Wry neck, broken neck, botulism, other?

[ivfarm]

[/IMG]I found an Araucana hen in the nesting box last night and she is unable to straighten her neck or sit upright. She mostly lays on her side but her head will still be looking up either right or left.

She will flop around trying to get dorsal but can't. Her legs wings and neck seem to all be mobile.

I've given her two doses of Vitamin E and Poly Vi Sol. I've been able to hold her head and she drank a little water but she's not looking great. She goesnt seem sick in her eyes. She's just not able to move well and it's really stressing her. I have videos but I don't see a way to post them.

Thank you!

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your chicken. Selenium, or a food that contains it such as egg, nuts, tuna, or meat should also be given. Poultry Nutri-Drench and Poultry Cell tonics contain all vitamins and minerals, electrolytes, and amino acids.Does she have any other signs such as a respiratory infection that could be causing her wry neck? Look for any moldy food. Since wry neck (toricolis, crook neck) can be just a symptom of many different problems such as dehydration, head injury, vitamin deficiency, Mareks disease, Leukosis, or any thing that can cause brain inflammation, it's good to find what has caused it. Try making her food wet, add some or tuna, and wrap her in a towel to try and get food and fluids into her. Wry neck can be very frustrating, and chickens don't always come out of it. Here are some links to read that may help:

http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/Crookneck/Crookneck.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/97121/lets-talk-wry-neck-crook-neck

 

[emmaie892000]

Definitely wry neck. The fact that she still has bright eyes is a good sign, and also common of chickens with wry neck caused by nutritional problems. Since they haven't suffered an injury, they're mostly just confused as to why their neck is twisted! I second the advice above. Hope you can figure out what's caused the problem and treat your girl!

 

[ivfarm]

Thanks everyone.

Well she's still with us and despite the neck and balance thing she seem to be slightly better today and is able to hold her head a bit better though it still curls around at times.

I added Selenium to help the Vit. E absorption so hopefully that will speed things up a bit.

The girls are on a 28% pigeon pellet that is locally formulated. They are also out on nice grass during the day and they get a lot of veggies from the garden and house. My intentions to cook are always there, but I never end up doing it, so a lot goes to waste. All of the other chickens seem to be fine, so I don't know if diet or maybe injury is the cause. We have two geese who are turning into some real punks and I saw them going after one of the girls pretty hard the other day, so I'm wondering if maybe this one was beat up by them. Anyone want a breeding pair of Chinese geese?

 

[ivfarm]

I haven't had a full grown hen in the house before, so this might be something I don't notice outside, but her poop really stinks. Is really smelly poop a sign of something else?

I have her at work and she just pooped and now my whole suite stinks. So much for keeping her unnoticed.

 

[emmaie892000]

nah, chicken poop is just REALLY foul in enclosed spaces. Unless the appearance is off too, the poop's probably normal.

 

[ivfarm]

She didn't make it. I'm so bummed. I called a local avian vet to see what it would cost just to have her looked at to make sure they thought I was on track with her treatment and they wanted $75! She was still alert when I called, but I sensed she was regressing instead of progressing as the day went on, so I didn't spend the money.

I got her home and went to do a feeding and noticed that she was really warm so I droppered some water into her. She didn't look good. About that time the cat got up on the bed with me where I was feeding her and the chicken started to thrash a bit as if trying to get away from the cat. I had her in a towel so she threw her head around a couple of times, then squawked and died. It was weird. So no happy ending to this story. The other chickens all look fine.

 

[Eggcessive]

You can refrigerate her body in a garbage bag (don't freeze,) and send her to your state vet for a necropsy. Each state has a different price, and some states are free, such as California. If you are in a state with avian influenza, they might do it for free anyway. Avian leukosis and Mareks disease are some of the diseases that can cause wry neck. Sorry for your loss.