What could be wrong with BO roo..urgent!

[amyquilt]

Hank, our 8-9 week BO roo has been fine. Fine.

Yesterday we noticed him "favoring" his head to one side and turning it nearly 90 degrees. He would keep the eye on the favored side closed like maybe he had gotten something in it. I put out scratch for them, and then he was fine, ate along with the others.

This morning, Hank can hardly hold up his head and it's turned around 180 degrees.

There's no way a predator could have gotten to him at all. Our birds are 1000% safe. In their coop, then in our chain link back yard very close to the house.

What in the world could have happened and if anyone knows, what can I do for him. Anything besides cull him????


Thanks in advance for info

 

[SpottedCrow]

Do a search on this site for botulism...and see if the symptoms match...
The only other thing I can think of is if he got smacked on the head...

 

[amyquilt]

I am following this thread....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=91691

from the symptoms, I'm pretty sure he's got an impacted crop. He drinks a little, eats little bits of yogurt and I am massaging the crop in hopes of loosening up the 'junk'.

DH works at TSC and is bringing home some electrolite/vitamin powder we can mix up to give to him.

He still peeps at me. Opens his eyes when I talk to him, loves it for me to hold him (which is not out of the ordinary, though).

I plan to stay up as much through the night with him as I can to get fluids, yogurt and boiled egg down him.

 

[ruth]

Sounds like crook neck/wry neck to me. Ruth had it. There are many thread on here about it. Give it Poly-Vi-Sol (liquid baby vitamin supplement- the one without the extra iron). You can also give it a Vitamin E capsule - cut off top and squeeze out goop and let it eat it - Ruth loved them. If it's crook neck you'll see improvement daily with the vitamins but don't let up immediately - continue for at least a week after he seems fine.

I don't think impacted crop would cause the neck to twist and since you described it as partially twisted one day and moreso the next, sounds like crook neck.

In any event, the vitamins can't hurt and usually help. Some chicks just have malabsorption/vitamin deficiency issues. You can feed it some scrambled egg as well - high in protein and vitamins.

If you can't find Poly-Vi-Sol by Enfamil, Gerber makes the exact same product under different name - "Vitamin Drops".

 

[amyquilt]

So can a chicken recover from crook neck??

His crop is so rock hard.

 

[ruth]

Yes they can recover but it's best to start getting vitamins into them as soon as possible.

Their crop gets hard if they've eaten a lot. Did it go down overnight or has it been that way for more than a day? Make sure he doesn't have access to food tonight and wait and see if it's down in the morning. My chickens have rock hard baseballs on their chests by dusk each day because of all the food they eat and freeranging they do. A little olive oil can help with crop issues.

 

[sammi]

at roost time the crop should feel full

recheck in the morning before he eats..it should feel empty, or flat.
if it's still hard..then he has a crop problem and isn't getting nutrition causing the symptoms you describe.
check mouth and throat for any sores and/or sour smell.(possible canker)

it's also possible he fell or jumped and injured himself causing both an injured crop and Crook Neck..

what all do you feed?
describe the droppings..color and consistency.

with impacted crop..sometimes yogurt will help, or a little oil soaked bread and massage.
sometimes you have to resort to surgery to remove the mass.
(with impacted crop the more you feed, the worse it gets)
there is a treatment for canker.
but will wait for your reply.

if the crop is emptying thru the night..
then I agree with Ruth and her treatment suggestions.

 

[amyquilt]

His crop has gone down. I am feeding yogurt and mashed up hard boiled egg. Also adding a little olive oil. He's getting a little food down and also giving him water and pedisure. Will go first thing in the am and get the vitamins.

He seems to be resting easier since I gave him the egg, yogurt and pedisure a little over an hour ago. I let him have as much as he would eat/drink, though didn't seem like much. But after all, he is only a 9 week old little guy.

I feed Dumor feed from TSC. Same as I have since he was just a few days old when I got him and my other 3 girls that I got at the same time.

Only difference in feeding is I started them on scratch night before last because our nights are getting chilly. The day after the first scratch is when this started (yesterday).

 

[sammi]

if it's Crook Neck (or Wry Neck)..sometimes prednisone
is used to treat inflammation of the brain.

see how the roo does with suggestions here..

if he doesn't improve..I'll post further treatment, or you can do a search with prednisone instructions.

 

[amyquilt]

Hank made it through the night, actually stood up with his head almost upright this morning for a few minutes.

He ate hard boiled egg in olive oil, yogurt and a little pedisure this am.

We're off to get the vitamins in just a few minutes.



Any further suggestions?