Wry neck with no improvement

[Brissychick]

Hi everyone thank you for reading.

I have a 10month old lavender araucana that has severe wry neck. I have been treating her for nearly 3 weeks and no improvement. We live in Maleny Queensland Australia.

History
Parents and her have been fed good quality food with additional vitamins added from time to time. Micro pellets appropriate for their age and laying status. Occasionally they receive kitchen scraps. They are not free ranging. I have had 3 other cases of wry neck with other female araucana chicks and I've always given them away. This is my first older pullet.

Treatment
Vitamin E powder 1teaspoon daily dissolved in water. Vitamin B (all appropriate) and selenium.
Anti inflammatory medicine (nurafin children)
Separated in a large carrier cleaned daily
All medicine given in water

Feeding
Chicken eats and drinks independently. Scrambled egg every morning, high protein grower pellets and some small amounts of fruit and vegetables to keep her interested. She struggles standing, she reverses becomes stuck and has minutes of head flicking at a time. She was a bit thin when I brought her in but she's putting on weight fast.

I would have thought there would have been some improvement by now. I've upped her vitamin E 2 days ago.

What else can I do?
Do i keep persisting?

 

[PatrickRoo]

Try giving her some Nutri-Drench Poultry and Poly-Vi-Sol.

 

[Brissychick]

Try giving her some Nutri-Drench Poultry and Poly-Vi-Sol.

I'll go to the produce store and see if they have it. We’re rural so stocks are limited. I've not heard of them. We are using vetsense avi-vital.

 

[PatrickRoo]

I'll go to the produce store and see if they have it. We’re rural so stocks are limited. I've not heard of them. We are using vetsense avi-vital.

Okay. If you can't find it in stock anywhere, you can order it online. Try to choose fast shipping (if it gives you the option to).

 

[Brissychick]

I

Okay. If you can't find it in stock anywhere, you can order it online. Try to choose fast shipping (if it gives you the option to).

I really appreciate your help thank you.

I've tried to find them online and I can't find them in Australia only America.

The infant vitamins there's an Australian equivalent so I'll buy that. The other vitamins are very similar to what I use but without the vitamin E. I will look and see if they sell something similar here.

 

[Eggcessive]

If you are giving vitamin E, egg for selenium, and B vitamins including thiamine, that is probably enough. One article "crookneck in chickens" by BrownEggBlueEgg suggests giving 400-800 mcg of E daily. But E is fat soluble, so I would keep it near 400 mcg unless using water soluble E. Wry neck or torticolis is a neurological symptom which can be hereditary, caused by a head or neck injury, vitamin E deficiency if feed is old, but also can be found in some infectious viral diseases. Mareks disease, lymphoid leukosis, Newcastles, and some respiratory diseases. I would help her eat and drink watered down chicken feed with egg, if she does not seem to be getting enough, but it sounds like she is gaining weight.

 

[Brissychick]

If you are giving vitamin E, egg for selenium, and B vitamins including thiamine, that is probably enough. One article "crookneck in chickens" by BrownEggBlueEgg suggests giving 400-800 mcg of E daily. But E is fat soluble, so I would keep it near 400 mcg unless using water soluble E. Wry neck or torticolis is a neurological symptom which can be hereditary, caused by a head or neck injury, vitamin E deficiency if feed is old, but also can be found in some infectious viral diseases. Mareks disease, lymphoid leukosis, Newcastles, and some respiratory diseases. I would help her eat and drink watered down chicken feed with egg, if she does not seem to be getting enough, but it sounds like she is gaining weight.

Thank you very much. How long should I persist? Our vet is no help. I have taken several chickens to him and he has misdiagnosed all of them. I reluctant to spend another $90 + meds + tests for a guess.
I'll check to ensure we are covering all you have mentioned. She is a beautiful chicken and I don't want to loose her but I also want her to have a quality of life.

 

[Brissychick]

She's taken a turn for the worse. She's spasms most of time now and is struggling to eat. It breaks my heart but I think ill need to look at what is best for her. I just thought I'd ask if anyone thinks I should give her more time, is there any chance for her?

 

[Eggcessive]

She's taken a turn for the worse. She's spasms most of time now and is struggling to eat. It breaks my heart but I think ill need to look at what is best for her. I just thought I'd ask if anyone thinks I should give her more time, is there any chance for her?

It really depends on how much time you have to spend taking care of her, and also if you think that she is suffering. You are in your fourth week of treatment now, and many would have given up. If wry neck persists for more than 2 weeks, and especially since she is getting worse, I would probably consider putting her down, but that is a personal decision. It is never easy to make that decision.

 

[Brissychick]

It really depends on how much time you have to spend taking care of her, and also if you think that she is suffering. You are in your fourth week of treatment now, and many would have given up. If wry neck persists for more than 2 weeks, and especially since she is getting worse, I would probably consider putting her down, but that is a personal decision. It is never easy to make that decision.

Thank you very much. I will make the time. Today I dreaded going out but to my absolute shock she's standing up looking at me with an egg under her. How can she go from no improvement and going down hill to laying an egg and holding up her head for extended periods.

I truly appreciate your opinion. I will definitely keep persisting. Thank you.