Wry neck same as stargazing?

[annep]

Years ago, with our first flock, I had a chicken that was what we called stargazing..That's what it's called in goats anyway...Is wry neck the same thing? I remember we gave her some extra maybe B vitamins and it took care of it?? She was just constantly looking up and almost had to walk backwards because of it..

 

[purpletree23]

Stargazing is a nutritional lack of thiamin. The eyes are pointed upward.


Wry neck are caused by recessive genes. It only shows up when when 2 birds are mated that carry the same gene. Wry neck results from curvature of the spine or scoliosis.

Information above from The Chicken Health Book by Gail Damerow

 

[Rin]

Quote:
There's a lot of debate on what actually causes wry neck in chicks. I was planning to cull my rooster and hens over it until I researched it all over and most sources point to nutritional, injury after hatch or humidity while being incubated as the causes - rather than genetics. I'm going to be thoroughly testing these theories on my own flock though - the rooster was from a breeder here in BYC but the hens are from completely different sources(the hens that might have mothered the chicks in question anyway).

 

[annep]

Thank you so much! Cleared that right up

 

[f8thnjc]

Would they always show signs of Wry neck, or could it show up after a week or two?? Does a chick with stargazing actually have a tilted head, or are the eyes just pointed up?

 

[moomoodiddy]

if my hen just now showed it at one yr old could i still be genetics?

 

[Hennyhandler]

I am wondering some of these same questions. I had heard that stargazing could be a sign of wry neck. It sounds like here that they are two seperate things.

 

[Signofthethistle]

I know I'm probably late to this topic, but it doesn't look like anyone has responded at all to those asking about their own little ones.

From what I can tell stargazing is a deficiency of B1 (thiamine) in the body. This causes the chicks neck to roll back and cause apendages to stiffen up and stick out at odd angles. The neck would look like the photo below.

I just hatched out two quail chicks and one has this problem. Its neck is pulled back and legs stick out behind. It can certainly move it's neck, but looks like the most comfortable place for it to be is like the above photo. It can also move it's legs and wings as it spins itself around the little cage. Being that my chick is only 2 days old, hopefully I've caught it one time. I've read that treatment is simply liquid B1 or Poly-Vi-Sol (NONE iron type). I dropped some of it in their water dish and have been administering it orally since this morning when I picked it up.

431.In birds, vitamin B, (thiamine) deficiency is clinically and morphologically manifested with paralysis of limbs and muscle atrophy, beginning from the flexors of toes and ascending towards the extensors of legs, wings and the neck. The chickens acquire a specific posture with flexed legs and the head drawn back (stargazing). As hypovitaminosis B, causes a severe anorexia, thiamine supplementation to the drinking water is advised until the recovery of acute deficiency and thereafter, the vitamin could be added to the forage.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/468638/wry-neck-same-as-stargazing

I hope this helps!

 

[Ditasea]

Years late but I can clarify. There are 3 reasons for "wry neck:
1) vit E deficiency
2) vit B deficiency
3( cervical sciñoliosis (bone malformation

The first two can appear just as they hatch, but might develop later. They are easy to treat, but as it's difficult to tell which vitamin is missing, I usually treat them with both. Careful with vitaminE: it has to be supplemented by selenium, but it is tocic, so dont overdose. Vitamin B is harmless and hidrosoluble (excess is excreted in urine) so no risk of overdose there. Chicks recover in a week maximum, sometimes even within the first 24h of treatment. Severe cases will need initial help to drink or feed.

Thr third case is tipycal in broiler chickens. It is caused by anatomical malformation of the bone. As far as I know, it cannot be treated. If the chick can feed and drink on it's, I let them live their own happy crooked-neck lives!