Easter Chicks
Chirping
- Jul 17, 2015
- 87
- 3
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So, I already started a thread for this issue but it was partnered with another one and it's been a little bit so I am going to start over.
My rooster Thelma (yes, that is his name. The other one is Louise, haha) injured his leg somehow during Christmas break which was almost a month ago. He's a Brahma, so very large and very lazy. He was always lying down.
But then one day, we found that he could not stand at all. If he tried, he stumbled and collapsed.
We examined his legs thoroughly to see if there were any swelling or breaks but we could not find any. To be honest, it's difficult to tell which leg is injured. He is eating and drinking and everything and other than the fact that he can't walk, is totally fine.
We've been giving him a quarter of an aspirin twice a day and he doesn't seem to be in pain (although with chickens, you can never tell.) We put him in a dog crate inside the coop so that Louise can go out in the run but they can still see each other at night. I am worried because it is the middle of winter and although Louise has a water heater outside, Thelma relies on water bottles that we used for the chicks. The water freezes and I can't leave pots of water out or he tips them everywhere and soaks himself (plus, moisture.) He drinks a lot in the morning and afternoon but it really isn't fair to keep him without water like that. We leave out the bottles and hope he drinks from them during the day before they freeze. Any ideas?
I have read that sprains can take a couple weeks to heal but it's been twice this amount of time. He mostly lies down although occasionally tries to stand and stumbles around a lot, knocking himself against the cage and probably hurting himself further. If this is normal and he will heal then it is worth it. But if it's just being cruel, then...
I am hoping that we can at least wait until spring when we are getting more chicks so that Louise won't be alone because they are the sole survivors of a fox attack and you can't really keep just one chicken.
But I am pretty sure that Thelma's been improving. Albeit very slightly and it's hard to say. He stands sort of hunched over and can do this for a bit before he stumbles and lies down. If it would be helpful, I can take pictures and videos. Mstly I am just wondering if this length of time is normal for a leg injury.
*Also, side notes: He has so many feathers on his legs that is is nearly impossible to see anything. Also, his foot curls and appears to be fine so I am almost certain that it is somewhere along the leg.
My rooster Thelma (yes, that is his name. The other one is Louise, haha) injured his leg somehow during Christmas break which was almost a month ago. He's a Brahma, so very large and very lazy. He was always lying down.
But then one day, we found that he could not stand at all. If he tried, he stumbled and collapsed.
We examined his legs thoroughly to see if there were any swelling or breaks but we could not find any. To be honest, it's difficult to tell which leg is injured. He is eating and drinking and everything and other than the fact that he can't walk, is totally fine.
We've been giving him a quarter of an aspirin twice a day and he doesn't seem to be in pain (although with chickens, you can never tell.) We put him in a dog crate inside the coop so that Louise can go out in the run but they can still see each other at night. I am worried because it is the middle of winter and although Louise has a water heater outside, Thelma relies on water bottles that we used for the chicks. The water freezes and I can't leave pots of water out or he tips them everywhere and soaks himself (plus, moisture.) He drinks a lot in the morning and afternoon but it really isn't fair to keep him without water like that. We leave out the bottles and hope he drinks from them during the day before they freeze. Any ideas?
I have read that sprains can take a couple weeks to heal but it's been twice this amount of time. He mostly lies down although occasionally tries to stand and stumbles around a lot, knocking himself against the cage and probably hurting himself further. If this is normal and he will heal then it is worth it. But if it's just being cruel, then...
I am hoping that we can at least wait until spring when we are getting more chicks so that Louise won't be alone because they are the sole survivors of a fox attack and you can't really keep just one chicken.
But I am pretty sure that Thelma's been improving. Albeit very slightly and it's hard to say. He stands sort of hunched over and can do this for a bit before he stumbles and lies down. If it would be helpful, I can take pictures and videos. Mstly I am just wondering if this length of time is normal for a leg injury.
*Also, side notes: He has so many feathers on his legs that is is nearly impossible to see anything. Also, his foot curls and appears to be fine so I am almost certain that it is somewhere along the leg.
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