Wry neck

[IAmPudge]

Hi, I have a banty chick that I have been trying to treat for what I assume is wry neck. On August 15th when she was about two weeks old, I noticed that she was looking up and spinning in circles. The next day she was unable to lift her head. I immediately began to treat her for wry neck. I fed her chick starter mixed with water, vitamin E, Selenium, crushed sunflower seeds, and probiotics. I did that for three weeks and saw minimal improvement until one day I found her standing up in her box and feeding herself. For three days she stood upright, walked around the house, and even balanced on a small chick roost. I thought she was cured and began to feed her straight chick starter with water. After the third day, she began to regress. When standing, her neck would crane back, she would take a few steps and then immediately would lose her balance and flop around. I started her back on the wry neck feed mixture immediately. It has now been a month and there is no improvement. I read that her balance problems could be caused by her toenails possibly being too long. I have tried trimming them, but it has not made a difference. Her head is often down and to the right, stuck under her wing. When I pick her up, she squawks and acts like being held causes her pain. It has now been two months, and I am at a loss. I don't know what else can be done. I would take her to an Avian vet but there are none in my area. I know that she should be culled, but I have never killed an animal and I really can't bring myself to do it. I will need to find someone who can. I am writing today in hopes that someone might recognize what is wrong with her and have a solution or can advise that I have done all that I can. I am going to try attaching a video of her from a few days ago. Thank you.

 

[MamaPoult]

Hi there! It sounds like you've treated accordingly so far. I've never dealt wry neck personally but I'd guess that you're dosing her just enough to get better but as soon as you stop she becomes deficient is vitamin E again. I'd try using Poultry Cell and leave her on it even when her symptoms go away to see what happens. It's a chicken multi vitamin commonly used to treat wry neck, you could probably source it at your local feed store. It sounds like she's just deficient and can't seem to keep enough vitamin E on board. But be sure to get other's opinions too as I've never dealt with this . Good luck and welcome to Byc!

 

[thecatumbrella]

Try adding a human grade b-complex (making sure B1 is included, some do not). You'll need a pill splitter to break them into quarters. I also crushed mine and used it to coat the sunflower seeds and vitamin E.

I didn't deal with wry neck exactly. It was more of a general neurological issue. We went through the same thing where she got better, then regressed. I did end up having the vet euthanize her once her quality of life began to suffer. I'm sorry you're going through this. It sucks, for sure.

 

[IAmPudge]

Hi there! It sounds like you've treated accordingly so far. I've never dealt wry neck personally but I'd guess that you're dosing her just enough to get better but as soon as you stop she becomes deficient is vitamin E again. I'd try using Poultry Cell and leave her on it even when her symptoms go away to see what happens. It's a chicken multi vitamin commonly used to treat wry neck, you could probably source it at your local feed store. It sounds like she's just deficient and can't seem to keep enough vitamin E on board. But be sure to get other's opinions too as I've never dealt with this . Good luck and welcome to Byc!

Thank you for your advice, I will pick up some Poultry Cell today!