Suggestions for bent neck?

[Rhiannon_In_Nature]

I could use some guidance with one of my chicks. She (wishful thinking) hatched on April 28th after I finished zipping the egg and putting a small tear in the membrane (shrinkwrapped, my fault). She and another chick were walking on their hocks, so I started adding Sav-a-Chick to the water. On the 29th and 30th her walking improved. She was eating and drinking well.

In the evening on May 1st I noticed she was starting to carry her head curled to the left a little. It continued to get worse over the next day or so. I continued the Sav-a-Chick and started rubbing her neck on both sides.

On the 5th I read in the forums that it could be wry neck, so I started giving her liquid infant multivitamin, no iron, with vit E and selenium added, twice a day.

Now it's the 7th and haven't seen any changes. She still eats and drinks, is steadily gaining weight, was one of the first to get in the sand and bathe. Getting in feathers and starting to try and fly. Runs and walks around well. Basically all the normal chick stuff, except with her head and neck bent to the left. She does turn it to the right to preen, and I can straighten and bend the neck easily while I am rubbing it. Seems to really like the rubbing in fact.

So I don't know what's up with her really. Don't know if it's wry neck, or something else like an inner ear problem. She hates taking the vitamins and I don't want to keep forcing them on her if they won't help. Any suggestions, or ideas what may be causing this?

Here are pics. First is her at about 24 hrs. Second and third are today.

 

[le_bwah]

I had a chick with a bent neck, no clue what caused it. Treated it like wry neck, but they just kept twisting—I ended up having to cull them once it was clear they wouldn't be able to eat and drink properly.

People have posted pictures and stories of quail making it to adulthood with very wonky necks, so I'd hold out hope. Keep at it with the selenium and other supplements, but I wouldn't wait for the neck to get much better (only for it to not get worse). It isn't necessarily wry neck, and it isn't necessarily fatal—also, no need to cull a bird that can take care of itself.

 

[DK newbie]

I had one with a bent neck from hatch last year. She grew just fine, was able to eat and drink and laid eggs and all. I sold all the other girls from her hatch so I had to keep her alone for a while - I intended to cull her once I got the time.. She didn't like being alone and the cage was crappy so she escaped pretty often (she was in a secure room so I didn't care much). One day I came out and she was dead outside the cage - still warm. Guess she might have boinked but I'm still not sure. She seemed healthy the day before.