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

[ValerieJ]

So much fun watching her progress!!! Thanks for sharing it!!!

 

[azygous]

Roosting time, more progress! May flew up to the perch. Lasted maybe five seconds and fell off. She wants to roost very badly. I placed her up there beside Su-su, and this time she lasted five minutes before she fell off.

I must admit, this girl is determined she will recover completely and be a normal chicken again. It's going to be a race with her hormones. June laid her first egg yesterday, and May's pelvic points are nearly there, as well.

 

[LaFleche]

Roosting time, more progress! May flew up to the perch. Lasted maybe five seconds and fell off. She wants to roost very badly. I placed her up there beside Su-su, and this time she lasted five minutes before she fell off.

I must admit, this girl is determined she will recover completely and be a normal chicken again. It's going to be a race with her hormones. June laid her first egg yesterday, and May's pelvic points are nearly there, as well.View attachment 2516493

That is wonderful news!

Maybe you can install a little platform to prevent her from falling down over and over again. I imagine the falling as not so beneficial for her bad leg and she might even hurt it more with all the falling.

 

[azygous]

I was afraid of her falling last night and I caught her, but tonight I saw that she has full control of her wings to cushion any fall. Also, there is several inches of fine sand under the perch. It's only about 20 inches high.

 

[azygous]

Until tonight, I was very worried May would reach point of lay before she was well enough to find her way into a nest box. Seeing her fly up to the perch has mitigated any concerns I had. She should be able to get into the coop through a pop hole less than half the height of the perch and there's a nest box right on the floor for her to use.

It feels as though we are in the home stretch!

 

[aart]

Maybe you can install a little platform

That was my first thought.
@azygous haven't you used platform roosts before?
.....might be someone else?

 

[azygous]

I have poop boards under the perches in the main coop, but the perches in this coop are too low for that. It's a moot point, though. May's right leg is not yet flexible enough and her foot is still not fully operational. She isn't ready to spend the night on a perch. Platform or no, I don't want her roosting until she has the ability to remain on the perch all night without falling.

She's snug and warm in a nest box with deep shavings and a heating pad clipped to the side to snuggle against if she feels cold. And I don't need to lose sleep worrying that she's fallen off the perch during the cold night. You and I both know I would be walking out at 2am with a flashlight to check on her.

 

[micstrachan]

This is wonderful news! I haven’t been following me his story for a bit. I’m so happy to hear this update.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

Well, I think May is well on her way to being a normal chicken. She isn't as bewildered by her uncooperative right leg. It's almost like seeing the illness progress in reverse now. She's using her gimpy right leg more purposefully more as a balance aid than something she has no control over. Her endurance is improving also. We did an exercise with meal worms where she had to move to a new spot to get one. Before she would move, then plop down and call it a day.View attachment 2516343

Go, May, go. I remember talking with a vet about how our dog seemed to be regaining movement in the reverse order that she lost it, and the vet said that's common. It's wild that appears to be happening with May.

 

[azygous]

It's not much, but it's something new May is able to do. I got my second covid vax yesterday and today was feeling sub par, so I waited until nearly dark to go out and tuck the chickens in as I always do. I found that May and Su-su had both made it into the coop and were on the floor. Whether either had attempted to get up on the roost is unknown. I placed Su-su up on her perch and May into her box.

Tomorrow I will lower one of the sides on the nest box so she will be able to get into it on her own. This will be good since she will be needing a nest soon to start laying her eggs in.

I think her gait is getting stronger, too. I noticed she isn't dragging her right foot as much.