Wry Neck???

[cheekiechickie]

Woke up yesterday morning to find a 2 1/2 month old chick with a twisted neck, running around in a circle in coop. Brought in and figured it was wry neck and started on vitamins. By evening, she is barely able to move, and mostly unconscious. Does wry neck move this fast, or am I dealing with something else???

 

[Momma_Bear]

No, in my experience, wry neck doesn't move this fast.

 

[Saaniya]

Woke up yesterday morning to find a 2 1/2 month old chick with a twisted neck, running around in a circle in coop. Brought in and figured it was wry neck and started on vitamins. By evening, she is barely able to move, and mostly unconscious. Does wry neck move this fast, or am I dealing with something else???

Wry neck is common when there's some vitamin E deficiency
You should get a bottle of vitamin E selenium it will help most of the time and also give multivitamin

It is curable with vitamins

But she sounds serious a bit

@Eggcessive
@staceyj

 

[cheekiechickie]

Well, she made through the night. She has been on vit e and selenium, with her water, and mixed some in with her chick feed. She ate and drank well yesterday, but overnight she started refusing food. Offering a drop of the mixed water fairly often, but no improvement. She cant lift her head any more. If you pick her up, her head and neck just droop. I stopped picking her up at all because I'm afraid she might have a broken neck.

 

[cheekiechickie]

Is there something else that mimics wry neck, but moves much faster? I've tried searching, but all I can find is wry neck, and there is never a time table on its symptoms.

 

[Eggcessive]

How is she moving her feet and legs, and is she using her wings? Has she been out free ranging on your property where she could have eaten something that made her sick? Was she vaccinated for Mareks disease?

Wry neck is a neurological condition. It can be hereditary, a result of a head injury, a vitamin E or thiamine (B1) deficiency, but also can be a sign of Mareks or some other diseases. If you have some thiamine in a vitamin supplement, or give a bit of chopped beef liver, add it. 400 IU of vitamin E is good.

It is important to get her eating and drinking. If necessary, wrap her in a towel and help her eat. Mix some chick feed into a lot of water in a small bowl. Add some bits of cooked egg, or other things to tempt her.

 

[rebrascora]

At that age it could unfortunately be Marek's disease, but all you can do is continue to encourage her to eat and drink. Her neck will not be broken so don't worry about hurting her more. She will die without food and water particularly, so you need to keep that in mind when you are trying to help her. Only offer her moist foods like scrambled egg, but you will need to support her neck and head whilst you offer food and water.
Seeking veterinary treatment would be best but I accept that is not always possible for a variety of reasons.

 

[cheekiechickie]

Eggcesive, She keeps her feet stretched out and grasping the fabric she is laying on. Since about 3pm yesterday she hasnt been up moving around or lifting her head. I just got her to eat a coouple bites of food,and she is taking a drop of water every few minutes she is awake. I'll start adding the thiamine.

 

[cheekiechickie]

Rebrascora, Eggcessive,
Can mareks move this quickly? She was absolutely fine on Wed. I just can't believe how quickly this has come on.

 

[Eggcessive]

I really hope it is not Mareks, but Mareks or even botulism might be a problem. Botulism comes from eating a toxin found in remains of a dead animal or fish, or vegetation that has been buried or under water. Mareks would be more common. A head injury might be possible as well. Keeping her nourished and hydrated is important. Chick chairs or slings are sometimes a help to get them upright and in front of foof and water, but with her wry neck, that might not be possible. Here is a thread about tube feeding if you think that might be something to try:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ng-guide-pictures-under-construction.1064392/