wry neck in 2 month chick?

[elissarules]

hey guys i have a small speckled sussex pullet and i think she may be exhibiting wry neck? should i treat her with as much as an adult? she’s really lethargic and scrunched up. she’s really sleepy and stands still for a long time. i always thought of wry neck as more violent but maybe hers is mild? i tried giving her electrolytes for a day and there’s only been a mild difference. should i wait longer or what?

 

[Eggcessive]

She looks more like she is hunched or puffed up than suffering from wry neck (torticolis, stargazing.) I would look at possible coccidiosis as the cause. The symptoms include, hunched with neck pulled into shoulders, lethargic or sleepy behavior, no appetite, and runny poops that may have mucus or sometimes blood. Corid is the treatment. Dosage is 1.5 tsp of the powder (or 2 tsp of the liquid) per gallon of water for 5-7 days. Treat all chicks at once, since it is not harmful.

If her neck is twisted to the side, looking upward, or looking down, then that is wry neck. That should be treated with vitamin E, thiamine, and some chopped egg for selenium. Do not give vitamins while on Corid for coccidiosis, though.

 

[elissarules]

She looks more like she is hunched or puffed up than suffering from wry neck (torticolis, stargazing.) I would look at possible coccidiosis as the cause. The symptoms include, hunched with neck pulled into shoulders, lethargic or sleepy behavior, no appetite, and runny poops that may have mucus or sometimes blood. Corid is the treatment. Dosage is 1.5 tsp of the powder (or 2 tsp of the liquid) per gallon of water for 5-7 days. Treat all chicks at once, since it is not harmful.

If her neck is twisted to the side, looking upward, or looking down, then that is wry neck. That should be treated with vitamin E, thiamine, and some chopped egg for selenium. Do not give vitamins while on Corid for coccidiosis, though.

oh thank you! she does have runny poops and little appetite. i’m not sure about the mucus though. should i treat the older girls as well? thank you so much!!! i have some electrolyte water still, should I dump it while treating for coccidiosis?

 

[Eggcessive]

If the electrolytes have vitamins (thiamine) don’t give them while on Corid. Corid works by mimicking thiamine, so not good to give until after Corid. Treat all chickens at the same time. If the others are older and not sick, they may not need treatment, since older hens may have built up a tolerance for coccidia in the soil. Corid is in the cattle medicines at your feed store.

 

[elissarules]

If the electrolytes have vitamins (thiamine) don’t give them while on Corid. Corid works by mimicking thiamine, so not good to give until after Corid. Treat all chickens at the same time. If the others are older and not sick, they may not need treatment, since older hens may have built up a tolerance for coccidia in the soil. Corid is in the cattle medicines at your feed store.

I have her on corid! it is technically day 2, even though I gave it to her wednesday night.

she looks worse today; she has the foamy yellow poop now, whereas hers was more watery before.

i read that medicated starter feed is bad if they are vaccinated for cocci. should i be feeding her something else while on corid? thank you

 

[Eggcessive]

Medicated feed has the same medicine—amprollium—that Corid has. If chickens have been vaccinated for coccidiosis, giving amprollium and Corid can undo the vaccine. But chicks can still get coccidiosis, even though they have been vaccinated, since the vaccine is only for the most common strains of coccidia.

So since you have already started the Corid, I would just continue with the medicated feed if you wish. The amount of amprollium is so small that it would be hard to overdose her. You can switch it anytime to non-medicated if you like.

 

[elissarules]

My little Betsy died last night. She was getting worse. I’m going to continue treating the others for the rest of the week though.