Five-month old Australorp suddenly lame. Update: Now another pullet going lame!

[JustSarahThanks]

I was thinking about exercise today, mostly because I now have hope she can recover. That video is so sweet! And very helpful.

I am now thinking of ways to put wheels on her chair so she can scoot herself back and forth once her legs begin working again.

Hmmm, you did mention that you've had to give her frequent baths when she's poopy, I wonder how easy it would be to rig up something similar to the sorts of water rehab therapy exercises they do for dogs and cats:

"

I mean, probably setting up a treadmill in the bath might be kinda hard but maybe there's a good way to use bath time to this effect?

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Hi again yall. As did @HiEverybirdy, i also googled "chicken physical therapy" last night. The only additional thing i saw that might help with May's rehabilitation was a newsclip on abc news titled "Rescue Chicken Uses Therapy Chair to Learn to Walk Again." The therapy chair is made in australia. @azygous i dont think u need to purchase a therapy chair since your design is very similiar. The therapy chair made in Australia Does have wheels.
And having May in a rolling therapy chair would definitely be easier on the human back/body than the totally manual, bent-over-at-the-back method the human was using in video from yesterday. The 2nd video might also give you some additional ideas to further perfect your own chair design. The therapy chair aids in helping a chicken move and put slight weight on their legs, as does the manual method from yesterday. Otherwise, for basic stretching & strengthening excercises, u will likely get plenty of ideas from viewing human & other animal physical therapy videos showing how to stretch & strengthen once paralyzed legs.
Ok. So. I still havent figured out to attach links, which is why i keep typing Titles of relevant articles. After azygous told me to hover over the "like" icons to get the other icons to appear, i realized my first issue is im using an android phone, not a desktop or laptop. So my phone doesnt "hover", but pressing and holding the "like"icon did cause the "I", """, and other icons to appear. I went to the byc learning center to learn how to attach photos, but havent yet figured out to attach article links. I probably havent tried hard enough. However, if anyone can steer me in the right direction, that would be great. No need for a step-by-step tutorial, just point me in the right direction? Surely its easy, but so far not for me. Tu!

 

[azygous]

I'd love to get some ideas from seeing chicken therapy chairs. I have been thinking how to install wheels on May's chair and looked at the toy section in Walmart today for a toddler's wagon with six inch wheels since the cheapest wheels on Amazon are $10 each.

While getting my Covid vax this morning (Yay!) I got the idea of using oatmeal cartons as rollers in the place of wheels. I'm pretty good at "cooking with leftovers" as I call scavenging parts and using substitutions when building something. I think rollers would roll even better on the sandy run than real wheels would.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

I just now googled "chicken therapy chairs australia" and the website with pics & info immediately popped up. The abc newsclip title i posted earlier shows a chicken in action using the chair. I thought the newsclip was much more visually helpful than just seeing the chair itself. Yes u can likely tailor/custom-make Mays chair even better for your specific coop. If u cant find the info, hopefully someone will hopefully join in and help, since im currently still inept in doing so.

 

[TwoCrows]

I had a Black Australorp that at 6 yrs old had a stroke. (She had Congestive Heart Failure). She slowly over a weeks time got weaker and weaker until she lost all use of her legs. She had an incredible attitude and she acted as if she was normal at all times, flailing out of her basket to get treats, her appetite was ravenous, she never missed a beat. I used a black "Little Giant" tub and lined it with towels to keep her upright.

Tillie...

Her sister Hilda stood guard on the edge of her basket/tub 24/7, nobody messed with Tillie....

She had the mother of all strokes about 3 weeks later and she passed. BUT, every day I worked to strengthen her legs and she was making progress. I wish I had a photo, but I took an extra large wire dog crate and used a pair of my hubbies briefs. I hung them with bungee from the top of the cage. I put her in the underwear and made it so she hung there with her feet on the ground. She would have to use her legs to swing/walk a bit to get at treats. I kept her in this contraption for about an hour a day and she started to improve, being able to put most of her weight on her right leg. Unfortunately a much larger stroke suddenly took her life. Moments before she was viciously attacking a plate of tomatoes.

 

[ValerieJ]

I went to the byc learning center to learn how to attach photos, but havent yet figured out to attach article links. I probably havent tried hard enough. However, if anyone can steer me in the right direction, that would be great. No need for a step-by-step tutorial, just point me in the right direction? Surely its easy, but so far not for me. Tu!

To add an article to your post, use the link icon in the menu bar at the top of your dialog box. A form will pop up where you can cut and past the url to the article you wish to share.

 

[RubelliteRose]

I just now googled "chicken therapy chairs australia" and the website with pics & info immediately popped up. The abc newsclip title i posted earlier shows a chicken in action using the chair. I thought the newsclip was much more visually helpful than just seeing the chair itself. Yes u can likely tailor/custom-make Mays chair even better for your specific coop. If u cant find the info, hopefully someone will hopefully join in and help, since im currently still inept in doing so.

https://chickentherapychairs.weebly.com/
Is this the page you found? If it is, here is what I did to add it from my android phone (I normally use a laptop so I had to play around to get it to work)-. Go to the page you want to add. On the top right are 3 vertical dots to tap and bring up a menu. Then tap on "share". Scroll all the way to the right until you see "more". Tap and the page's web address will pop up with an option to copy. Tap "copy" then go to your reply. Tap in the reply box and you should be able to paste the link.
Hopefully this makes sense

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Tu @ValerieJ and @RubelliteRose for your input. Didnt have time this afternoon to use your instructions to see if i can post a link now, but i will attempt as soon as i can. Tu again!

 

[micstrachan]

May has been having trouble supporting herself well enough to keep her balance when she's on the ground and trying to eat. She seems to have a decent appetite, but she gives up when she can't comfortably access her food bowl. So I spent some time watching how she escapes the chicken chair. It seemed the problem was the leg holes were too far apart and she needed a bumper at the front to keep her from sliding forward. I've looked at pictures of chicken chairs and none of the designs would work for May.

The biggest problem was her wings. She was flailing and that alone would move her forward and out of the chair. So, the solution finally presented itself - a simple band of cloth around her wing shoulders. It worked. She finally seemed comfortable and secure and remained in the chair and was in a perfect position to eat and drink.

The entire family is now able to eat together. View attachment 2480139View attachment 2480153

Yay!!!! This really warms my heart.

 

[micstrachan]

I had a Black Australorp that at 6 yrs old had a stroke. (She had Congestive Heart Failure). She slowly over a weeks time got weaker and weaker until she lost all use of her legs. She had an incredible attitude and she acted as if she was normal at all times, flailing out of her basket to get treats, her appetite was ravenous, she never missed a beat. I used a black "Little Giant" tub and lined it with towels to keep her upright.

Tillie...
View attachment 2481370

Her sister Hilda stood guard on the edge of her basket/tub 24/7, nobody messed with Tillie....
View attachment 2481375

She had the mother of all strokes about 3 weeks later and she passed. BUT, every day I worked to strengthen her legs and she was making progress. I wish I had a photo, but I took an extra large wire dog crate and used a pair of my hubbies briefs. I hung them with bungee from the top of the cage. I put her in the underwear and made it so she hung there with her feet on the ground. She would have to use her legs to swing/walk a bit to get at treats. I kept her in this contraption for about an hour a day and she started to improve, being able to put most of her weight on her right leg. Unfortunately a much larger stroke suddenly took her life. Moments before she was viciously attacking a plate of tomatoes.

Awww, sweet Tillie and Hilda. ❤