The boys guarding the perimeter.
About six months ago I obtained 3 Silkie roosters. Granted, when I got them I thought 2 were hens. But being close siblings and egregiously outnumbered by much larger chooks, they act as a single unit. So I kept them. The cuteness factor was very persuasive. After some time I realized the boys were singling out my two smallest hens and the three of them were doing things a human counterpart would be arrested and jailed for. So, recognizing the need for smaller hens just for the boys, I did some research to find options for appropriate companions. Timing and availability gave me 2 Chocolate Bantam Cochins & 2 Easter Egger Bantam Cochin hybrids. All 4 are the cutest things ever.
As I was making my selections, Melinda @ SeaBreeze Hens and I discussed the multiple sick and injured chooks I had acquired and saved from a most definite death. When I inquired about the Chocolate Cochins, she became very excited. Her exact words were 'You're the one!'. Now keep in mind, being on the receiving end of that statement does tend to make one a bit apprehensive. Melinda went on to tell me she had 2 Chocolate Bantam Cochins, they were sisters, they were bonded and had to go together. Ok, I wanted them to start with, so why was I 'The One'?
Now named Thelma and Louise, Melinda informed me that one was disabled. Louise's left leg, hidden under a mountain of feathers was not setting down properly and had grown to cause her foot to swing out, backwards & upside down. She pretty much stayed in one place or went in circles. Thelma clearly attended her sisters needs. I was sold. Unbeknownst to Melinda, my youngest daughter was born with Cerebral Palsey and her disability was almost exactly the same. When Melinda told me Louise would be going home with me at no charge, I too felt the weight of fate stepping in. My daughter spent a great many hours, days even @ The Shriners Hospital in Houston, receiving multiple treatments & therapies. I was there for every single one. I knew what must be done. And so began my foray into Poultry Orthopedics.
My first thought was a simple brace, but the deformity and Louise's will to dispense with it proved it a short term solution. She killed the brace in less than 24 hours.
Back at the drawing board I settled on serial casting. This takes months, can be somewhat painful and has to be closely monitored. If a lesion develops or the cast is too tight, it would need to be removed to prevent the loss of the limb. From my plethora of craft materials I selected a thin light foam and a plaster cast roll. I only cast the ankle first as I could tell the tendons in the leg were too tight and they would need to to be loosened before I could cast the entire leg.
Louise did well. After a month, I removed the plaster cast. Her ankle was capable of bending the way I wanted it to bend. The tendons remained too tight further up and to my dismay, I discovered it not only involved the knee, but the hip joint as well. To further my frustration, she would not allow me to recast with the plaster. Her continued struggling caused the plaster to crumble before it dried, making it a useless endeavor and I had to clip her beautiful feathers to remove the plaster casting.
Back at the drawing board I was at a loss & decided to take a step back from the issue. As Agent K would say, I needed some pie.
Two days later a terrier crossed my path at PetSmart and I flashed back to a dog my mother owned. He had once broken his leg. My mom took him to a local vet who knowing she was on a limited income, fashioned a cast from a wire coat hanger and cloth tape so my mother could remove it in 6 weeks. It seemed like the perfect solution. I mulled over a design in my head, purchased a roll of pet wrap (self adhering elastic bandage) and headed home to find a wire hanger.
My first attempt flopped and I had to remove it due to her foot changing colors after 2 hours. A bit of a redesign and a different take on support found success. Her new cast consisted of a wire hanger bent to the normal relaxed standing position on both sides, with a wrapped support going between her back toe and the front 3. It traveled both sides up her leg, to her knee where a flattened spiral holds it at the proper angle on both sides. The inside spiral being 40% (+/-) smaller to accommodate the overly tightened tendon and smaller area. I didn't want it jammed into the soft tissue under the hip joint.
It took 2 people. For a bird that weights about a pound, she puts up one hell of a fight.
Louise is currently tap, tap, tapping about the house and yard. It has taken a week for her to start putting weight on the cast, but I can clearly see her making tiny progressions every day. Much like the tedious and painful castings my daughter endured. This is going to work. It takes a lot of thought, work and a happenstance of watching hours of castings and moldings with my youngest child, but here I am. Truthfully, my need for instant gratification is at odds with the knowledge it takes time and internally, it's killing me.
Louise in the yard with her cast.
So this gotten me thinking, why isn't there more written on orthopedics and chooks? I mean, I've seen stories of splay leg, broken legs, amputations & wheel chairs, but no real treatment or therapy. If our chickens are as important to us as we claim, shouldn't we be making sure they have the best quality of life as possible?
I know of a rooster with a leg twisted 180 degrees. I'm thinking I should take a stab at it. How much are X-rays?
Thelma finally has time to herself. She started laying.
About six months ago I obtained 3 Silkie roosters. Granted, when I got them I thought 2 were hens. But being close siblings and egregiously outnumbered by much larger chooks, they act as a single unit. So I kept them. The cuteness factor was very persuasive. After some time I realized the boys were singling out my two smallest hens and the three of them were doing things a human counterpart would be arrested and jailed for. So, recognizing the need for smaller hens just for the boys, I did some research to find options for appropriate companions. Timing and availability gave me 2 Chocolate Bantam Cochins & 2 Easter Egger Bantam Cochin hybrids. All 4 are the cutest things ever.
As I was making my selections, Melinda @ SeaBreeze Hens and I discussed the multiple sick and injured chooks I had acquired and saved from a most definite death. When I inquired about the Chocolate Cochins, she became very excited. Her exact words were 'You're the one!'. Now keep in mind, being on the receiving end of that statement does tend to make one a bit apprehensive. Melinda went on to tell me she had 2 Chocolate Bantam Cochins, they were sisters, they were bonded and had to go together. Ok, I wanted them to start with, so why was I 'The One'?
Now named Thelma and Louise, Melinda informed me that one was disabled. Louise's left leg, hidden under a mountain of feathers was not setting down properly and had grown to cause her foot to swing out, backwards & upside down. She pretty much stayed in one place or went in circles. Thelma clearly attended her sisters needs. I was sold. Unbeknownst to Melinda, my youngest daughter was born with Cerebral Palsey and her disability was almost exactly the same. When Melinda told me Louise would be going home with me at no charge, I too felt the weight of fate stepping in. My daughter spent a great many hours, days even @ The Shriners Hospital in Houston, receiving multiple treatments & therapies. I was there for every single one. I knew what must be done. And so began my foray into Poultry Orthopedics.
My first thought was a simple brace, but the deformity and Louise's will to dispense with it proved it a short term solution. She killed the brace in less than 24 hours.
Back at the drawing board I settled on serial casting. This takes months, can be somewhat painful and has to be closely monitored. If a lesion develops or the cast is too tight, it would need to be removed to prevent the loss of the limb. From my plethora of craft materials I selected a thin light foam and a plaster cast roll. I only cast the ankle first as I could tell the tendons in the leg were too tight and they would need to to be loosened before I could cast the entire leg.
Louise did well. After a month, I removed the plaster cast. Her ankle was capable of bending the way I wanted it to bend. The tendons remained too tight further up and to my dismay, I discovered it not only involved the knee, but the hip joint as well. To further my frustration, she would not allow me to recast with the plaster. Her continued struggling caused the plaster to crumble before it dried, making it a useless endeavor and I had to clip her beautiful feathers to remove the plaster casting.
Back at the drawing board I was at a loss & decided to take a step back from the issue. As Agent K would say, I needed some pie.
Two days later a terrier crossed my path at PetSmart and I flashed back to a dog my mother owned. He had once broken his leg. My mom took him to a local vet who knowing she was on a limited income, fashioned a cast from a wire coat hanger and cloth tape so my mother could remove it in 6 weeks. It seemed like the perfect solution. I mulled over a design in my head, purchased a roll of pet wrap (self adhering elastic bandage) and headed home to find a wire hanger.
My first attempt flopped and I had to remove it due to her foot changing colors after 2 hours. A bit of a redesign and a different take on support found success. Her new cast consisted of a wire hanger bent to the normal relaxed standing position on both sides, with a wrapped support going between her back toe and the front 3. It traveled both sides up her leg, to her knee where a flattened spiral holds it at the proper angle on both sides. The inside spiral being 40% (+/-) smaller to accommodate the overly tightened tendon and smaller area. I didn't want it jammed into the soft tissue under the hip joint.
It took 2 people. For a bird that weights about a pound, she puts up one hell of a fight.
Louise is currently tap, tap, tapping about the house and yard. It has taken a week for her to start putting weight on the cast, but I can clearly see her making tiny progressions every day. Much like the tedious and painful castings my daughter endured. This is going to work. It takes a lot of thought, work and a happenstance of watching hours of castings and moldings with my youngest child, but here I am. Truthfully, my need for instant gratification is at odds with the knowledge it takes time and internally, it's killing me.
Louise in the yard with her cast.
So this gotten me thinking, why isn't there more written on orthopedics and chooks? I mean, I've seen stories of splay leg, broken legs, amputations & wheel chairs, but no real treatment or therapy. If our chickens are as important to us as we claim, shouldn't we be making sure they have the best quality of life as possible?
I know of a rooster with a leg twisted 180 degrees. I'm thinking I should take a stab at it. How much are X-rays?
Thelma finally has time to herself. She started laying.
