What in the world is going on?!

[Ajp23]

I hope this won’t be too long, apologies in advance!

I have an 11 week old Orpington and on Monday she was speeding around the run, catching bugs, playing, acting completely normal. Eating and drinking normally as well.

Yesterday morning we found her laying down with a completely limp neck. There was some ability to try to stand, use legs and wings but she was not able to lift her neck at all. I suspected Mareks but thought the onset was too fast. Then suspected botulism/mold consumption or possibly wry neck although the neck had no rigidity to it at all. No visible injuries anywhere on her body.

So, we crated her and gave her electrolyte water which she guzzled down with no problems. She ate an entire egg yolk via syringe then more throughout the day and eventually wet food. I gave her vitamin e and b complex. She seemed hungry and thirsty like usual with completely normal poop. The limpness remained and by the end of the day she did nothing but lay down and look around.

I expected to wake up to a dead chicken - but when I went out there early this morning, she was walking around in her crate! Still normal poop. Wanted food and water.

Now, she is moving slower than usual but walking, flapping wings, but shaking her head side to side.

What is this?! What to do?

 

[azygous]

It sounds like vitamin E deficiency. The little bit of vitamin E you gave her is a good indication that is what she's battling. Get the vitamin E capsules they sell in the vitamin aisle and give her one cap each day for the next five days. Just pop the pill into her beak.

 

[Ajp23]

What could cause vit e deficiency in just one chicken if all are eating the same food?

 

[azygous]

Each chick has its own metabolism that may have individual fluctuations, just as a human baby may have a unique imbalance that has to be corrected. If you were to reduce your chick to atoms and structured molecules, the way they all relate and perform as a whole, you would wonder why life even occurs at all, let alone function as smoothly as it does.