Roo Can't Pickup Neck But CAN Turn Head Side To Side.URGENT PLZ HELP!

[kbuckland]

Our fave chicken, our fat, short legged 1 year old awkward guy Bubba Chicken is in trouble!

My son found him just before sundown last night out in the field. He was standing , but he cannot pickup his neck. At first my hubby thought his neck was broken, but he turns his head side to side. No sqwaking, flapping wings,etc. Unfortunately, he has some scabbed areas where he has been getting pecked and has NO feathers on his neck, i was assuming from the other chickens.maybe not??. but we found him this way last night. We have been reading everything we can and I am thinking maybe botulism?? Its storming out so we put hay in a box and brought him in the house. He is in a closet he can breathe fine and all in there but i figured it was , quiet,dark,non stressful . My husband was able to get him to lay down. and he has been sleeping, but is still alive!! I gave him a syringe of water before we laid him down abt 10 pm or so. I thought i'd do the same when its light out. and my kids can help me. he doesnt seem to be in pain and he can move his body,etc so i am really thinking infection not injury. I just read flush with molasses for botulism??? Any insight?? Is there any hope?? And at what point do we draw the line and say life is no longer human?? And if so what are human options for euthanasia... and do we run the risk of getting it now if it is botulism? we have washed our hands good everytime we have gotten near him, im just kinda scared. PLEAASE HELP!! Sorry this is so long. and how do i do a flush?? My daughter who's pet he mainly is , is SO VERY upset and heartbroken .....btw he is free range if that helps at all. Please advise and keep our Bubba Chicken in your prayers.

p.s as i was tending him last night i noticed lice, are they as contagious as human lice?? this is my first flock, and im still learning..i just feel like the worst owner in the world right now. ... and people are so unempathetic with chickens, they're like "kill it duh its just a chicken" they dont get that you can get attached as with any other pet.

Thanks In Advance,

Karla

 

[ivan3]

Hi! Welcome. Sorry about you roo. Do you have other roos (poss. sparring injury - also, if they loose the fight they behave in a physically dejected manner for a few days afterwards - sometimes mistaken for illness). Has it been extremely wet and warm there (greater chance of some naturally occurring toxin being produced and consumed). Some folks flush with molasses. If he is able to eat and drink (exhibits a willingness to do so), a quick method of increasing chances for his coping with whatever this is (a number of conditions result in some form of torticollis): Give him a bit of pedialyte and can try feeding meal worms (electrolytes/protein).

Please check info. that one of our members maintains on her site (lots of other material as well): http://dlhunicorn.conforums.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=emergencies&num=1160928615&start=0#1160928615

ed: 11:55CST (link is not dead - try at 13:00CST - server unavailable at moment)

 

[kbuckland]

well its odd, i have been looking at various things botulism to wry neck. does wry neck only effect chicks? he can stand and sit back down, but not walk. he is trying to lift his head up, he actually got up except for his actual head. I tried to give him some molasses and water 2 syringes full. but i had to pretty well manually open his beak and put it in and hold his head up while doing it. but now i am afraid to because i have just read a few sites that say that with botulism they cannot swallow because the muscles used for that are too weak or paralyzed. and run the risk of giving him aspiration pneumonia. so should i try to give him water??? the site also says that if their isnt improvement in 24-48 hrs he prob won't survive, so should i just keep him comfortable and not try to feed or water him? PLEASE I NEED AN OPINION OF SOMEONE WHO KNOW ANYTHING!!
karla

 

[Froggybottom]

My Rooster was attacked by a dog a week ago Friday...He seemed ok just missing a lot of feathers until the next morning when he could not lift his head. Shortly there after he developed a lot of mucus in his beak. We brought him inside, gave him water, antibiotics and liquid foods with a syringe until Tuesday when he began eating and drinking on his own. Today he returned to his ladies and is happily roosting in the coop. I also gave him a vitamin E cap every day, pedilyte for water and ACV. Didn't do the mollasses as I knew this was injury related not diet. Hope this helps...

 

[JayDe]

I'm not sure it's wry neck, but it can't hurt to treat for it, in case that's what it is--it's just a vitamin course, albeit a tough one to administer.

Did you notice anything about him prior to this happening? My silkie had been attacked a week or two before he ended up with full blown wry neck. In his case, I know it was brain damage from being pecked....I watched my EEs do it to him...but I've read that it can also be a vitamin E deficiency.

We got our advice for Wry Neck from http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article.html click on crookneck in the left hand pane.

Our boy had to be hand fed for 3 weeks and lived in the house so we could keep him from suffocating/drowning or being further damaged from flipping himself about. His neck went so far under that he flipped himself over.He's walking normal now after all the vitamins!

I hope you can figure out what it is and your rooster gets better!