Chickadee_Chick
In the Brooder
- May 3, 2024
- 4
- 29
- 31
I have been lurking here for the past week trying to help out one of the chicks hatched in the elementary science classroom at my preK-12 school. Thank you to everyone who has posted about sprattle leg and hobbling with VetWrap! The dude (or dudette) is now walking just fine and can do one-legged stretches from both legs. Considering we started out barely able to walk and with a bleeding toe from flockmates, I am thrilled!!
I am new to chickens but old to birds... I have my PhD in ornithology with a focus on songbird behavior (look at my username and take a guess at the species
). I also used to work with sandhill and whooping cranes, which are at least also precocial, so closer to chickens, but most of my experiece is with atricial birds (birds that are helpless/look like pink pencil erasers when they hatch and need to be fed by parents... no fluffing up and walking away for these nubbins).
Anyway, the little squeaker I helped with sprattle leg spent a day and a half at home with me its first weekend (late on day 2 post-hatch through early day 4) because all my vet-type supplies were at home. Then a couple days after returning it to his flock of chicks (all of whom are significantly bigger) it took about another day before it was getting picked on and pushed out from getting food and water. So, its back and living with me solo in my classroom. I have always wanted chickens so...
I am going to post to the breed/sex ID thread after this. Below is the squeaker hobbled at about day 3. Yes, those are mini Play-doh containers as food/water dishes... sometimes you have to improvise and sometimes it is with your 6-year-old's toys.
I am new to chickens but old to birds... I have my PhD in ornithology with a focus on songbird behavior (look at my username and take a guess at the species
). I also used to work with sandhill and whooping cranes, which are at least also precocial, so closer to chickens, but most of my experiece is with atricial birds (birds that are helpless/look like pink pencil erasers when they hatch and need to be fed by parents... no fluffing up and walking away for these nubbins).Anyway, the little squeaker I helped with sprattle leg spent a day and a half at home with me its first weekend (late on day 2 post-hatch through early day 4) because all my vet-type supplies were at home. Then a couple days after returning it to his flock of chicks (all of whom are significantly bigger) it took about another day before it was getting picked on and pushed out from getting food and water. So, its back and living with me solo in my classroom. I have always wanted chickens so...
I am going to post to the breed/sex ID thread after this. Below is the squeaker hobbled at about day 3. Yes, those are mini Play-doh containers as food/water dishes... sometimes you have to improvise and sometimes it is with your 6-year-old's toys.
