Whoa! Just read through all the posts. Amazing!!! Fred's a lucky roo!
We have 2 bigger dogs and 4 indoor/outdoor cats.. Everybody has accepted that Fred is a pet and completely off limits! He actually scares my older dog.. He crows and she either runs in the bedroom or out the dog door. It's rather comical! My younger dog loves Fred.. Lets him cuddle with her and everything! My youngest cat use to stare at him like he was lunch but that has passed. He's actually lived in the house longer than her so he's got seniority. We bring him outside to hang out and he's fine. At first I would only bring him out if I was right there, a few feet from him, but we've gotten more relaxed. As long as I'm somewhere in the yard keeping half an eye on him, he's fine. He's still living in the house, in a cage in my living room, but I'm going to try to move him out to the barn soon. I was thinking to make him a cage and put it in the chicken coop. We'll see how that goes. I'm not in a hurry but my boyfriend and our son are starting to get annoyed when he crows when they're watching tv. He also crows when I get home from work around 3-4am but luckily he's not loud enough to actually wake anyone up, even if they're crashed out on the couch 15' from his cage. Remember, he's a little guy so he's got a pretty little voiceOMG I love Fred! His story has done a lot to restore my faith in humanity - I wish there were more people like you! I'm in the midst of trying to figure out how I can save my one-month-old chick. She had what I thought were just curled toes, but her right leg is rotated out of the socket - no use to her at all. One of the other chicks has splints on his feet, but the vet recommended that I euthanize my little one. I brought her home to spoil her for a few days. I want to see if the vet is willing to splint her left foot and see if she gets use out of it - right now, with her curled toes, she doesn't get much traction. But if we can straighten out those toes, that would give her better movement. I just don't want to give up on her, as we've already tried so much and she's been through a lot. I don't even know if she's a he or a she yet! If she ends up being a cockerel, and we can save her, there is no way I'm giving her up, even though I'm not allowed to keep roosters where I live. How do you keep a rooster in the house??!! I've got cats and bid dogs, so I don't know if that would work here!
I'm sorry to hear about your chicken. I had a pullet last year who had a similar problem (from the sounds of it). I ultimately euthanized her because the other chickens began trampling her because she couldn't move out of the way. At that time, I didn't think about separating her. I hate to sound cold but I wasn't attached to her and the way I saw it, she couldn't be happy because she couldn't move at all. I suppose you could save your little guy if you're willing to put in the work that comes along with a disabled chicken. Thing is though, you really have to consider quality of life also. If your chicken ends up not being able to move on its own, are you willing to take it out everyday and spend time with it? I know that doesn't sound like much but it is very time consuming. I'm lucky, Fred can get around. He's not immobile and he's still a lot of work. I know it's emotional. I second guessed myself a lot while Fred was recovering. Everyone told me to put him down but I didn't lose hope. I changed his bandages daily and gave him his NSAIDs and antibiotics until he finally healed. It was a long road but worth it in the end. Since he only requires normal care now plus extra attention, it doesn't seem like much after all of the doctoring. Just a thought.. How is your chicken's other leg? Maybe amputating the bad leg would be an option. I would think a one legged chicken would get around better than a chicken with an entire leg getting in their way. As I've learned first hand from Fred, chickens are very accepting and adaptable. They seem to have a very "it is what it is" type of attitude. At one month old, I'm not sure how well splinting the bad leg will work. Usually the earlier that is treated, the better. Also, with the leg being twisted so far up and out if the socket, I don't know that splint will help. I tried to splint my pullet last year to no avail. I work at an emergency animal hospital so I discussed her case with multiple vets.. The conclusion I came to was that it was either a genetic defect or a deficiency early on in her life. Because of her issue (and that of one of her sisters I also euthanized) I will no longer buy chicks from Tractor Supply. Not that they're all bad.. I had a third one who grew up and was fine, I just don't want to deal with the emotional pain that comes along with it. It's better to buy chicks from a local farm, IMO. They're less likely to have big issues. Ultimately, you have to do what will allow you to feel good about your decision. It's not about anyone else and what they would do, it's about you doing what is right for you. Just try to be objective and make the best decision you can for you and your chicken Good luck! Let me know how it goes!
This is a great idea! I’m currently trying to decide what to do for prosthetic feet for our rooster and this gives me some ideas
