Update and new issue Ranger and wry neck

[naturegirlmn]

Hatchery said not vaccinated.

What do I do from here? She did eat a little today and drank a little. It doesn't seem to sit well. She can straighten her neck, but it is like it spasms or she has a lot of pain and she circle it all over tight to her shoulders.

Should I try a sling? She can stand, but her neck goes crazy and then she has labored breathing afterwards.

 

[ChickNanny13]

What color are her eyes? In that one picture, has a grey shade or is it lighting?
PolyVisol without iron, right?

 

[naturegirlmn]

Without iron and very normal eyes. When she straightens her neck she looks very normal. She does close them when she is moving her head around quickly and sometimes when she has her head back

 

[Eggcessive]

In post 8 her eye has a white spot in it, possibly a cataract or maybe she is blind, but that might be what is causing her depth perception problem. Do you see the white spot in her eye? What does her other eye look like? Mareks can cause a grey eye with blindness, but the color of the eye and the pupil change.

She can eat regular sized poultry granite grit. Just put some near her in a separate container. She doesn’t really need it unless she eats food other than layer pellets and soft foods.

Can you pick her up and see if she can use both legs and wings? Mareks is not easily tested for. Normally the best way is to get a necropsy after death, and ask the state vet to do testing.

 

[naturegirlmn]

Her legs and wings work, not sure how well at this point. It seems like her neck issue is causing all the rest. She will take a drink and reel her head back blinking, then move it all over before settling down again. My son thought he felt something jutting up on her back where our shoulder blade would be. I didn't feel it, but when I was feeling around that area she relaxed and looked around.

There are a lot of tears here today.

She has been panting. I took her outside and she pecked at some food I sprinkled on the ground, drank a little water and stopped panting.

She may be too hot inside?? She was looking around and was watching the cat. She goes back to her head back though.

 

[Eggcessive]

She might be a little warm. Usually 70 is not too hot if they are sick, but you can try putting her in a,cooler room. I am sure that she enjoyed getting outside.

 

[naturegirlmn]

It is in the mid to upper 60s, but she has her wings out and mouth open again and she feels really warm.

 

[naturegirlmn]

I put her in our unheated, but enclosed
front porch.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

It is in the mid to upper 60s, but she has her wings out and mouth open again and she feels really warm.

That poor girl looks like hell, I've never before seen a waddle lose it's red and become flesh colored.

She hasn't completed molt yet, indicated by the feather shafts I am seeing. Or maybe just hasn't been able to preen the feathers clean of the casing yet?

There are a lot of tears here today.

Honestly I wish people would quit recommending the Poly vi Sol or at least noting it as an option for people who already have it on hand OR can't find other products like Poultry Nutri Drench which has amino acids in addition to the vitamins OR Rooster Booster (brand) Poultry Cell (product) are both superior for treating chickens.

If it were me... with the experience I have... I would cull her now and get a necropsy. The fact that she is having repeated or new issues says to me that long term prognosis is not good... just dragging out the heartache for the family and discomfort for the hen. Sorry!

I bet she is beautiful when she is well!

I would probably not try the sling if it seems to cause difficulty for the neck.

Crop being empty this morning is good. But now points to some other issue.

Even though I expressed what I would do... doesn't mean I am giving up for you. I will still try to help you figure this out and support you any way I can!

ETA: I always consider how the things I say impact the people I interact with... It may be an easier thought for your family to consider euthanasia than culling. Even though it is the same end result, it doesn't get the same negative reaction as it sounds kinder due to the connotation of intent.

 

[naturegirlmn]

Yes, she finally has feathers coming in though, so that is good. She was preening today! That is a step in the right direction, I think. Also, the flesh color of her comb is from the horrible winter we had. Even with several heat lamps going we definitely lost some comb and waddle tips on the birds with larger ones. . I think the drastic change made it worse, too. We are in rural Minnesota.

I am going to get her outside today by the others. She attempted to stand up a few times morning. She is still a heavy mama, even with the weight loss. I will try to get a picture outside. I think having her in containment that has only an opening on top is making her look up more than she should be right now. Trying to come up with a better option.