- Jun 5, 2008
- 3
- 0
- 60
Hi everybody,
I have a 3 year old silkie hen who started showing signs of wry neck over 2 wks ago. She couldn't hold her head straight; instead it twisted up toward the sky and instead of walking straight she went in circles.
I brought her inside as soon as I noticed and then realized she also had worms. I gave her a dose of panacur and started her on bird vitamins, egg yolk and tuna. She's in a wire cage inside that has enough room to stand and eat but not much else. After a week of this and seeing no improvement, on June 11th I started her on this regimen: 2x/day she gets a dose of Poly-Vi-Sol w/out iron, vitamin B, and 30 drops of vitamin E. Once per day she also gets 100mcg of selenium. I've been giving her fresh greens chopped into bits (dandelion, basil, kale, oregano, arugula) which she is able to eat just fine. She's been on this regimen for a week now and no change. She stands with her head straight, more upright than usual, with the shoulders of her wings slightly out but with wings tucked in, which is not a normal stance for a healthy chicken but also not super alarming-looking. She can eat and drink fine with her food right in front of her. BUT, as soon as I take her out to give her the droppers of vitamins her head tucks under her with her neck spiraled and she sort of seizes shaking in this position for a few seconds before she can right herself. Sometimes it makes her fall over and she struggles to stand up again. When i give her the droppers of vitamins I have to grab (as gently as I can) her head/upper beak to open her mouth and squirt it in. She resists of course. Am I making things worse by physically making her take the vitamins? I tried putting the vitamins on her greens but then she won't eat them. Oh, and to make matters even more complicated, she started molting since she's been inside. Between the worms and the molting she would be vitamin deficient even if she had been healthy to begin with. What in the world do I do? I'm ready to put her back outside and see what happens but I don't want to make her worse if there's a chance she can recover. I really don't want to go to a vet but I'm also growing weary of this intensive care situation. I've figured out and treated with success SO MANY chicken conditions and illnesses over the years but this one has me stumped.
Thanks so much for reading,
Laura in Austin
I have a 3 year old silkie hen who started showing signs of wry neck over 2 wks ago. She couldn't hold her head straight; instead it twisted up toward the sky and instead of walking straight she went in circles.
I brought her inside as soon as I noticed and then realized she also had worms. I gave her a dose of panacur and started her on bird vitamins, egg yolk and tuna. She's in a wire cage inside that has enough room to stand and eat but not much else. After a week of this and seeing no improvement, on June 11th I started her on this regimen: 2x/day she gets a dose of Poly-Vi-Sol w/out iron, vitamin B, and 30 drops of vitamin E. Once per day she also gets 100mcg of selenium. I've been giving her fresh greens chopped into bits (dandelion, basil, kale, oregano, arugula) which she is able to eat just fine. She's been on this regimen for a week now and no change. She stands with her head straight, more upright than usual, with the shoulders of her wings slightly out but with wings tucked in, which is not a normal stance for a healthy chicken but also not super alarming-looking. She can eat and drink fine with her food right in front of her. BUT, as soon as I take her out to give her the droppers of vitamins her head tucks under her with her neck spiraled and she sort of seizes shaking in this position for a few seconds before she can right herself. Sometimes it makes her fall over and she struggles to stand up again. When i give her the droppers of vitamins I have to grab (as gently as I can) her head/upper beak to open her mouth and squirt it in. She resists of course. Am I making things worse by physically making her take the vitamins? I tried putting the vitamins on her greens but then she won't eat them. Oh, and to make matters even more complicated, she started molting since she's been inside. Between the worms and the molting she would be vitamin deficient even if she had been healthy to begin with. What in the world do I do? I'm ready to put her back outside and see what happens but I don't want to make her worse if there's a chance she can recover. I really don't want to go to a vet but I'm also growing weary of this intensive care situation. I've figured out and treated with success SO MANY chicken conditions and illnesses over the years but this one has me stumped.
Thanks so much for reading,
Laura in Austin
