Dear Poultry Farmer,
For any Poultry farmer, the health of your birds should be at the top of your priority list. Without a healthy flock, egg production lowers, sickness can spread, and in the end, you may lose chickens (and profit).
There are certain diseases, like Wry Neck, that can be very alarming for most Rural Poultry Farmers or First-Time Poultry farmers.
Wry Neck— sometimes called “Crook Neck,” “Twisted Neck,” or “Stargazing”—is a condition that typically affects newborn chicks, and sometimes even full-grown chickens.
If you notice that your bird has difficulty standing, that its Neck Twists, or it looks like it’s permanently looking upwards, they’ve likely developed Wry Neck.
Typically, this condition is caused by a Genetic Disorder, a Vitamin Deficiency, Marek’s Disease, a Head Injury, or from Ingesting Toxins. Regardless of how your bird developed wry neck, it’s likely that the affected chick won’t be able to hold its head up on their own.
Yes, your chicken can live with wry neck. understand that seeing one or more of your birds with neck twists can be difficult. It’s stressful not only for the bird, but likely for you as well to see your birds in such distress. The good news is that it’s a curable symptom given Time and Patience.
The main reason why chickens die after they develop Wry Neck is because they are unable to Eat or Drink properly. In addition, they also may not be able to move well and get Trampled or Pecked by other chickens.
In order to properly treat Wry Neck, you first need to separate more like isolate the affected bird from the rest of the flock. This condition isn’t contagious, but as I mentioned earlier, other birds may Trample or Peck a disabled chick.
You’ll need to up the bird’s Vitamin intake, specifically Vitamin E and Selenium (to help all the vitamins absorb more effectively). There are various vitamin supplements available that contain both, but I also recommend increasing the vitamin E intake for your entire flock. You can use a vitamin supplement in pill form, but I prefer natural sources of vitamin E such as Spinach, Asparagus, Broccoli, Dandelion Greens, etc.
During this healing time for your chicken, you’ll also likely need to help the bird eat and drink since its neck twist will make movement difficult.
Unfortunately, Wry Neck does not go away quickly. It takes Time, Patience, and a Gentle hand to help your chicken through this difficult and stressful time.
Over the following few days, your bird’s symptoms may fluctuate a lot and sometimes get worse before they get better. Keep giving your chicken vitamins and be patient.
By now you understand that Wry Neck is caused mostly from a deficiency in Vitamins or Marek’s Disease, so it’s important that your birds are constantly fed a proper, Nutritious Diet.
If you are seeing crook necks in your chicks, it’s likely that your Parent Chickens are not receiving enough Vitamin E.
