SILKIE WITH WRY NECK! PLEASE HELP!

[Georgia Nana]

I just discovered that one of my little Silkie pullets has wry neck...BAD! She keeps her little head tucked behind her as though she is sleeping. Her balance is off, too. I separated her and put a heat lamp on her, but I don't think that she can/will eat or drink, because she won't move! I feel as though my rooster hurt her trying to mount her. He is young, too, and grabs them by the head/ neck prior to mounting them. He seems pretty rough. I put them in with him because 2 of the 4 are laying, and they are all the same age. I am taking him out, as of NOW.
What can I do for her to help her??? Please help! This is a Beautiful, sweet little show quality girl and I DON'T WANT TO LOSE HER!!

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your hen. The rooster may calm down when he gets a little more mature if you keep him in the flock, or separate him for a bit. Silkie's are prone to wry neck during a head injury because of the vaulted skull that some have. They are also prone to getting Mareks disease of which wry neck can be a symptom. Many people treat wry neck with vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin E, and selenium. Some also use prednisone in certain cases where the vitamins don't help. Here are some links: http://oureggbasket.blogspot.com/2013/04/wry-neck-or-crook-neck-understanding-it.html
http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/Crookneck/Crookneck.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/97121/lets-talk-wry-neck-crook-neck

 

[Georgia Nana]

Thank you very much for the very informative reply to my plea for help. I went to the pharmacy last night and got all the medicines (I am on a maintenance dose of prednisone,so have that on hand). I do have one question: I understand that selenium is essential for proper absorption of vitamin E, but that improper doses of Selenium are toxic. I could not find Vitamin E with Selenium, so bought one bottle of each. Do you know how much Selenium I should give?
Thanks again for your help, and for the awesome links!

 

[realsis]

I've nursed three silkies back to health with severe wry neck using above method and prednisone as well. I always used the vitamin E WITH the selenium in it.that made dosing easier for me.also with wry neck please remember it can take a month or longer for healing so it requires perseverance and patience. My silkies returned to health at the months end so I'd say usual is about a month.if you have any questions I'd be happy to help. Best wishes and don't give up it will be a long road but can be cured.

 

[Eggcessive]

Thank you very much for the very informative reply to my plea for help. I went to the pharmacy last night and got all the medicines (I am on a maintenance dose of prednisone,so have that on hand). I do have one question: I understand that selenium is essential for proper absorption of vitamin E, but that improper doses of Selenium are toxic. I could not find Vitamin E with Selenium, so bought one bottle of each. Do you know how much Selenium I should give?
Thanks again for your help, and for the awesome links!

Back in the link "oureggbasket..." in post #2, there is an ad in the link under the "vitamins" heading for vitamin E with selenium. In the other link "browneggblue egg" they post the exact amounts of selenium to give. Also there is selenium in eggs, and also naturally in the soil. The amount needed is very small, and I've heard where people just scratch some off a selenium tablet to give, but that is not very exact. That is where reading some of the good threads, you will find what works for some. dhunicorn had some interesting posts on vitamins in the past--I'll try to find some.

 

[attilathehen]

I am currently nursing my silkie back from (what I think) is a mild case of wry neck. (She got it after a peck to the head/ear). After not knowing what was up with her for a few days, I decided she was exhibiting symptoms of wry neck. I talked to a friend, who works at a bird rehab center (she is not a vet), and she advised the following.

I got:
From the petco bird section: vita-sol vitamin drops for 5$ (no iron, iron will block absorption of other vitamins) and exact for 5$ (a powdery gruel used to handfeed baby birds).
From my own medicine cabinet: vitamin e capsules
From a friend (but she got it from the vitamin section of a grocery store): selenium 100 mg powdered capsules

Until recently, my bird has refused to eat or drink, so I've been dripping water on top of her beak, and eventually progressed to egg yolks and yogurt. She reluctantly ate it, more out of a reflex than a desire to eat it. And she ate barely anything. I started mixing in the vitamin drops with the water, and that seemed to help. I also made a mixture of 1/2 a selenium capsule with water and some vitamin e, and tried to get her to get some of that too - she got a tiny bit.

I'm not sure if the drops and vitamins started working, if she started feeling better or what... but yesterday, she seemed to take the food a little bit more willingly. So, I made a mixture of the exact gruel (1.5 teaspoons of the powder with 5-6 teaspoons of water), mixed in half of a selenium capsule, and a vitamin e capsule (they need both together, the selenium helps the bird absorb vitamin e), and a few drops of the vita-sol. (Careful not to give too much selenium, it can be toxic in high dosages - I read 50 mg was acceptable for a day, my bird is getting maybe 25 mg at most throughout the day.) I mixed it in a shallow dish, held the bird on my lap, and submerged the tip of her beak (taking care to avoid her nostrils) into the mixture. She started lapping it up! She took maybe 1 teaspoon, then refused to take any more. So I let her rest. And repeated the process a few hours later - she took another teaspoon. It's very encouraging. She seems to be getting peppier! And it is certainly the most she has eaten at once in the last few days. Too soon to say if it will be totally successful, but so far so good!

My bird didn't have a super visibly twisted neck. But her neck did feel odd, and kinked. She hunkered down in her bedding. And she refused food. If your bird has an inverted head, not sure how you'd have to adjust. Others have posted links that have good info though. Good luck!

 

[Georgia Nana]

Thank you...both of you! She is much better without any help from me. I think the Rooster "man-handled" (no pun intended!) her and scared her, in addition to hurting her. My show quality silkies (all from the same breeder) don't seem to have the stamina or intelligence that my other 3 do. I gave them haircuts, but that didn't help. Somebody bred for beauty and not brains, and they are gorgeous! I have all of my Chicken meds along with the printout of Stan's article at the ready in case it's needed! I will go and get some Exact to add to the growing pile of meds!
Thanks again!