My Handicapped Chicken

[ChrisTheChickenFarmer]

We had our first chicken tragedy on the farm this year. My red sexlink chickens were about 4 months old when one was savagely attacked by a raccoon, as I was coming out to lock the birds up. I ran out and snatched her from the racoon's grasp. The chicken's leg was badly broken from being dragged halfway up a tree. I made sure to splint her leg and waited for a sign that she was to live. She was in shock while she lived in my house and would only stand when I would help her up. She slowly but surely became strong enough to join our smaller rhode island red birds in the small chicken coop. After a month and a half, I removed her splint and she is doing much better with her mobility but she still has some trouble. I don't pick names for our birds normally but she earned the name of Baby because we bonded while she was healing. She never laid eggs, due to the trauma, but i was going to keep her as a pet because I couldn't fathom to remove her now. Well, this weekend has been a huge triumph for Baby, because she has laid her first 2 eggs! I am so proud and had to share her achievement.

Thanks for reading!

 

[Tompike]

Oh my gosh, she is so cute! You're an amazing person for being able to help her through that, that couldn't have been easy! Was the leg the only thing injured? She mustv'e been scratched up pretty badly. Luckily I don't have many raccoons in my area, but there sure are a whole lot of foxes, hawks, and weasels!

 

[ChrisTheChickenFarmer]

Thanks a lot! Luckily, she wasn't injured other than her leg. The raccoon pulled a bunch of belly feathers off but they grew back pretty quickly. Yeah, we have a bunch of those predators too but I take care to put the birds up before dusk now.

 

[eatbeef14]

Very glad she healed and is now laying eggs.

 

[Tompike]

Yeah, I have to put mine up pretty early, and yet the foxes still come. Mine go in at six and I shut the door. I always feel bad because there's still a good two and a half hours of light, but then I don't when a fox comes and I have to try to save a dying chicken or duck. Th foxes know my schedule though, they started coming around two in the afternoon or wait until I let them out at 8 so I had to have someone come and trap and release the foxes. It's eased up quite a bit, the only thing now is hawks, but I can't do anything about that since it's illegal to harm or trap them

 

[sourland]

Good for Baby, and well done on your part.

 

[ChrisTheChickenFarmer]

Yeah, I have to put mine up pretty early, and yet the foxes still come. Mine go in at six and I shut the door. I always feel bad because there's still a good two and a half hours of light, but then I don't when a fox comes and I have to try to save a dying chicken or duck. Th foxes know my schedule though, they started coming around two in the afternoon or wait until I let them out at 8 so I had to have someone come and trap and release the foxes. It's eased up quite a bit, the only thing now is hawks, but I can't do anything about that since it's illegal to harm or trap them

Oh wow! Those foxes seem like a pain! Good luck keeping them away from your flock.

 

[ChrisTheChickenFarmer]

Good for Baby, and well done on your part.

Thanks!

 

[sourland]

Oops, I just noticed. A belated Welcome to BYC.

 

[ChrisTheChickenFarmer]

Oops, I just noticed. A belated Welcome to BYC.

Thank you! I've been reading quite a bit on this site since we bought our chicks but I thought this would be a good time to join the conversation.