Sick chicken jerking her head backwards while pushing her body against the wall

[JuliaSunshine]

Egg binding?

Thank you but her jerking is getting intense so I don't think it's egg bound.

 

[Kanekoded]

One of 31 week old Light Sussex pullets looks sick since this morning, 7 hours ago. She doesn't move, eat or drink. I tried to feed her water but she couldn't swallow it.
She drooled for awhile and then keeps jerking her head backwards while pushing her body against the wall. There's some poo dried out hanging under her vent but the vent itself looked clean even though it kept pulsing. What could it be? I couldn't feel her crop which means it's empty? She free range with no fence all day.

Looks like it could be wry neck which, can literally happen overnight due to a vitamin deficiency.

 

[JuliaSunshine]

She looks to be having a neurological problem causing the twitching. It could be seizure activity or something affecting her brain. A head injury, vitamin E deficiency, or disease could be possibilities. Does this activity stop? Could you start giving her some human vitamin E softgels 1 daily into her beak, along with 1/4 tablet of B complex or other chicken vitamin? Is she drinking or eating? Oh I see that she is not. Try holding a cup up to her beak and dipping her beak for a second.

Thank you for your reply. I just want to let you know that now she's doing much better. Her jerking stopped after the first night. I gave her a jelly multivitamin for 2 days as I didn't have anything else and it might have helped. Now she's slowly blending in with other chickens but I keep her in a minimally heated room at night just in case. Unfortunately now she's the bottom of the pecking order. She used to be the second from the bottom lol

 

[JuliaSunshine]

Thank you! Although I lost another hen suddenly just yesterday, at least the chicken I've been nursing for a week is doing better and better. Hopefully she'll be back to normal soon.

Glad she's doing better!

 

[Tookie]

Thank you! Although I lost another hen suddenly just yesterday, at least the chicken I've been nursing for a week is doing better and better. Hopefully she'll be back to normal soon.

Aw sorry you lost a hen.
I do hope she gets completely better!

 

[JuliaSunshine]

How is she?

Thank you for asking!
She's better but not quite her old-self yet. Even though she's mixing in with other chickens she gets pecked more than before she got sick. Now she's the bottom of the pecking order. The chicken who was the bottom before now follows around and pecks her more than other chickens, enjoying the new position and power.
So she tends to stay alone hiding from others. But sometimes she seems fine around others. So I let her be. I used to put her in a shelter alone but she kept flying into the wall trying to get out. So I let her out.
In the last two evenings, I was going to let her roost in the coop but she kept staying outside until dark. So I put her in the shed again tonight.
She's eating okay as she gets to eat alone in the shed in the morning and evening. I'm not sure if she goes into the run to eat during the day as she stays away from that area.
Well, at least I saw her running towards me when I brought out some treat which is a good sign even though she got chased away by other chickens soon after.
She wasn't the strongest or the most energetic one to begin with. One of her toes got crooked earlier on and it might've given her a disadvantage.
I think it must be tough to be low on the pecking order. She started to lay eggs the last and often looked timid and tired from walking with the crooked toe. But that's what makes me feel more attached to her, Crook.

 

[JuliaSunshine]

How is she now?

Thank you for asking. She's looking pretty normal so I put her in the coop for the first time since she got sick. She looked a bit awkward roosting and even fell from it once trying to walk on it. She then wanted to sleep in the nesting box but I put her on a roost again. She positioned herself almost paralleled to it so I let her be.
Hope her crooked toe is not hurting her or anything now. I noticed her crooked toe months ago and she'd been fine roosting at night until she got sick.

 

[Tookie]

Update?

 

[JuliaSunshine]

She's sometimes near the flock and moves a bit more but I noticed she closes one eye occasionally. She still sleeps in the shed alone.
Thank you for asking.

 

[JuliaSunshine]

Yes, she is. She looks generally better even though she's not as lively as others yet. It's mainly her closing an eye that keeps me worried.
I can't do much about it other than feeding her an egg and vitamin gummies occasionally. I'm keeping her in a warmer place at night too.