Wry neck sporadic?

[WacoCoop]

Hello-

We are new to this community and also new to chickens. Currently have a 6 week old RIR who we believe has wry neck but are not sure as it comes and goes. Is that normal for this condition?

We found her 5 days ago laying with her head tucked underneath her and not moving once she started moving she went backwards and did not pick head up. After a few minutes of holding her and getting her some water she perked up and went about her business. We decided to separate her and give her nutri-drench and plenty of food and water. Since then we will find her a few times a day with her head curled under herself but once we get her some food or water she perks up. Does this sound like wry neck?

Is there anything else we should try? We haven’t added her back in with our other four hens yet, wanting to keep stress and her safety managed.

Thanks for any help! Glad to be here!!

 

[Sequel]

Hello-

We are new to this community and also new to chickens. Currently have a 6 week old RIR who we believe has wry neck but are not sure as it comes and goes. Is that normal for this condition?

We found her 5 days ago laying with her head tucked underneath her and not moving once she started moving she went backwards and did not pick head up. After a few minutes of holding her and getting her some water she perked up and went about her business. We decided to separate her and give her nutri-drench and plenty of food and water. Since then we will find her a few times a day with her head curled under herself but once we get her some food or water she perks up. Does this sound like wry neck?

Is there anything else we should try? We haven’t added her back in with our other four hens yet, wanting to keep stress and her safety managed.

Thanks for any help! Glad to be here!!

Hi and Welcome! I'm sorry about your chick! I can't give you reliable advice, but I can hold your hand until someone does! I sure hope you get it figured out, it's so awful when they're having problems!

 

[Henriettamom919]

Wry neck is actually a symptom of an underlying cause. They're usually either vitamin deficiency, injury sustained or genetic. Can you provide some pictures? That would help a lot.

The fact that it comes and goes makes me think diet or injury. Was she injured recently or pecked at by flockmates? What is your chicken eating, specifically, including treats? Is there any chance she's not getting enough due to shyness or bullying? Can you keep her separated for a day to observe? Ideally she and flock can still see each other but not interact or share food/water.

To treat wry neck regardless of cause you'll want to give her either vitamin E and vitamin B complex (like for people) or Poly-vi-sol iron (the iron is toxic) free version (a vitamin support for human babies that comes in liquid form.)

With the whole human vitamins, squirt some vitamin E right into the beak or just on tip of beak where it can roll down for her to swallow. Crush a quarter of the vitamin b complex and add to a little clean water then drop treated water into mouth using the same method. You'll add vitamin b to her normal water source, too.

The poly-vi-sol is easier because it's just a drop twice a day. It's about 15.00 at any pharmacy or infant vitamin section in a big box store.

Results are sometimes quick, a day or two, sometimes it takes a few weeks as you're correcting a nutrient imbalance.

Here's some great info to look over:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/wry-neck-causes-treatment-and-prevention.67732/

ETA- I see now that you've already separated her which is great! Make sure to keep her away from watering dishes as she could accidentally aspirate the liquid!

 

[Henriettamom919]

Oh! Welcome to BYC! I'm sorry your chicken is having issues but glad you found this site! It is the HOLY GRAIL of chicken and water/land fowl information! The people here are amazing and are a wealth of knowledge!

 

[Shadrach]

Hello-

We are new to this community and also new to chickens. Currently have a 6 week old RIR who we believe has wry neck but are not sure as it comes and goes. Is that normal for this condition?

We found her 5 days ago laying with her head tucked underneath her and not moving once she started moving she went backwards and did not pick head up. After a few minutes of holding her and getting her some water she perked up and went about her business. We decided to separate her and give her nutri-drench and plenty of food and water. Since then we will find her a few times a day with her head curled under herself but once we get her some food or water she perks up. Does this sound like wry neck?

Is there anything else we should try? We haven’t added her back in with our other four hens yet, wanting to keep stress and her safety managed.

Thanks for any help! Glad to be here!!

Hello WacoCoop.
Welcome to BYC.
Wry neck covers a multitude of conditions. A video of your hens behaviour might help.
It is possible that your hen suffered some neurological damage when hatching, or possibly received a head injury since.
I have a hen that does the backward walk and when she was a pullet used to tuck her head almost backwards over her shoulder and fall asleep. If she did this on my knee she would roll off waking up with a start.

When she got older she had episodes of walking backwards and weaving her head.
I tried the heavy dosage of vitamin E that often gets recommended and and various other dietary changes. None of them made any difference.
Despite the above, she lays eggs, has hatched a chick, fought off a goshawk and holds her third rank position in her tribe without problems.
I haven't seen her do the backwards walk for some time now.
What I believe happened is when she was still an egg, her mother broke a couple of eggs while sitting and despite my best efforts to clean mum and nest, during the last two days of incubation the eggs were sticking to the underside of mother. This of course means the eggs may not have been in the right position for pipping and hatching and of course, not free from mothers underside.
I would not separate her unless she is being attacked by her siblings or older hens.
Separation often cause much more stress than the original problem. The advice for separation seems to be rather unthinkably copied from various 'medical' sites or from internet sites such as this.