- Jul 22, 2013
- 20
- 0
- 22
Hey guys, so all of a sudden my sick little chicken Peach got wry neck (I think) really badly and I have no idea why. She's been sick for a few weeks, but she didn't have wry neck before and she was getting a lo better and then all of a sudden she just got super sick with this. I'll just tell you all the whole story to make sure I'm clear because I really want to help her the best I can so sorry if it's incredibly long, and thanks so much for taking the time to read it if you would because I'm really really worried and Peach is the sweetest little bird and I'm really hoping she can recover. 
So around two weeks ago, my buff Orpington hen started sleeping just all the time to the point were she wouldn't get up to eat right away and wouldn't run around the yard with my other 2 chickens, she would just slowly walk around by herself. So we took her to the vet and the vet said she hadn't been eating anything at all (even though we thought she was) and the vet kept her there for like 5 days and fed her with a tube and was giving her antibiotics but then eventually said they just didn't know what was wrong with her. They gave her a cortisone shot before we picked her up. When we got her she was even worse than when we brought her in and she couldn't stand at all and all she would do was sleep on her side.
The same day we took her to another vet to get a second opinion and the vet said there were so many things going on with her (Bacteria in digestive track, couldn't feel her legs, wasn't eating, could barely see) that she said she would guess is was some kind of neurological problem, but they could only be more sure of what it was if they took a MRI or something but they were afraid if we tried the stress would just kill her. They gave me the option to put her down or just take her home, and I got them to give me some antibiotics and then I took her home.
On the bright side though, while she was home at first I force fed her and my gave her the antibiotics (clavamox) and she actually started getting better! We kept her inside, in the bathroom with towels during the day and by my bed at night. After like a week she was walking around and eating/drinking on her own and was acting pretty normal and I thought she was close to being recovered. The only thing was she was still wobbly on her feet and would walk sideways sometimes, but she was acting curious and active.
A few days ago though, in the morning before I left for school she was fine and eating on her own all happy and stuff. But when I got home, she was sleeping on her side and didn't respond/get excited right away when I came in. I helped her stand up but she started shaking her head a lot and put it underneath her, and the did a front flip onto her back and then she just layed on her back. From what I read she has wry neck now because she keeps doing that, but she didn't have it before.
Right now she keeps her eyes closed most of the time and her face looks kind of swollen, and she does the flip on her back thing when she tries to stand up. She usually just lays down on her side though and goes to sleep and would probably do that all day if she didn't have to poop or I didn't try to get her to stand. She also will not eat on her own, so I've been giving her smoothies and if I put her beak in them she'll slowly eat them. I'm also still giving her clavamox, and I've also started giving her vitamins B and E and selenium. I've read that wry neck is usually because a lack of vitamins or a neurological thing or genetics, which since the vet thought she had a neurological problem before could that be why all of a sudden she got this? I was reading mostly only silkies got wry neck because of head injury though and she's an Orpington... She's 7 months old right now so I don't know if it was genetics if she would of had it when she was even younger? She's always been kind of clumsy (Falling over, tripping over her own feet, laying on her side every once in a while) but when she was littler she was also bossy and would be the first to go run around and jump on things, which right now she can neither run and I haven't seen her jump or attempt to in a very long time. So I'm not sure what's causing it, would any of you have an idea? The thing I don't get is she was sick before with different symptoms, and she was recovering really well and then all of a sudden in less then a day she completely plummeted in health with wry neck or whatever she has now.
If anyone thinks they know what more specifically she might have, or any advice on how to help and treat her please please please help. I am so worried, I would do anything for her to get better.

So around two weeks ago, my buff Orpington hen started sleeping just all the time to the point were she wouldn't get up to eat right away and wouldn't run around the yard with my other 2 chickens, she would just slowly walk around by herself. So we took her to the vet and the vet said she hadn't been eating anything at all (even though we thought she was) and the vet kept her there for like 5 days and fed her with a tube and was giving her antibiotics but then eventually said they just didn't know what was wrong with her. They gave her a cortisone shot before we picked her up. When we got her she was even worse than when we brought her in and she couldn't stand at all and all she would do was sleep on her side.
The same day we took her to another vet to get a second opinion and the vet said there were so many things going on with her (Bacteria in digestive track, couldn't feel her legs, wasn't eating, could barely see) that she said she would guess is was some kind of neurological problem, but they could only be more sure of what it was if they took a MRI or something but they were afraid if we tried the stress would just kill her. They gave me the option to put her down or just take her home, and I got them to give me some antibiotics and then I took her home.
On the bright side though, while she was home at first I force fed her and my gave her the antibiotics (clavamox) and she actually started getting better! We kept her inside, in the bathroom with towels during the day and by my bed at night. After like a week she was walking around and eating/drinking on her own and was acting pretty normal and I thought she was close to being recovered. The only thing was she was still wobbly on her feet and would walk sideways sometimes, but she was acting curious and active.
A few days ago though, in the morning before I left for school she was fine and eating on her own all happy and stuff. But when I got home, she was sleeping on her side and didn't respond/get excited right away when I came in. I helped her stand up but she started shaking her head a lot and put it underneath her, and the did a front flip onto her back and then she just layed on her back. From what I read she has wry neck now because she keeps doing that, but she didn't have it before.
Right now she keeps her eyes closed most of the time and her face looks kind of swollen, and she does the flip on her back thing when she tries to stand up. She usually just lays down on her side though and goes to sleep and would probably do that all day if she didn't have to poop or I didn't try to get her to stand. She also will not eat on her own, so I've been giving her smoothies and if I put her beak in them she'll slowly eat them. I'm also still giving her clavamox, and I've also started giving her vitamins B and E and selenium. I've read that wry neck is usually because a lack of vitamins or a neurological thing or genetics, which since the vet thought she had a neurological problem before could that be why all of a sudden she got this? I was reading mostly only silkies got wry neck because of head injury though and she's an Orpington... She's 7 months old right now so I don't know if it was genetics if she would of had it when she was even younger? She's always been kind of clumsy (Falling over, tripping over her own feet, laying on her side every once in a while) but when she was littler she was also bossy and would be the first to go run around and jump on things, which right now she can neither run and I haven't seen her jump or attempt to in a very long time. So I'm not sure what's causing it, would any of you have an idea? The thing I don't get is she was sick before with different symptoms, and she was recovering really well and then all of a sudden in less then a day she completely plummeted in health with wry neck or whatever she has now.
If anyone thinks they know what more specifically she might have, or any advice on how to help and treat her please please please help. I am so worried, I would do anything for her to get better.
