# Neck problem with Silkie



## Chickie-babe (Feb 23, 2014)

I have an 8 week old Silkie who is holding her head at a really odd angle. She twists her neck around so far that she falls over. She's eating and drinking fine. Anyone ever had this happen?


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## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

It's wry neck. Caused by a vitamin deficiency, and most likely an absorption problem which is why it's not exhibiting in your other birds. Pick yourself up some polyvisol infant drops (make sure they are iron free) and dose her morning and night for a week or so. She will come around!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Yep, on the vitamins. 

Its possible its being pushed aside at the feeder. Make it up some wet feed and give it to peep separately. You could add the vitamins to the food.


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## Chickie-babe (Feb 23, 2014)

Thank you for your help. When you say dose, do you mean drops right into her mouth? I also have vitamin/electrolyte powder. Should I put that in her water?


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## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

I put it right in their mouths, just at the front of their beaks and let them figure it out from there.


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## Chickie-babe (Feb 23, 2014)

Yikes, I mean beak. (do I treat my chicks like my babies, or what?!?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Technically you're right since the inside is the mouth. Its lips in humans and beaks for birds.

Hold off on the electrolytes. Besides they taste really nasty in the combo. I use unflavored pedialyte if I find that its needed.


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## Chickie-babe (Feb 23, 2014)

I got the vitamins down her and fed her some watery mash. I also separated her because my other chicks were tromping on her. Anything else I can do? She looks dreadful. 


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

No, its going to take a bit of time for it to pick up if this is a dietary issue.


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## Chickie-babe (Feb 23, 2014)

Okay, I'll send up a prayer to the chicken gods and hope for the best. Thank you for your help. 


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

It can be SOP with Silkies. 

You should see something positive within the next couple of days. It might do this again later in on or it might be just a bump in the road that it needs to get past with some help from you.

I have an 8 year old head injury bird. When she is stressed she tucks. Up her nutrition for a few days and she straightens back out again.


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## Chickie-babe (Feb 23, 2014)

What is SOP?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Standard Operating Procedure. In other words, it is not uncommon with them.


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## Chickie-babe (Feb 23, 2014)

Why Silkies and not other breeds? 


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I've come to the conclusion that its how highly bred the Silkies in the US are. Toss in that feed that meets minimum when processed and can be less than it should be due to poor storage or age and any breed can then have problems. 

Others will say its the skull and the openings in it. But that only matters when it involves head injury like my old bird. Which also presents differently.


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## Chickie-babe (Feb 23, 2014)

Is there anything I can do to prevent wry neck?



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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Not really. Every bird is different. Some can be fine with junk for food, others not so much. As long as you are feeding fresh feed that's all you need to worry about. If it happens with another just be prepared to offer higher nutrition until it straightens out.

Think of it like this, Head Tuck, my head injury bird got nailed when she was about six months old. Now she's 8. The injury did something that causes her to suffer during high stress times. When she would go broody and she didn't eat normally would cause her to react. Extreme weather conditions. And when she went in to henapause. All I did with her was offer stuff like Kaytee hand rearing formula for cage birds or Manna Pro conditioner for show birds. Within two days she would be fine.

Your peep may never do this again. It could be something as simple as being pushed away from the food station and not getting enough to eat.


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## Chickie-babe (Feb 23, 2014)

I'm feeding her fermented watery food. Today she actually lifted her head and ate on her own accord. I thought giving a cat a pill was hard, but spoon feeding a spastic chick is crazy.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Yep, it sure is. But you get a routine worked out eventually. They even learn what is going on, at least Head Tuck did.


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## Chickie-babe (Feb 23, 2014)

I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help. Thank you so much. I will keep you posted on miss frizzle's progress. 


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Knowing the outcome of treatment helps others when they have the same situation arise. So often many don't do follow ups on how things went. I noticed on this board many do.

Good luck. If you don't see improvement in about 48 hours it might be time to do something different.


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## Chickie-babe (Feb 23, 2014)

Guess who was holding her head up this morning? She ate her mash on her own and ate quite a bit. I experimented with putting the vitamin drops in her food and it went quite well. 



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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

My guess is, peep got pushed away from the feed station by the others. I don't know how many you have together but it might be worth having more than one feeder in their brooder.

BTW, that's great news. Keep the additional vitamins going for at least another day.


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## Chickie-babe (Feb 23, 2014)

I certainly will keep up the vitamins. When I got home from work, she was out of the brooder, spending time with her sisters. 


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## Maggizzle35 (Jul 2, 2012)

I had one do this in the spring and this forum is wonderful with the wealth of experience and advice. I made sure that mine had extra vitamin D and put her back on medicated chick food for a while as she was an older chick and she got better. I found it necessary to separate her from other birds for a while as well, but thanks to everyone who supplied the information. It's good to know that Silkies are more susceptible to this than other chickens.


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## Chickie-babe (Feb 23, 2014)

Now that my chick is better, although she has kind of loopy neck, will this happen again? Does feeding her fermented food help?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

No, clue. If you are feeding fresh feed it should be enough. If the peep has more or less growing pains you may find yourself having to up the nutrition until it reaches maturity. 

In a nutshell, there's no way of knowing for certain what it will do from here.

BTW, are you feeding medicated feed? If you are can you switch to non medicated? I haven't used it in years but did keep Sulmet around just in case.


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## Chickie-babe (Feb 23, 2014)

I'm feeding medicated feed. I've also made fermented feed but not with the medicated stuff. I'm still giving her vitamins which neither one of us enjoys right now. She's eating well and trills. 


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Just mix the vitamin drop in to a tsp of the food and offer that to the peep. It won't be noticed as much and will make the whole feeding process easier for both of you.

I'm just not sure how I feel about the medicated feed. Before I quit using it I saw repeated complaints about chicks with cocci which tells me that amount in the feed is to low to really protect. So why use a vitamin blocker if its not going to be effective?


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## Chickie-babe (Feb 23, 2014)

I've put the Silkie on unmedicated food as well as fermented food. Her neck is still kind of crazy. Should I keep her on vitamins until it straightens completely?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Does it look kinked? They do recommend massaging to help relieve the muscle tightness. You run your thumbs gently down the neck. If there is resistance or a cry then you know its very sore and need to lighten up a bit. 

You might want to add vitamin E with selenium to the wet food. Silkies do seem to respond to that when other things are not quite enough. You can get the E with selenium in any pharmacy aisle.


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## Chickie-babe (Feb 23, 2014)

Thank you. Her neck isn't too bad. I'll keep up the vitamins and unmedicated food as well as fermented feed. If her neck isn't straighter in a week, I'll try the vitamin E. How's that sound?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

You're the one there seeing how peep is doing. You've shown concern that it is treated correctly, I have no doubt you will do what you think is best.


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## Chickie-babe (Feb 23, 2014)

Thank you again for your help. 


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## Chickie-babe (Feb 23, 2014)

My silkie is doing great. I'm still giving her vitamins and she's on unmedicated chick starter. She's in desperate need of a bath. Are there soaps, shampoos, or products I should stay clear of?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I wouldn't worry about bathing right now. It could stress it and cause a rebound with the neck issue. 

You can wipe the face and neck with a wet cloth. Don't count on much coming off doing that. But it will wear off in a pretty short period of time if you do nothing at all.


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## Chickie-babe (Feb 23, 2014)

Ok. Dirty she will stay. 


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