- May 25, 2008
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My Kingy is around 10-11 years old. He is having difficulty bending his legs. His vet said his joints are inflamed; arthritis. It pains me to see him struggle everyday. He spends most of his time just laying down as it takes a lot of effort to get up. And when he does, he is unstable and at times he cannot balance and will fall. He falls and just lays on the ground on his side. I run to the pen to check on him and he eventually gets up. What makes this difficult... he is and will always be feral. He came from the wild and we caught him to avoid the teens catching him and using him to breed or to fight.
He's lived with us for so many years and he's so used to going up into the coop for the night - but the ramp is becoming more and more difficult for him to walk on. He is very determined because his mate also sleeps with him in the coop. She roosts on the pole while he sleeps on the floor. The coop is 30" high. The strips are 6" apart. When he's ready to go in for the night @4pm, he stands at the bottom looking up for a few seconds, then attempts to make the climb. At times, when he reaches 3-4 strips to the top, he tries to run or fly in and he stumbles to the ground.
I really need your suggestions or ideas to make Kingy's life more comfortable. It would be great if I could tear the whole coop down and rebuild but doubt if hubby will agree. Besides it'll put too much stress on my aging chickens. Oh, I do regularly sweep and water down the ramp to avoid dust build-up. Do you think extending and making the ramp longer will work? I need your help - Please.
He's lived with us for so many years and he's so used to going up into the coop for the night - but the ramp is becoming more and more difficult for him to walk on. He is very determined because his mate also sleeps with him in the coop. She roosts on the pole while he sleeps on the floor. The coop is 30" high. The strips are 6" apart. When he's ready to go in for the night @4pm, he stands at the bottom looking up for a few seconds, then attempts to make the climb. At times, when he reaches 3-4 strips to the top, he tries to run or fly in and he stumbles to the ground.
I really need your suggestions or ideas to make Kingy's life more comfortable. It would be great if I could tear the whole coop down and rebuild but doubt if hubby will agree. Besides it'll put too much stress on my aging chickens. Oh, I do regularly sweep and water down the ramp to avoid dust build-up. Do you think extending and making the ramp longer will work? I need your help - Please.