Show me... your special needs chick/chicken

Hi, i know quite a few folks on here have special needs chickens/chicks. I thought we could post pics and:
breed/ gender/age/ whats wrong with it / how did you get the chick/ and maybe housing the animal


this is my special needs chick "dumdum chicken" a partridge cochin banty
, sex is so far unknown any guesses?
it is 3 1/2 weeks old right now, it has a microcephalus and a hole in the skull whee the brain comes out ( the pink squishy thing)which is only covered by skin, i hatched this chick from eggs i bought off ebay
s/he is still in the brooder with the others but might be put in with my new chicks once they hatch, its just too tiny to put outside. I might end up buying or making a cage to keep it in the house( maybe i will go and buy a bunny cage from petsmart or so)

It doesn't look like anyone wanted to participate in this thread but I will How is your special needs chick doing?


This is Quincy, my special needs chick. She was one day old when I saw her at the feed store being picked at and pulled all over the cage by the other chicks. The girls told me she wouldn't last the night due to her spraddled leg so they gave her to me. I had only had chickens two weeks when I took her so I had no idea what to really expect other than I knew I loved her. It was touch and go that first night as I had to hand feed and water her and hold her through some spasms she was having. By the third day, she was getting around the brooder and eating and drinking on her own. Her little beak kisses on my nose told me how happy she was to be alive.

I splinted her leg for over a month but it never healed. She grew tired and very annoyed at having the bandages on so for the past month she has been learning to get around by hopping on her good leg and balancing with her wings. I am going to take her to my vet in Portland soon to see if having the leg amputated would be better for her in the long run.

She lives in our office in a large birdcage lined with grippy contact paper and soft towels for a bed. Yep, she's spoiled. Her favorite activity is ringing her numerous shiny parakeet bells. Her disco ball bell is a favorite, lol. She recently got to experience the outside for the first time and now chirps uncontrollably everytime there is a sunny day. She had so much fun eating bugs and dirt, feeling the wind and hearing all sorts of sounds she had never heard before. It was so rewarding to watch. I'm going to make her a little cage filled with dirt on the back porch for the summer.

I recently found out from another member on BYC that she is most likely a Blue Bantam Ameraucuna.

She will be 2 months old on Sunday and I feel is living a very nice life. She had the will to live, she just needed someone to take care of her and understand she would never be like normal chicken. The fact she isn't doesn't seem to bother her in the least and I feel she is so worth everything I need to do for her and her beak kisses still say more than any words could.


Quincy's first day with me


Quincy, 1 week old - she tended to fall over a lot, lol





Quincy, 2 weeks old



Quincy, 6 weeks old - first day outside ever

Thank you so much for sharing these!!! They are soooooo sweet! It warms my heart to hear from the two best Chicken Mamas in the whole world!

I do not have a specil needs chick yet but when it happens, I hope my outcome will be as great as yours have been. Quincy looks fabulous.

dumdum is adorable. I think a house life, diaper and bunny cage would be perfect for the little thing.

I know it may come across mean, but I had to laugh when I saw her fallen over in her feed dish, it was too cute! I hope she has a full and happy life thanks to you!

Quote:
Thank you

Lol no, it's not mean..it's true! I couldn't help but laugh either when I saw her. She doesn't fall over in her food anymore, but she does get her leg stuck in the water bowl now and then. I still laugh, lol.

I do not have a special needs baby but if i ever do i just hope i do half as well as the both of You do. I give both of You a lot of credit. Your babies are truly Blessed to have a Mommy as compassionate as both of You. Best wishes on the babies and the best of luck and Love too. God Bless all.e

Pogo hatched with what appeared to be straddle leg, but it is more serious than that. His leg twists where it attaches to his body. He balances on one leg and hops faster than his brother can move on two legs. He does become winded quickly.

This is a photo of him at about 2 months I think? He is a year old now and lives in a separate pen with his sibling. I'm not sure I did him a favor by saving him, but he doesn't seem to have a problem with his disability. I have stopped feeling sorry for him, I used to feel so guilty that he was so crippled. But he is doing well and every day that he is here is a blessing.

Oh what a cute little thing!

I went through a period of feeling guilty too especially when I would see Quincy watching the other chicks. I even tried to get her a couple buddies so she wouldn't have to be alone, but that stressed her more. I now just think she doesn't really know she is different other than her Momma loves her more!

Here is my special needs chick, Kieran. Remember the tiny black one I loved so much? She was stricken with the "mcmurray disease" and we slowly nursed her back to the point of being able to function.

Today Kieran is a beautiful little girl that sometimes has trouble walking, her mouth doesnt close, and her head shakes constantly. But she is part of Peter's group now and is getting used to life outside.


Peter lost a toe recently and I dont consider him special needs because he doesnt have any