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- #391
Do you think Disney would be interested in the movie rights?
Five-month old Australorp suddenly lame. Update: Now another pullet going lame!
- Thread starter azygous
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Send them a screenplay!
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- #393
She's getting around, but that right leg is still not flexible and under her full control. I hung a carrot, and that got her moving. It may be she just needs more exercise.
A big problem is she has lost her self confidence around any other chickens than Su-su. If I allow the others to share her bowl of food, she takes a few bites and stops, unwilling to compete. So, she gets long periods of uncompetitive access to food to be sure she gets enough to eat.
May has come a long way in her recovery, but she still has a long way to go.
Was wondering again, this time it is about those pinless peepers. They cannot pull feathers, but they can eat and drink, correct? Seems silly to ask the question, but I have never seen them work. Did you say none of your Australorps need them, only the EEs?
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- #395
I have some Sex-links wearing them from time to time, also.
They see okay in an upward direction, so they can spot danger from the sky. They see okay downward so they can eat just fine. They can see from side to side, and some still manage to pick feathers, but the peepers cuts the feather picking down to a more manageable level.
There is another device not sold widely in the US called Bump-bits. These I have tried, but they interfere with eating, and one hen couldn't eat at all with them. I haven't used them in years, though.
They see okay in an upward direction, so they can spot danger from the sky. They see okay downward so they can eat just fine. They can see from side to side, and some still manage to pick feathers, but the peepers cuts the feather picking down to a more manageable level.
There is another device not sold widely in the US called Bump-bits. These I have tried, but they interfere with eating, and one hen couldn't eat at all with them. I haven't used them in years, though.
Ah! Interesting.. Pennie is slightly picking, but I think it only happens as I’m sitting there giving the little ones attention.
I can definitely see how not being able to eat with the bit is managed. When she said the bit stops the beak from actually closing, then it made sense. Yes, horses can sorta eat with a bit, but it definitely deters them. I will go see if there is a video of the peepers.
Azy, I had a few more questions about May's recovery, if you will. When she walks do her wings stay near her side as typical chicken posture, or does she use her wings to help propel herself forward? Can she stand for "typical" periods of time now, as for foraging or picking at feed, or must she drop to rest more frequently than would be normal? Is May mixing with her flock mates or is she in a look-don't-touch arrangement?
My Fay (almost 4), who I've posted about in your thread, has made some notable progress in the last few weeks, even despite The Big Texas Freeze of 2021. She is more mobile and managed to somehow cover about 15 yards from barn to a grove of trees in the pasture where the girls like to spend time. Fay must still flap her wings rapidly to gain forward momentum but is now standing upright for a few seconds at a time. When she is in sternal recumbency her tail feathers are upright now, instead of drooped.
Biggest problem is Fay's comb was badly pecked yesterday. She has dropped from #4 to last in the pecking order (6 hens total) due to her highly visible fragile movements. Plus, my girls are starting to set now, so seasonal emotions are running high. I'm wondering also if you have a feel for the degree of recovery you anticipate with May. Hoping it will be 100%. Thanks for your input.
My Fay (almost 4), who I've posted about in your thread, has made some notable progress in the last few weeks, even despite The Big Texas Freeze of 2021. She is more mobile and managed to somehow cover about 15 yards from barn to a grove of trees in the pasture where the girls like to spend time. Fay must still flap her wings rapidly to gain forward momentum but is now standing upright for a few seconds at a time. When she is in sternal recumbency her tail feathers are upright now, instead of drooped.
Biggest problem is Fay's comb was badly pecked yesterday. She has dropped from #4 to last in the pecking order (6 hens total) due to her highly visible fragile movements. Plus, my girls are starting to set now, so seasonal emotions are running high. I'm wondering also if you have a feel for the degree of recovery you anticipate with May. Hoping it will be 100%. Thanks for your input.
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- #398
Fay and May. Disney movie material.
I was just bemoaning May's slow progress today. She is progressing, but it's just not obvious from day to day. I'm please to hear Fay is progressing, as well. I have a chicken axiom - any condition that does not deteriorate is progress. It's sometimes easier to see that our avian patients are not getting any worse than to detect a very subtle positive change.
May doesn't need to use her wings to achieve forward motion. Until you mentioned it, I never gave that a thought. If she is excited about covering ground to reach a rare treat, those wings do get employed, just as any chicken does.
Her right leg still juts out to the side , but it's not as acute as it was. I gave a few seconds of thought to hobbling her to draw that leg into proper alignment, but May would just end up face planting, and her self confidence doesn't need to take any more hits.
She's in a barrier protected section of the run to try to bolster her lagging self confidence. She gets exposure to the others for brief periods, but she usually gets pecked and that causes her to find a corner to park in.
She is continuing to get an aspirin and B-complex each day. Occasional high-carb meals of rice and quinoa with egg or keifer. I haven't weighed her but her heft seems to be improving.
I was reading through my old thread on Jules, the first Blue Australorp to come down with this malady, https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...with-sprained-leg-not-getting-better.1422485/ and it seems so obvious to me now that had I not assumed it was an injury and treated her with antibiotics when she first showed symptoms, she would likely be alive and recovering, as well.
I was just bemoaning May's slow progress today. She is progressing, but it's just not obvious from day to day. I'm please to hear Fay is progressing, as well. I have a chicken axiom - any condition that does not deteriorate is progress. It's sometimes easier to see that our avian patients are not getting any worse than to detect a very subtle positive change.
May doesn't need to use her wings to achieve forward motion. Until you mentioned it, I never gave that a thought. If she is excited about covering ground to reach a rare treat, those wings do get employed, just as any chicken does.
Her right leg still juts out to the side , but it's not as acute as it was. I gave a few seconds of thought to hobbling her to draw that leg into proper alignment, but May would just end up face planting, and her self confidence doesn't need to take any more hits.
She's in a barrier protected section of the run to try to bolster her lagging self confidence. She gets exposure to the others for brief periods, but she usually gets pecked and that causes her to find a corner to park in.
She is continuing to get an aspirin and B-complex each day. Occasional high-carb meals of rice and quinoa with egg or keifer. I haven't weighed her but her heft seems to be improving.
I was reading through my old thread on Jules, the first Blue Australorp to come down with this malady, https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...with-sprained-leg-not-getting-better.1422485/ and it seems so obvious to me now that had I not assumed it was an injury and treated her with antibiotics when she first showed symptoms, she would likely be alive and recovering, as well.
But azygous, theres no way u could have possibly known at the time what to do to treat Jules. It was only after May (& June) started going lame that you threw everything AND the kitchen sink in a herculean attempt to save them. It truly was a herculean effort, & something u did worked!!! I still hope that somehow, some day u can learn exactly What it is that May has recovered from. That would give hope to others in the future who may choose to fight the same battle you have waged. But even if u never know, the truth is May Has recovered. She was completely paralyzed and helpless, & now she walks! It doesn't matter whether or not she recovers 100%, and it doesnt even matter if she relapses in the future. (I dont think she will). Same as humans who fight cancer into remission, with the encouragement and support of you and Su-su, May walks!
I already had the thought when u previously described the way May's right leg juts out to the side, that's a perfect description of the way my father-in-law walked after his otherwise complete recovery from Guillain-Barre. He sorta swung his leg out to the side as he walked. But make no mistake, he also won. After laying completely paralyzed for 4 months in icu, and after a year of re-hab, for the next 20+ years of his life, he walked wherever he wanted to go. And he went a lot of places!
Disney movie or not, ive also already thought that you should write a book about Su-su, May, and the rest of your crew. Not just a thread, or even an aerticle, but a genuine real book. You have a true Gift with the way you tell a story, using both words and pictures. And not just here, but also in the other threads you've made and responded to through the years. (The reason i know that is 'cause I Iurked on byc for 6+years before i finally became a member, & i came across many of your posts). I recently went back and read Su-su's thread for the Third time. I still love the thread. And thanks to your letting me know her, Su-su is my very favorite chicken of all time. And that includes my own chickens!
Azygous and Su-su. You are both rare and beautiful souls housed in two different species. Im still so fascinated and impressed. This thread is already very inspirational. For those following it now, & also to those who will discover it in the future. But its also long and winding, and sometimes goes off on tangents. (Like this post for instance.
) Tell their story, Azygous. Go for it. Just. Do. It. 
I already had the thought when u previously described the way May's right leg juts out to the side, that's a perfect description of the way my father-in-law walked after his otherwise complete recovery from Guillain-Barre. He sorta swung his leg out to the side as he walked. But make no mistake, he also won. After laying completely paralyzed for 4 months in icu, and after a year of re-hab, for the next 20+ years of his life, he walked wherever he wanted to go. And he went a lot of places!
Disney movie or not, ive also already thought that you should write a book about Su-su, May, and the rest of your crew. Not just a thread, or even an aerticle, but a genuine real book. You have a true Gift with the way you tell a story, using both words and pictures. And not just here, but also in the other threads you've made and responded to through the years. (The reason i know that is 'cause I Iurked on byc for 6+years before i finally became a member, & i came across many of your posts). I recently went back and read Su-su's thread for the Third time. I still love the thread. And thanks to your letting me know her, Su-su is my very favorite chicken of all time. And that includes my own chickens!
Azygous and Su-su. You are both rare and beautiful souls housed in two different species. Im still so fascinated and impressed. This thread is already very inspirational. For those following it now, & also to those who will discover it in the future. But its also long and winding, and sometimes goes off on tangents. (Like this post for instance.
) Tell their story, Azygous. Go for it. Just. Do. It. ^^ 
I want a signed copy of the book! I want to be in the front row of the movie theater!
I want a signed copy of the book! I want to be in the front row of the movie theater!Similar threads
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