Pullet is throwing head back, doesn't get up and stretches legs out.

[dlhunicorn]

...and when I bring water to her mouth she sips it and then throws her head back which propels her whole body backwards. She won't eat the chicken starter and I tried some corn and she was able only eat half a kernel. Her beak makes a clicking sound too. She is ten weeks old and is pooping...I think the poop is normal maybe a little watery. She is smaller than the others and still has chick fuzz on her head but the others now have feathers. Their bedding is hay we have had in the barn for years...

Several of your statements in the above post point to mycotxicosis (probably from the old hay) which also means malabsorption of nutrients > both of which would explain the neurological symptoms and the "clicking noise' mentioned might indicate a fungal growth or placque (possibly in esophogus?)
Remove the chick from that environment immediately... get OXINE and mist regularly in her new environment (I suggest the bathroom >the humidity will be higher there) ... You will need to give supplemental vitamins > I suggest ONE combo vitE/slenium tab (give in two portions > this is an oily substance in a human geltab you get at walmart/kmart or drugstore (it is handy to have on hand and if you look for the generic tabs they are not expensive) >just make sure the amount of selenium does not exceed 50 MICROgrams per tab > p r i c k it open with a needle and you can squeeze out contents) In addition to that I would give POLYVISOL ENFAMIL ( no extra iron > this is a childrens liquid A-B-D vitamin) > three drops in beak once a day for a week then taper off the next.

As to the area that the birds are housed in with the old hay: Please clean out that old hay and clean the area thoroughly (including misting ) with the OXINE ... there are several online sources of OXINE if your feedstore does not carry it. See the link below if you want to know more about oxine:
http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/page11.htm

It is important to do all of the above and not just one to address all the problems....if a fungal plaque is causing the clicking noise I am hoping the misting will be sufficient to deal with that... if caused by a vit A deficiency then the vitamins should deal with it.​

 

[WalkingWolf]

Sounds like a fungus, the birds inhale it in the environment they are in and in attacks the lungs and the esophagus. Eventually it will make it's way to the brain where it causes paralysis. It is not fatal if treated with the treatments already listed, though it does take considerable time to recover fully. Also the disease does not pass from bird to bird it is strictly caused by the environment.

I culled some pullets last year that got wry neck only to find out after some research I probably could have saved them. What I had done was use sand from my yard for the pen, we have a heavy layer of sand two feet below the surface of the ground. I believe the fungus was in the sand, I learned my lesson on that and now use pine straw instead.

 

[sleepyt]

Thanks so much! That sounds like a great plan. I'm off to Walmart now to buy the vitamins. Any advice on how to administer the pill (vitamin B)? Do I crush it and put it in her food? Mix it with water and put in a syringe?

I have a couple other questions...I made a starter feed mash with water and electrolytes...is this combo okay? Can I still give her the electrolytes along with the vitamin E and B?

My other question is what is the best kind of bedding? Is it shavings or straw or something else?

Hopeful,

Tia

P.S. I didn't see the second page of posts...thanks for the info...I'll get that oxine get misting! thanks.

 

[WalkingWolf]

I cut the end off of the gel capsule and squirt it in the beak, the Poly Vi Sol I do the same 4 to 5 drops directly into the beak. I give mine chicken broth, yogurt mix instead of electrolytes. You could add some pedialyte too.

 

[dlhunicorn]

The B itamins are in the POLYVISOL

 

[littlerattie]

We had tablet type B complex vitamins. At first I cut it in 1/4 the long way, and then cut those in 1/4's. (16 peices) The peices got poked down the throat with a tweezers.
They are bigger now and I feed them about 1/8 th of a pill.
For the Vit E we drip about 6 drops on the feed we force feed them

One thing that makes it really easy to force feed them is to moisten the feed with water to about peanutbutter thick. Then I took a little 4 oz paint bottle (like you buy in the craft isle at Walmart) emptied, and washed it very well, and then cut it off about 1/2 way so it had a nozzle and a bit of a "dish" to hold the feed. Then we forced the feed through the nozzle to make "ropes" of feed.
Then, you can either let them eat the ropes (you can even wiggle them to look like worms!) or took 1/2 inch peices and pried open their beaks and poked them down.

Jayne

 

[shay20]

Hello, I think I may be haveing the same promblem with my chicks.

It has been crazy wet here and trying to keep everything dry and out of humidity is just so crazy.

Can I ask where can I pick up those vitamins and what labels to look for?

 

[shay20]

Quote:
I usally give mine milk with beef baby food mixed all together. I usally works, But I think i need some thing else.

Do you do the can liquid chicken broth? Regular flavor yogurt or any flavor?

 

[shay20]

sleept, I hope your little one gets better.

I am a small problem with the weather making respiratory colds .
I got all my adults nice and healthy, but same here i am having the chick problem.

I usually put sugar in the water and make it drink, with syringe if possible.

I am also gonna try all the remedies they posted on here for you.

Good luck with your baby.

 

[sleepyt]

I bought the polyvisol enfamil, the vitamin E with selenium , and a vitamin B complex with C 300mg at wal-mart. I couldn't find oxine anywhere around here (Niagara Falls, Canada) but I found it online (Revival Animal Health had the best price) and ordered it...hopefully it won't take too long.

So far I gave her 3 drops of the polyvisol and a tiny bit of the vitamin E (which is in tablet form so I mixed it with water and used a syringe). I'm still not clear if I should also give her the vitamin B.

This forum is awesome...everyone is so nice and helpful!

Tia