Keeping Chickens When You Have Arthritis.

[microchick]

Hi everyone. I was just discussing this with @penny1960 over at the Old Folks Home and she gets credit for coming up with this idea for a thread.

I was just diagnosed today with osteoarthritis and borderline rheumatoid arthritis. Starting shots this week. In the meantime, I have a flock of over 50 birds who anxiously watch for the treat lady to show up every morning and afternoon with fresh water and goodies to eat.

I'm sure Penny and I aren't the only two people here on the forum with arthritis of one sort or another. Doctor's orders for me are to keep active, which I told him would be no problem.

Still I have noticed over the past year that it's getting harder to do the manual labor stuff that goes into flock keeping, and what I do hurts more than it did 6 months ago. I'm also dealing with loss of dexterity and strength in my hands.

I'm looking for ideas. How do you cut corners, make chores easier, what devices or remedies have really helped you as you deal with keeping a flock and dealing with joint and muscle pain.

I'll start things out with this idea. I have a little cart that my husband made for me along with a wagon that I use to haul feed and water from the feed room in our shop out to the birds. I'll get pictures tomorrow of both. The little cart is three wheeled and we are going to be adding different wheels to it to make it easier to push.

I also wear heavy wool gloves in the winter and do everything I can not to get my hands wet.

Looking forward to hearing other ideas and also feel free to discuss pain control, and obstacles you are encountering as you deal with joint pain along with flock care.

 

[True Patriot]

Ok, I got hooked
I personally don't have arthritis, but my wife has fibromyalgia. So I'm familiar with how things can affect everyday life.
The cart is a great addition. The larger the wheels the easier to move. Wider is better than taller. If it's home built would skis added for winter help or is the parh kept clear.
The main thing that I've seen that helps is being organized. The fewer steps in a task the easier and quicker it can be completed. Look at things and see what can be moved closer to where it's used. Placing frequently used items at waist to shoulder high so there's no bending or reaching to get them. One of the grabber tools is great for pick up of small items.

Sometimes for me it's easier to write things out. I am forever creating lists. As I become more familiar I can start making the process more efficient. For example to me-
Water chickens
1 get waterer from coop
2 clean waterer
3 refill
4 replace in coop
I realized by writing it down that the hose was on the other side of the yard and I had to walk back and forth twice. My fix was get a second waterer and leave it by the hose. Now I fill the clean one on my way out and bring the older one back to clean when I'm done at the coop.
I know this sounds like it shouldn't be a big deal, but in a week I've saved about a quarter mile of walking. Sorry for being long winded. My mind wanders and the keyboard follows. Hope at least some of this helps.

 

[staceyj]

I have a four wheel wheelbarrow also that helps me so much four wheels make it less likely to tip over but it’s higher off the ground than a wagon. It kind of looks like a grocery cart.
It has a special caddy area that I use for my phone, abig cup of ice water with a facetowel in it,and a drink. Hydration is important and it saves me steps back to the house if I get thirsty. Also the heat really bothers me now. It’s nice to be able to wipe my face and arms to stay cool.
I like to have a chair and a stool near the coop.
I have a deck box that I found free one day that someone had put out for the trashman. Nothing was wrong with at at all!
In it I have almost everything I need. I reuse the big plastic “jugs” that tidy cat kitty litter comes in.
I fill them with grit, oyster shell, DE, sweet pdz,...
I have a small broom, dustpan,telescoping rake, Lysol wipes, poultry dust, insect repellent, rat traps and a lot more odds and ends!
Having this out there by the coop saves me miles of steps!

 

[microchick]

Great ideas guys! Keep em coming!

Right now my hydrant is out of commission at the moment, so I use the cat litter jugs for water also. My husband helps me fill them and load them in the wagon or cart. The big jugs hold 2.5 gallons of water each, the small ones about 1.5 gallons. The wagon will also hold a bucket, once again, kitty littler bucket, well cleaned out and aired out, loaded with 2 days worth of food to top off the feeders. A coffee can of scratch and BOSS. I use a lot of the gallon ice cream jugs and if there is a sick or injured bird, I throw the first aid stuff in the container and into the wagon it goes along with rubber gloves.

I have three of the pick up sticks. I've even used them to snare a just out of reach bird in the coop.

I really like the idea of keeping a towel, drinking water, etc, close at hand.

Currently, my feed is stored in our shop, in a small connecting room. I'm considering moving the garbage cans out to the coop, but need to get two more metal cans.

Has anyone had luck using the big plastic cans and keeping mice from chewing through.

Definitely, organize a plan and act on it so you can get everything done at once.

Hope I'm not the only person who thinks garden hose in 100 foot lengths makes a GREAT gift!

 

[nikkers390]

I'm 72 years young and in a wheelchair. Luckily I can walk a few steps without too much pain.
My coop and pens are about 75 yards from my hfouse.
I use a golf cart to haul food and other supplies.
The food is kept in metal trash cans on my back porch.
I use kitty litter buckets and fill as many as I need as heavy as I can carry them. I bring them to the lift in my chair and transfer the buckets to the golf cart.
My husband ran water close to the coop and I have a hose going to each of the 3 pens so I don't have to drag the hose around.
I do not my bring the cart into the pens. One, it will not fit, two, it's death on chickens.
I keep an old wheelchair in each pen so I can move the buckets to the feeders and rest when I need to. I collect the eggs and bring them to the golf cart. You would be surprised how moving things around in a wheelchair makes hard jobs easier.
It takes a while to feed and water the 2 pens of roughly 70 chickens and chicks and a pen for 6 geese.
At times I get some help but mostly, I do it myself. Hubby hates the chickens so no help there.
I try to plan my duties so I get as much done with the least amount of effort.
Frankly, I enjoy my time with the chickens. It is hard work but I will keep doing this as long as I can.
chickens rule!!!

 

[pennyJo1960]

okay I am here also we will see who else we can haul in alight

 

[ronott1]

This is a good idea for a thread!

 

[lazy gardener]

I have myriad aches and pains. Often take inventory at the end of the day, and will conclude: Well, tonight, my nose doesn't hurt. Many of the major joints pay their price in a regular basis. No diagnosis. Things I do to ease the work load:

During grass season, I haul FF and water to/from the coop/run with a 2 wheeled wheel barrow which is very well balanced. I feed out the bucket of FF, use the hose to refill the bucket, and wheel the bucket back into the garage on the WB, where I refill it for the next day's feed.

During snow season, I put away the WB and use a kid's plastic toboggan.

I keep a big plastic ladle in the coop for scooping eggs out of the hard to reach nest boxes.

Deep litter in coop and run saves a lot of work for me.

 

[Kfults]

I think many of us with chronic issues refuse to let it truly “sink in” hehe. I’ve gotten myself into quite a bit of trouble working outdoors on the run in this heat, I often forget my phone or am too sheepish to ask for help when I push it too far.
I get hell for it regularly from hubs.
It really is being trapped between a rock and a hard place when you feel that claustrophobic “rotting indoors” sensation coming on, but your physical health is on the line.

When I have a good day I tend to do too much and suffer for days after! Bad days I feed water chickens and water garden then rest ( rainy days are a blessing when I feel bad! Don’t have to water containers! )

Morning all!

I am really amazed at how many people are coping with chronic pain that goes along with RA and OA. I too got started with chickens in order to stay active. I'm not much of a winter person. If I didn't have to haul myself out to take care of them I'd go into hibernation like an old bear.

I also like all the suggestions about moving things closer to my coops so I'm not making trips back and forth to the house for things.

But what I've noticed is most everyone has a significant other to help them out. I've always been a very independent person so it's hard for me to do that but my husband is very willing to help me out and even help with the feeding and watering if the need arises.

@Kfults, I too am a retired nurse. When my husband told me he was ready to retire (he is an eye doc and I worked in his office with him as office nurse/manager) he asked me if I was going to retire also as I was just 60 at the time. I told him yes I was I could not physically do the clinical work anymore. My license was due for renewal later that year and when it came, I checked 'inactive' and mailed it back. It wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be and when people ask me if I miss it I answer with a resounding NO!

@penny1960 I wish I could get my birds to use the water nipples but they are as dumb as a bag of rocks. I tried everything to get them to use them and they just couldn't catch on. Plus we have pretty hard winters here and I'd be forever dealing with freezing. I use the heated dog watering bowls with good results.

What do you guys do on high 'pain' days to get yourselves up and moving?

Today for me is a foot pain day. I've been up for 1 and 1/2 hours and the pain just doesn't want to settle down. I'll take a couple of aspirin, which will help but don't want to take my big gun Tramadol till later in the day. I think I'm going to try the no sugar diet for inflammation which will be hard for me as I have a sweet tooth. I don't eat a lot of sugar now. Just a little Captain Crunch sprinkled over my bran flakes so they don't make me gag. Then I'm sugar free for the rest of the day.

Has anybody modified their diet to fit their condition?

Everyone is telling me to keep my license active with continuing education, haven’t brought myself to do it. I know I can not go back. My disability insurance only approved 2 years based on spinal stenosis. After that they say I can get a desk job. That was before my RA/OA diagnosis. I plan to fight it, I paid years for the policy not dreaming I would ever use it.
For pain I take 800 Motrin as needed once or twice a day. I have big gun meds but fear opioid addiction. This pain is chronic, can’t take opioids long term without addiction so I have trained myself to deal with it. I use a meditation app that works wonders! Helps center my mind and reduces suffering which also takes my mind off pain for awhile. I didn’t think it would help at first but it does! Prednisone helps for flares but we are weaning me off which is tough- waiting for methotrexate to kick in.
My diet sucks, I am a carb eater when I am hurting. I know it doesn’t help.
The chickens and fresh air help prevent depression. No one has mentioned depression from chronic pain, I will.... before I quit working I considered suicide. I thought there was no way to stop working and I had gotten to the end of my rope with pain and fatigue. God has been so good thru all this and has met our financial needs and gives me strength to keep going to the doctor for answers and treatments. I am learning to lean on him and enjoy the little things in life. My nursing was my whole world ( empty nest ) I was so devoted and goal oriented. I felt like a failure in so many ways leaving my job as Director of an ER with 50 employees under me. God has shown me he had prepared for such a time as this and I can still serve him in little ways and have a fulfilling life. Sorry so long!

 

[pennyJo1960]

Ditto gang I have my reach it, a snow shovel child size,, putty knives to rake the two table they roost on also a small rake probably child size and a hoe.. neuropathy in my feet let me tip over so walking stick ie rooster stick and good sharp scissor