Turkey Walking Like A Drunk???? *Update*

[Turkey Mamma]

Thanks for posting the pics of the saddles! They are great Well, I have an update on Lucky Although she has shown some improvement over the last few days, it was minimal. I had just been speaking with my husband about putting her down because after a week and a half I’m not seeing enough of an improvement to justify keeping her like this. Then, today when she was sitting on the floor waiting for me finish making her bed, she stood up and climbed up onto her bed! I wasn’t finished making the bed so I put her back on the floor and she did it again! My husband suggested we try letting her stand again. I figured she was tired from already practicing (my husband has started calling it “turkey therapy” lol) but what the heck, we tried anyway. It didn’t work but after I let her sit down alone and moved away or a second she stood up and turned completely around on her own two feet! Astonished I thought, maybe she just wants to do it by herself. I got some grapes (her favorite) and used them as incentives to get her to move…well she did! She only took a step or two at a time but that is the biggest improvement I have seen since I brought her in!!!! It has been a SLLLLOOOOWWW process but I am really starting to believe that she will pull through this! Thanks again for the posts and I promise to keep you updated Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are staying warm up there!

 

[Stewarts]

That is FANTASTIC News. Yes, by all means, keep my up-to-date. It would be so terribly sad to hear that you had to do the 'other' thing. She's trying hard on her own, maybe just let her do it at her own speed but I think the 'turkey therapy' helped her a great deal.

I just made saddles for my rescue turkey hen because she went out into the coop today after a month and a half in the house. She is doing so much better. I will post pictures tomorrow.

 

[Turkey Mamma]

Where's the pictures? I'd really like to see the saddle How is she doing now? I hope the transition went well! Also, you were right...we stuck with it and now....Lucky is going back out to her coop tomorrow!!!!! She is VERY mobile and almost back to her old self! She's lost a lot of feathers on her belly from laying around so long but I'm going to try the saddle thing in reverse for her too. I'm sorry I haven't been on but I've been getting ready for school and of course the holidays were crazy. I just logged on tonight because I had to share more great news....Lucky laid her first egg today! It was so exciting to be there with her when she did it!!! Anyway, couldn't wait to share that with ya...lol Hope all is well in your neck of the world. Write back about the rescue turkey and I can't wait to see the pics too

 

[Stewarts]

That is the BEST NEWS E-V-E-R! I am so happy for you and Lucky ~ she really is Lucky! Watching that egg come is a special moment.

I have good news too. Ms Rescue Hen had her saddle removed a couple of days ago because she didn't need it anymore. She preened and preened!! She's gotten all the feathers on her back in and feathers almost all the way up her neck; she looks like a turkey hen again. She's put on some weight too ~ she has one heck of an appetite. She's getting along well in the coop, although my hens are still chasing her and she keeps running from them instead of giving them the peck they deserve.

Pictures!

She's on top of the water container, you can just see the saddle around her wing.

Amber is in front and she's at the back. You can see the saddle.

A better pic of her wearing her saddle, her wings cover her back so much its hard to see the saddle from the top

Here you can just see a little of the saddle on her back.

I took the saddles off both Henny, whose having a drink and the hen

The Saddles

Fluffing out... with her eyes closed

and preening...

preening...

preening some more.

 

[Turkey Mamma]

HA! I love it! She looks so regal in that first picture with her neck up You have very pretty birds. I am so glad they are all doing so well now. How cold has it been? It's warmed up a LOT this last week and today I think it was upper 50s! We spent all afternoon outside cleaning up brush and letting Lucky nose around the yard. She still only takes 8-10 steps at a time before a rest but she is walking and stands a lot as she pleases. We did move her out to the coop today but I really wanted her to rest after such an eventful day and I made her a nice hay nest and barricaded her in with hay bales to keep her from running off too far...lol I'll let her out of "jail" in the morning to get some more exercise and it's supposed to be in the 50's all week so it's the perfect weather right now. I sure hope she doesn't feel left out after all the attention she's been getting! I'll post a pic of the egg and of her tomorrow so that you can see them

Stay warm!

 

[Turkey Mamma]

Okay, so I FINALLY got around to taking some pictures...lol
Here she is "visiting" her friendly neighbor chickens...she doesn't look super happy about this....lol

Side view (her left leg is still a bit stiff but she's still getting around well and she laid another egg yesterday). You know, it's pretty sad when my turkey is putting my hens to shame!

There she is again with some of the chickens

Since I was taking pictures, I had to include a close up of Ben (as in "Eggs" Benedict") He's so pretty

Remember that hen I told you had suffered from being a "favorite" - well this is "Hennie". She has got almost all of her feathers back now and her tail feathers are finally getting long again.

This is another one of my favorites. She doesn't have a name but I think she looks like smoke because of her color. I don't know the breed type because we ordered her in a mix.

Okay, so here are Lucky's two eggs! Pardon the Dora the Explorer yogurt in the background...lol

Egg number 1 that I witnessed!

Egg number two was found by my son yesterday when he went out to feed and water everyone.

Anyway, I told you I'd post some pics too. Got to go finish the laundry (yay me) but wanted to do this before I forget