SLW with titled head

[Julia62]

This morning she was drinking a lot of water on her own which made me happy. Her head still turns downward but she can get it up to eat and drink. I fed her the beef mixture chopped very fine and with water in it like a slurry. She ate almost all of it then she walked up to the water and kept drinking. She also pecks at/eats the crumble/tuna mixture that's on the plate. I change out her towels each morning so they are clean. I wash them with bleach to kill any germs.

If she recovers from this, will her head straighten out? If they do recover, how long does it take or is each chicken different? Can she go back with the others?

 

[Eggcessive]

I would probably try to get her to take more of her feed, than too much meat and tuna. Just use the goodies to entice her. I'm glad that she is improving, and I would probably place her in a crate out with the other chickens, so that she will have their company, and re-integration won't be so hard. A lot of her recovery depends on exactly what caused the wry neck. I have never dealt with wry neck or Mareks, but wry neck can get better many times. It is great that she is at least able to get nourishment and water now. The other chickens may pick on her since she has been gone, but if you can give her supervised visits with them I'm sure she would enjoy it. An hour before dusk would be a good time to try free ranging together at first. But I would be cautious at first until her wry neck is much better to let her out with the group without a cage.

 

[Julia62]

They picked on her a bit when she got back from the vet when I first took her in for the lump (which she still has but has gotten slightly smaller and it is still hard). She did have some blood on her at that time though from the vet lancing it. I think some sunshine would be good and the rain has stopped (happy for the rain). I will take her out this afternoon and stay with her.

Ok, this afternoon I will give her crumble moistened.

I was reading another thread on Wry neck and someone made a neck brace out of a foam paint roller. Is that a good idea to help support her head?

 

[Eggcessive]

Since wry neck is basically a muscle spasm brought on by a neurological issue, I would worry that a neck splint could do more harm than good. You could try it for the support, but just use your own wise judgement so that she isn't choked or the circulation interrupted. It never hurts to experiment. I was trying to think of something soft, such as folded bubble wrap, or a rolled up sock with the toe cut out.

 

[Julia62]

A little piece of bubble wrap sounds like it might work, sock is a good idea too. She looks so uncomfortable with her head all laid back.

I've wondered how much of this can a bird take or should have to take? Does it hurt? Just annoying? I don't know. I don't want her to suffer, but if she can get better, I want her to. Ugh, I hate this. Dogs are so much easier to figure out.

Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it!

 

[jgoldy2]

My rye neck boy was the most friendly bird of the flock, and died due to a cyote, but there is still a mystery on how he go it, he never spoke again, never fought, and was always slow.

 

[Julia62]

I don't have a clue either. She does have a lump under her waddle. Not sure if that weakened her immune system? She weighed 1lb 10oz this afternoon, down a little.

I weighed 2 of my others (could not get a hold of MaryAnn, she wanted no part of being weighed): Leghorn (Mrs. Howell) weighed 3lb 9oz and Ginger (Golden Sexlink) weighed 4lb 7oz (she has always been the biggest). I'll have my husband help me catch MaryAnn. So, poor Tammy is quite under-weight. They are all the same age within a week. Her head was really contorting this afternoon. I made her some egg and put vitamins in her water which she drank. She also has her crumbles, but will eat the other stuff. I just want her to eat.

EDIT: got MaryAnn weighed (also a Silver Laced Wyandotte) 2lb 13.5 oz so smaller than the other two, but they (MaryAnn and Tammy) always were smaller. I guess the breed is smaller than Leghorns and Sexlinks.

 

[Julia62]

Well, she is still with us. She ate quite a bit this morning with my help. Beef, egg, and crumble mixed together. She is drinking the vitamin water too. Her crop felt full.

She had a little "Exorcist" moment yesterday

but it passed. She can stand and does move around in the tub. Tomorrow I am going to fence off a section outside so she can be with the others and get outside but safe from being pecked on in case they sense an injured bird. Not sure how they will react to her since she has been gone since Sunday. As long as she has the will to live, I will take good care of her.

 

[Julia62]

I weighed her this afternoon and her weight is holding. She ate a lot with me holding the dish but while I was feeding her, she picked up one foot and clenched her toes together. That is something new. Does that mean anything? Also when she put it down, the toes seemed to be slightly upward, not flat.

 

[Eggcessive]

I weighed her this afternoon and her weight is holding. She ate a lot with me holding the dish but while I was feeding her, she picked up one foot and clenched her toes together. That is something new. Does that mean anything? Also when she put it down, the toes seemed to be slightly upward, not flat.

The neck twisting and the leg and to movements still sound neurological. Unfortunately I haven't seen Mareks myself, but others may comment. I think I have heard about similar movements of toes being hyperextended upward. Toes curling under in a fist with a paralyzed leg can be a sign of Mareks or riboflavin deficiency. Several members here, Nambroth, Seminolewind, Casportpony, Haunted55, and others all have dealt with Mareks symptoms and may be helpful. I'm really hoping this is not Mareks, though. It's good that she is eating well, and will get to see her buddies tomorrow.