Sudden neck kink and balance issues in 2 week old Polish - what happened?

[Magpyeone]

I brought home a brand new Polish chick along with a Cochin chick 2 weeks ago; they’re in the same brooder, eating Chick Starter and have been doing fine. Yesterday morning, I noticed that my Polish is holding her head tilted up to the right, and her neck remains slightly bent; she maintains this odd posture even while eating and drinking, which she is still doing. Sometimes she seems slightly off-balance when she tries to move around, but not always. The Cochin is fine and displaying no odd symptoms. Any idea what this could be?

 

[Smileybans]

Wry neck? A picture might help though.

 

[Magpyeone]

Thanks for the info - I researched wry neck, which I’d never heard of, and I think that’s exactly what’s wrong. We started giving her dandelion greens yesterday for the needed vitamins and maybe it’s too soon to be sure, but she seems a little better today. Yesterday I thought we were going to lose her for sure, but hopefully we’ll get her through this!

 

[Smileybans]

If the case isn’t too severe chicks can get better in a matter of days. Just make sure to keep boosting the vitamins even after the symptoms have subsided. Wry can can reoccure.

 

[Magpyeone]

If the case isn’t too severe chicks can get better in a matter of days. Just make sure to keep boosting the vitamins even after the symptoms have subsided. Wry can can reoccure.

Yep, I’m keeping up with the greens and we got a vitamin supplement for the water too, so we’re just hoping for the best!

 

[Magpyeone]

Wry neck? A picture might help though.

She has a raw spot on her cheek, this has just developed over the last day or so and I see her scratching at it - I can’t see anything on the skin, I don’t know if she’s causing it by scratching or she’s scratching because something else is causing it...? I don’t know what to do...

 

[Smileybans]

I don’t see any mites or lice in the picture. Do you see any when you part her feathers? They would be noticeable on a small chick. She could be scratching because her neck is bothering her too. I would keep an eye on it to be sure it doesn’t get bigger.

I know my showgirl scratched his neck a couple times when he had wry neck. He also got bitten by another chicken but after that he kept scratching himself. To the point that he would break skin sometimes. After his wry neck cleared up he stopped the itching.

Do you see her actively itching there a lot? I also had an olive egger that had a bald patch in the same spot when she was a chick. I thought it was due to scratching as well but she grew the feathers later. She is adorable btw.

 

[Magpyeone]

I have examined her closely, and there were no mites or critters. She’s in a smaller brooder with a Cochin and an Olive Egger and they show no similar issues. I’ve seen her scratching at it a couple times, once or twice so hard she fell over, poor thing. But she’s looking a little better with the wry neck, so hopefully it will resolve when the wry neck gets better. Thanks!