MasterofNone
Songster
Hi, a few weeks back I posted about a predator attack on my chickens.
Well, poor Lucky - 1 yr old B.O. - is still healing from her leg injury, but she refuses to get up unless you literally pick her up and plunk her on her good foot. She still has trouble with the other leg and favors it big time, but the visible injuries are healing well and functionally, there seems to be nothing wrong with the leg. She just doesn't want to put weight on it. Understandably.
What I am worrying about though, is that as with many injuries, if you don't use it, you lose it. As in, if she is never stretching those tendons and using those muscles then she risks stiffening and atrophy long term.
The other big concern is that she has an xl dog crate to herself but she doesn't want to get up even to get food and water. She isn't preening much either. For real, I think she is depressed and lonely. But of course, she could never keep up with the flock right now and is not high in the pecking order as it is, so we don't dare reintroduce her to the flock yet.
Anyway, today is a beautiful sunny day, so I placed her in an outdoor isolation pen on the grass and tossed her feed all over the ground. I wanted to see if I could get her scratching a little, maybe make her day a bit more exciting. Plus she can see her flock now but still be protected from them.
As of last check, she is standing and preening and earlier she was pecking around. So right now it seems to be working. But is there something else we should be doing?
Her wound treatment remains vetericyn 3x/day and electrolytes/probio in her water, plus repost booster in feed. Now I am more concerned about her mental/emotional health than physical. She hasn't laid any eggs, which is fine, but tells me she is stressed. Her compatriot, Betty (11mo austalorp) who was injured much worse, is already back with the flock and doing phenomenal. Just worried about sweet little Lucky.
Well, poor Lucky - 1 yr old B.O. - is still healing from her leg injury, but she refuses to get up unless you literally pick her up and plunk her on her good foot. She still has trouble with the other leg and favors it big time, but the visible injuries are healing well and functionally, there seems to be nothing wrong with the leg. She just doesn't want to put weight on it. Understandably.
What I am worrying about though, is that as with many injuries, if you don't use it, you lose it. As in, if she is never stretching those tendons and using those muscles then she risks stiffening and atrophy long term.
The other big concern is that she has an xl dog crate to herself but she doesn't want to get up even to get food and water. She isn't preening much either. For real, I think she is depressed and lonely. But of course, she could never keep up with the flock right now and is not high in the pecking order as it is, so we don't dare reintroduce her to the flock yet.
Anyway, today is a beautiful sunny day, so I placed her in an outdoor isolation pen on the grass and tossed her feed all over the ground. I wanted to see if I could get her scratching a little, maybe make her day a bit more exciting. Plus she can see her flock now but still be protected from them.
As of last check, she is standing and preening and earlier she was pecking around. So right now it seems to be working. But is there something else we should be doing?
Her wound treatment remains vetericyn 3x/day and electrolytes/probio in her water, plus repost booster in feed. Now I am more concerned about her mental/emotional health than physical. She hasn't laid any eggs, which is fine, but tells me she is stressed. Her compatriot, Betty (11mo austalorp) who was injured much worse, is already back with the flock and doing phenomenal. Just worried about sweet little Lucky.
