Rooster rescued from a coyote, using Manuka honey

[Sunshine Flock]

Nerve damage from the weight/pressure? I know it can happen to obese people in surgery when they lay on an appendage (source: happened to a family member)

It's possible.

I just read about a chicken sling and am wondering if this may be a good step for Henry. It's been six days, I think, and he's immobile, aside from being able to sit upright with his chest and head up. Sometimes he tries to stand with his good leg.

But pretty much all day long he's hunched over his legs. It might be good for him to have some of that sitting pressure off of his legs. Any thoughts on this?

 

[Sunshine Flock]

Just seconds later and I'm rethinking the sling. It would have to be modified so that no weight is required on either leg. I'll wait a few days and see if he shows an increase in leg strength and more interest in standing. Meanwhile, I'm going to do compression and gently stretch and examine the legs while he's upside down in a hammock between my husband's legs. I'll do this several times a day.

The sling just doesn't seem like it would do much for him, aside from create a lot of fear and movement, and movement will stretch and open wounds.

 

[venymae]

Maybe when he is a little better? You can make them so his feet are touching the floor and he can lift himself up a half inch or so if he wanted...just an idea. To start helping him regain strength when the time comes? I am no expert but it would seem like a good idea to me.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

Maybe when he is a little better? You can make them so his feet are touching the floor and he can lift himself up a half inch or so if he wanted...just an idea. To start helping him regain strength when the time comes? I am no expert but it would seem like a good idea to me.

It does sound like a good idea, thank you. Just a little bit at a time.

 

[Trish1974]

There is some good "sling" information in this thread; maybe it will help?:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-but-needs-help.1202704/page-26#post-19076417

 

[Sunshine Flock]

There is some good "sling" information in this thread; maybe it will help?:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-but-needs-help.1202704/page-26#post-19076417

Oh, gosh, I'm so sad to hear about Sebastian the Turkey. I thought he was doing great. The poor guy.

I'm going to start making a chicken sling, but modified. I'd like to be able to lift weight off of Henry's legs, while at the same time give him the opportunity to stretch them out and experiment with some gentle touch downs with his feet. So I'm thinking something marionette puppet style, and just short sessions, really, really short.

Some of these 'Drop the chicken into a full body diaper' slings would freak him out. I can't risk any movement around his wounds.

Henry is perkier this morning. He beaks his food more aggressively, as he used to when he was operating as a full fledged rooster. I no longer have to feed him small, torn pieces of greens; he can handle bigger pieces himself. Chickens actually do quite a bit of movement with their heads and bodies when they're wrangling a piece of lettuce.

And have you seen them eat a lizard? Definitely no lizards for Henry for a good while. Thank goodness we don't have free roaming lizards in the house.

For now I'm treating the two reddish bruises on his lame leg as bed sores. It's like when someone is bed bound and their care provider must turn them over and move them a couple times a day. Same theory. But it could be something worse.

I barely understand people; I know even less about creatures with feathers.

We need to throw ourselves into securing the chicken run fencing today. Everyone here eventually loses chickens to coyotes. They seem to accept it as normal. I intend to free range my flock, but not all day like I was doing. It's too risky. So today is all about rotating Henry upside down in my husband the chicken whisperer's lap and doing chicken leg calisthenics, and coyote proofing the run.

I walked around with the hens while they free ranged this morning, and suddenly they froze and then took some careful steps toward a suspicious clump of shrubbery. The clump had big ears and cute noses and took a few steps toward the hens. For reasons I don't understand chickens and cats and deer get along swimmingly well.

The deer clump was as curious about the chickens as the chickens were about them. But it all ended in a flurry of action when heads turned and we saw a coyote cruising through the woods. I'm certain this is our lady coyote (or boy, no time to examine the undercarriage for dangly parts) who snatched Henry and took him deep into the woods. I also suspect she's the one who took our darling cat Kuma and disappeared him forever a few weeks ago.

So the deer and chicken friendship meetup ended quickly as the eared shrubbery headed across our land and into the woods opposite the coyote.

And now Henry's head is dipped and his eyes closed for a quick nap. This seems to happen every time I mention the coyote, even when I'm writing about it.

I keep imagining Henry with a turban and a wand, sitting behind a table like Lucy from the Peanuts with her "The doctor is in" sign. Henry's sign would say: "Swami can help."

I think I best get going. Clearly I'm in better spirits today.

Until next time, folks.

 

[Trish1974]

You're doing a great job @CarolinaSunshineFlock ! My fingers remain crossed for Henry! Any plans on taking out that coyote?

 

[Sunshine Flock]

Troubling lame leg update:

We had Henry upside down in the hammock. He falls asleep and totally relaxes.

The good leg has a black sore on the underside. I saw it a few days ago; it hasn't worsened. The lame leg is super warm. I thought this was a good indication until I felt his good leg: it's cool to the touch with just a hint of warm. The feet undersides are warmer.

And he has two developing bed sores, one of which where most of the weight goes has scales that are wearing through. I treated them and then massaged coconut oil into both legs and did some gentle leg stretches. Absolutely no movement from the lame leg, and also no indication of a pain response, not even a little.

The heat must mean an infection, right? It's alarming.

No visible breaks or injuries, nothing. Unless the developing bed sores are the breaks?

I couldn't find a local poultry vet, but I'll try again. And I need to follow up with UC Davis and see if they can offer me some guidance.

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

Time to electrify the perimeter of your property. It's not a difficult improvement, and not 100% predator proof. But, it is pretty darn close! I had to electrify our 2 acre property, at a cost of about $300. Predator proofed the two chicken pens too! But, I will never underestimate those coyotes, nor the bobcat that took my little hen "Inky" this August. I free range two hours in the evening when I can supervise.

After 6 days, its time for Henry to start getting more exercise or his muscles will atrophy. They don't even let people lay in bed after surgery anymore. He really needs that chicken chair/sling to get blood flow to his legs. Also, I like to use "The Rub" available at any health food store. I have been using it for 10 years on bruises, sprains, aches and soft tissue injury that is not open. I buy some for the family and some for the animals. Works great on the chickens. My hen Riki was lame on one leg after being attacked. She is walking around all over the place since I rubbed her leg down everyday with "The Rub", then wrapped it with self stick gauze. I keep a tube in my chicken emergency medical kit. Best wishes for Henry...take care or yourself too.

Ingredients Active: Arnica montana (Leopard's Bane) 1X 8%, Aconitum napellus (Monk's Hood) 1X, Belladonna (Nightshade) 1X, Calendula officinalis (Garden Marigold) 1X, Hamamelis virginica (Witch Hazel) 1X, Hypericum perforatum (St John's Wort) 1X, Ruta graveolens (Rue) 1X, Symphytum officinale (Comfrey) 1X

 

[Sunshine Flock]

You're doing a great job @CarolinaSunshineFlock ! My fingers remain crossed for Henry! Any plans on taking out that coyote?

Thanks, Trish!

We're not going to harm the coyote. But it does seem she's set up house in the woods. The neighbors who are fully fenced don't have as many problems as the ones who aren't. That said, a cougar scaled someone's fence a while back and killed a goat. The neighbor shot and killed the cougar.