Silkie neck injury

[linsybird]

My 4 month old Silkie is having some trouble with her neck. It kind of curls to the left, or she has it tucked under her stomach. I can try and get some pictures, but she’s a black Silkie, and it’s a little hard to see under all that fluff.

I believe she got injured when a chick waterer fell of a shelf in the coop, but I didn’t see it happen. I saw the waterer near where she sleeps this morning, and mid morning I noticed her rubbing the top of her head on the ground. I didn’t notice anything odd this afternoon, but when I went to lock the coop, she wasn’t in her normal sleeping spot, but was backed into the corner, with her head folded under her. I moved her to her spot, and untucked her head, and went in to put my son to bed.

When I came out later, she hadn’t moved much, but her head was curled to the left, and she was holding her head sideways.

So now I moved her inside, tried giving her food and water (she didn’t take either, but her crop feels full), and tried checking her out. The feather on the back of her neck are sticking out weird instead of laying smooth. If I move her neck up to a normal position, she can keep it there for about 30 seconds, it it slowly falls to the side and starts to curl down. Her beak also seems like its pointing down, like she has her ‘chin’ tucked. If anything scares her, she tries to run around, and she folds her head back under her, like she’s trying to hide.

I know silkies are prone to brain injuries, but I’m trying to figure out if this is brain trauma, or a neck injury. I plan on trying vitamins tomorrow (just in case) and I’m going to look into poultry vets around me, but I really can’t afford to do a whole lot.

I’m hoping someone here has some kind of experience with this, I really like my little Silkie and I really want to save her. Thanks in advance for reading all that, and for the advice!

 

[CindyinSD]

@aart might have some ideas for you. The first thing that pops into my mind would be wry neck, but I'm not sure whether your little one fits the profile.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I’m hoping someone here has some kind of experience with this, I really like my little Silkie and I really want to save her.

Sounds like wry neck... definitely try vitamins. Maybe E and B complex, or nutri drench?? Sometimes Marek's can present like this, but I try not to jump to conclusions.

But also try to check if her crop is empty in the morning before she eats. See if it's functioning normally. And maybe also try to see if she's passing any droppings. Consider bringing her where she can be observed.

The feathers can't lay smooth since they aren't in their normal position.

What is fed on a regular basis, including treats and supplements?

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...ement-poultry/vitamin-deficiencies-in-poultry
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/wry-neck
Hope she recovers quickly!

 

[linsybird]

@aart might have some ideas for you. The first thing that pops into my mind would be wry neck, but I'm not sure whether your little one fits the profile.

Thank you. I wondered about wry neck at first, but from what I’ve read (I have no experience with that), it’s hard to tell if it’s that or not

 

[linsybird]

Sounds like wry neck... definitely try vitamins. Maybe E and B complex, or nutri drench?? Sometimes Marek's can present like this, but I try not to jump to conclusions.

But also try to check if her crop is empty in the morning before she eats. See if it's functioning normally. And maybe also try to see if she's passing any droppings. Consider bringing her where she can be observed.

The feathers can't lay smooth since they aren't in their normal position.

What is fed on a regular basis, including treats and supplements?

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...ement-poultry/vitamin-deficiencies-in-poultry
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/wry-neck
Hope she recovers quickly!

I feed my chickens an all flock feed from Atwood’s. I did recently switch to that from chick grower about two weeks ago. I also give them live mealworms and vegetable scraps occasionally, and they have free run in my backyard during the day. I have oyster shell available, separate from the food.

I have her in the house in a dog crate right now, so no one messes with her, and I’ll definitely check her crop in the morning! Thank you

 

[aart]

@aart might have some ideas for you.

Sorry, have no clue.
If it was fine before the waterer falling then it might very well be (brain/neck)injury.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I feed my chickens an all flock feed from Atwood’s. I did recently switch to that from chick grower about two weeks ago. I also give them live mealworms and vegetable scraps occasionally, and they have free run in my backyard during the day. I have oyster shell available, separate from the food.

That doesn't sound like cause for nutrient deficit... BUT some individuals may have a higher requirement due to not processing or absorbing well.. is what I discovered through my hatch analysis even though I KNOW I provide sound nutrition not diminished by excess treats.

Was her crop empty this morning? How did her droppings look? Is her vent clear? She may need help eating and drinking now if her crop did empty.

Consider getting a necropsy just to rule out Marek's if she doesn't make it or you decide on euthanasia. I have links to state labs to help if you reach that point.

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree that she has symptoms of wry neck (torticolis, crook neck.) It can be a symptom of head or neck injury, a neurological condition, or a vitamin E or thiamine (B1) deficiency. It is common to treat it with hand feeding and vitamin E 400 IU and a source of extra thiamine. Giving some bits of cooked egg for selenium if your vitamin does not contain a little is also good. That helps the uptake of vitamin E, but don’t give much. Most people use the vitamins for a few weeks, but if it doesn’t help, it is probably not a vitamin deficiency.

I have an old rooster who has fallen a lot, and for the last 2 years, he snoozes or sleeps with his neck curled under him. But 50% of the time, he is up walking around in the yard, pecking and hanging with his hen with his neck up and normal. Here is a video of someone feeding a silkie with severe wry neck:

 

[linsybird]

That doesn't sound like cause for nutrient deficit... BUT some individuals may have a higher requirement due to not processing or absorbing well.. is what I discovered through my hatch analysis even though I KNOW I provide sound nutrition not diminished by excess treats.

Was her crop empty this morning? How did her droppings look? Is her vent clear? She may need help eating and drinking now if her crop did empty.

Consider getting a necropsy just to rule out Marek's if she doesn't make it or you decide on euthanasia. I have links to state labs to help if you reach that point.

Her crop was empty, but I didn’t see droppings, and her vent is clear. I got her to eat some mash and drink some water! She was ready to eat, and seems a little more alert.

If she does end up dying, I think I will have a necropsy done, so I’ll know what I’m dealing with. I’d hate for it to be Marek’s.

 

[linsybird]

I agree that she has symptoms of wry neck (torticolis, crook neck.) It can be a symptom of head or neck injury, a neurological condition, or a vitamin E or thiamine (B1) deficiency. It is common to treat it with hand feeding and vitamin E 400 IU and a source of extra thiamine. Giving some bits of cooked egg for selenium if your vitamin does not contain a little is also good. That helps the uptake of vitamin E, but don’t give much. Most people use the vitamins for a few weeks, but if it doesn’t help, it is probably not a vitamin deficiency.

I have an old rooster who has fallen a lot, and for the last 2 years, he snoozes or sleeps with his neck curled under him. But 50% of the time, he is up walking around in the yard, pecking and hanging with his hen with his neck up and normal. Here is a video of someone feeding a silkie with severe wry neck:

Thank you, that video helped a lot! I got her some vitamins, but she’s not too fond of them, so it’s a bit of fight to get them down. I gave her some chicken food mash, and some water. Since she’s eating and drinking, I’m much more hopeful about her chances.