04/30/2025
Great information
We see wry neck come up a lot in the silkie groups. Symptoms can be alarming to a keeper, and there is a lot of misinformation about it out there, so let's talk about it.
▪︎ TORTICOLLIS - SILKIES ▪︎
(wry neck)
Other names: wry neck, star gazing, crook neck, twisted neck, crooked neck.
~ What it is ~
Wry neck is a condition in which the neck muscles contract, causing the head to twist at an awkward and unnatural angle.
~ Symptoms ~
Symptoms include one or more of the following:
● abnormal head bobbing
● head oscillation (back and forth, typewriter/fan movement)
● head bent forward and downward between front feet, sometimes accompanied by stumbling
● head twisted under or to the side
● head twisted awkwardly across the back
● bobbling, doggie on a dashboard head movement
● flipping onto back, looking skyward (most often seen in chicks)
● walking/stumbling backward, twisting head back and forth
~ Causes ~
In poultry, the two causes of wry neck are head injury and vitamin deficiency.
● Head injury due to a fall, impact trauma such as a falling object or strong peck to the head by another bird, animal attack, etc. Head trauma induced wry neck is seen far more frequently in silkies with vaulted skulls due to the fragile and porous nature of the vaulted skull.
● Vitamin deficiency caused wry neck is due to a deficit in two specific vitamins, vitamin B1 (thiamine) and vitamin E. Not just one or the other, but both. The deficiencies can be the result of an inadequate or improper diet, parasites such as mites, lice, or worms, inherited deficiencies from parent birds, or prolonged use of Amprolium (the most common medication added into medicated feed in the USA and ingredient in the coccidiostat, Corid.) Inherited deficiencies are those that present in chicks 6 weeks old or less. In adult birds with an inadequate diet, deficiencies begin to show after 3 weeks of consistently being deficient.
~ What to do ~
Investigate. It is incredibly important to examine your bird, its diet, and living conditions/companions to narrow down the cause and determine how to treat moving forward. Separate the affected bird into a safe area for safety, better supervision, and easy access for treatment. A pet crate or a plastic tote without a lid makes a great place to use for a temporary triage space. Look for evidence of head injury, examine undet the feathers at the skin for parasites such as lice, mites, and check the droppings for worms. Also be sure to evaluate the vitamin and protein content of the feed as well to make sure it is appropriate for the breed.
~ Treatment ~
Head trauma caused:
- ALL AGES
● Supplement with vitamin B12. B12 helps with repairs in the body by stimulating the neurological tissues needed for restoring muscles, especially after nerves are damaged by injury. Rooster Booster makes a liquid vitamin B12 supplement specifically for chickens. The dose for silkies during wry neck treatment is 1-2cc (ml) daily.
● Supplement with Poultry Cell in the drinking water. Poultry Cell not only contains thiamin and vitamin E, it contains selenium which helps reduce inflammation, zinc which helps with tissue repair, vitamin A which stimulates and increases the rate of cell turnover, vitamin D which helps mitigate inflammation, and the vitamin E also supports connective tissue.
● Offer extra protein via boiled or scrambled eggs. Protein is crucial in the repairing of muscles and tissues.
The best way to prevent wry neck is to feed a breed appropriate diet, regularly check for parasites, and avoid situations that could cause head injury to your birds, including securing fall hazards and housing silkies with peaceful and easy-going flock mates.
Vitamin deficiency caused:
- ADULT Silkies:
● Administer vitamin E/selenium goat paste. The goat paste should be given a pea-sized amount, straight into the beak, 2 x a day for 1 week, then 1x per day for 2 more weeks.
● Poultry Cell in the water. The Poultry Cell should be mixed into her drinking water as directed on the bottle (2 Tablespoons per gallon of water), made fresh every day, for 3 weeks.
● 1/2 cc (ml) Poultry Cell vitamins undiluted, straight into the beak, 1x per day, for 3 weeks.
- Silkie CHICKS:
● Mix the Poultry Cell mixed as directed on the bottle for 1 week, with 1/2 teaspoon vitamin E goat paste mixed in. Then, after the first week, cut the Poultry Cell dosage in half and stop adding the vitamin E selenium goat paste.
**** If your chicks have wry neck and are 6 weeks old or less, they have inherited the deficiencies from their parent birds, so the parents will need to be treated for deficiencies as well.
~ Further Care & Observation ~
At the 3 week treatment mark, reevaluate your bird for possible continuing signs of wry neck. If the cause of the deficiencies has been identified and taken care of, and symptoms have cleared, then you can stop giving both of the direct oral vitamins. Silkies are prone to vitamin deficiencies, so it's a very good idea to make Poultry Cell vitamins in the drinking water (or another adequate source of vitamins) a habit at least 2-3 times per week to help prevent nutritional gaps.
~ Prevention ~
The best way to prevent wry neck is to feed a silkie appropriate diet. Silkies require a diet with a higher protein level than most breeds, needing 20-24% protein to thrive and maintain a healthy weight. They are most prone to gaps in vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12, D and E when fed an improper diet, so be sure their diet covers those as well. Regularly check for parasites and avoid situations that could cause head injury to your birds, including securing fall hazards and housing silkies with peaceful and easy-going flock mates.
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