Polish Breeders Club

WCB polish, 8 wks old, pretty sure a lil' roo found in coop w/about 35 others of same age w/ what I'm assuming is crookneck.  We've not experienced this issue before but it's as close to anything I could find via internet searching.  Yesterday morning all seemed fine w/the whole crew.  Last night around 10pm did the tuck-in check and saw the fella w/ head turned & down, no control over it.  Immediately separated him from the group. 

While I found all sorts of remedies online, unfortunately I simply do not have time or funds to cater to one bird that is not of show or breeding quality.  Perhaps if it'd been a pullet for eggs but otherwise it simply didn't seem cost effective so took him to the vet, had him put down.  The vet isn't a "chicken guy" (though very nice and also curious about this condition) so sent him off to university for autoposy.  A sad day on the ranch for sure as these birds are my daughters pride & joy.

So is this condition typically nutritional or genetic or accidental cause?  I seem to be getting all those as potential causes.  The nutritional cause does not seem to be likely--these birds eat better than we do!!  Coops are cleaned & even w/all the rains lately they've not been exposed to excessive moisture/moldy conditions.  Accidental bump to the head--maybe but he was one of the larger of the bunch, & maybe he hit it missing the perch but that's a guess.  Which leaves me w/genetic--we've had some issues w/that on other things (crooked beak in particular, from hatchery mind you; we don't breed our own just yet.  Daughter wants to find the handsome roo to be w/the ribbon winning ladies first). 

Is it common w/polish?  Seems to be very much so w/Silkies per internet searches.  A crested bird issue primarily? 

Thanks and any info would be helpful.

Here is the best Article I have seen on it:

Cerebral Hernia By Peter Jones

Breeders of fowls the world over has reported a condition that seems peculiar to crested breeds, particularly birds with heavier crests than others. The onset of the condition is described as a wobble in the head which can increase in severity to the point where the head twists right around and that bird in some cases loses its balance and mobility altogether. This is commonly called 'cerebral hernia'. The Victorian Institute of Animal Science has conducted post mortems on breeds such a polish and silkies over the years and confirms the existence of a mutation connected with the gene for a dominant crest. A mutation is a genetic copying error or mistake that occurs when the DNA from the parent bird's meet and divide incorrectly in what is known as meiosis. The skull of a crested fowl is unique. Unlike other breeds, it is dome like in structure and in heavily crested chicks; there is a tendency for the skull to be underdeveloped. Like the fontanelles of a human baby, the skull of crested fowls has openings. These are supposed to fuse in the normal way and usually do. However, this does not always occur and the result is exposure of the cerebellum (brain). Subsequently, a bird's brain space remains venerable to the environment. Certain bloodlines seem more predisposed to this condition, whereas other are seldom affected. Unsurprisingly, it is rare in adult birds, as their skulls have had the time to grow and fuse over. It is more prevalent with young birds between 1 and 4 months of age.

Conditions observed and possible causal factors.

There are a variety of causal factors and distinct conditions each of which can display the symptoms described above.

Type one.

Cerebral trauma or brain damage can actually happen to any young bird of any breed. It involves direct impact (i.e. a peck on the head) resulting in brain damage. Crested breeds could fare worse in such a situation. The brain is forced by the pressure of the impact and can 'herniated', swell or ooze out through the cranium.

Type two

Cerebral oedema or swelling of the cerebellum is an internal reaction to the environment and can occur in at least two ways. Firstly, as a response to hot weather and change, an excess of fluid builds up as in the brain cavity, placing pressure on the centers of the brain, which govern mobility. The bird experiences vertigo (spinning sensation) and consequently loses its sense of balance. They are sometimes observed constantly backing up while in a crouched position and with their head shaking back & forth. If left untreated this can lead to permanent brain damage. On occasion birds may recover and live with a permanent, but slight head wobble, continuing to eat and live with certain normality. Secondly, same symptoms can occur with a respiratory condition. The immune system can respond to the invasion of bacteria or a virus by producing more fluid with similar results.

Treatment

A) Prevention is better than cure. By ensuring that your birds are vaccinated and well managed the breeder can keep disease challenge to a minimum and avoid the third scenario. Identifying bloodlines that have this propensity and breeding away will help avoid heartbreak. Controlling temperature in extremes of weather can prevent this condition to some degree and ensuring that no foreign objects pose a threat to the birds' welfare (i.e. checking perches, feeders etc are secure are all good preventative measures).

B) Cure - there is no guaranteed cure if you have a bird with the condition. However, a vet friend administered an intramuscularly injection of cortisone with positive results. In this case the drug reduced the inflammation/swelling and the bird recovered.

Other breeders have found that administering broad -based antibiotics have worked. The problem is that without a postmortem, you cant always isolates the cause. By then it is probably too late anyway. At the earliest detection of the condition I would use both cortisone and Baytril (antibiotic) to cover my bases. The longer a bird is left untreated, the harder it is to achieve recovery. Fortunately, the problem is not common. Edan Montgomery claimed that out of over 600 birds bred last year, about 5-6 developed the condition. Sadly, it is usually the heavily crested 'potential champs'.By hatching in large numbers, line breeding rather than close in breeding and practicing good management techniques, this condition is largely avoidable. Every breed has its hiccups. For crested breeds, this is one of them. On a positive note, the rewards of producing a champion far outweigh the occasional disappointment linked with this condition. It also goes to show the largely detrimental nature of mutations. They are rarely if ever an advantage!

I have dealt with this in Silkies (definitely family related) and in a standard BCW polish and in an Appenzeller Spitzhauben, both the latter cases were the result of injuries.  

The Silkies I culled completely and the other 2 we treated with mixed results.

I would not personally keep a bird in my breeding groups that had suffered this problem even if they recovered because I feel there is a predisposition to develop the condition  that will be passed on to future generations.

Thank you for the article.  VERY helpful and informative.  Seems we're constantly learning new things w/this breed.  My daughter was told by a judge at a recent show that if she could successfully raise polish she can raise anything!!

The rest of the group is still doing fine and dandy this morning so after this article I am leaning toward genetics more, though still looking forward to the autopsy results.

This particular bird (& 4 others) we picked up at the local Co-op, who got them from Ideal Poultry.  Not that we NEEDED them but just can't resist a polish chick.  We also got others from there a few weeks later that are showing signs of being SO not purebred or of any quality whatsoever; I went to Co-op & informed them of this just for their knowledge. 

Your welcome We are all learning things all the time.

The hatcheries serve a purpose in gettiing starter birds into peoples lives but if you or your kids are going to show its best to get something from a breeder that does show.

Kids get so attached to their birds that it makes it hard to cull because they become like the pet dog LOL

I have kept crossbreds my kids loved till they died of old age! Which is okay if you have lots of room......but a bit of a struggle on a small place.

I had an australorp that ended up with a crooked neck but I could tell something was wrong from the start because it looked like the crop was all off to one side. A friend of mine got australorps from the same person and had the same problem.