutaneous-fluid#post_9910754

To keep her properly hydrated is going to be your hardest task. Because of her head and neck position, aspiration is a very serious risk, but I believe it can be done by giving small amounts, like 20-30ml every couple of hours.

If you can find any open vet, they should be able to sell you a size 18 french catheter and 35cc catheter tip syringes.

 

[casportpony]

Forgot to mention that if possible, keep her upright on her keel, but if she can't/won't, left side is better, right side can put pressure on the crop and cause her to aspirate.

 

[Habibs Hens]

sorry to have to say this but that looks like Newcastle decease


Quote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newcastle_disease