Rooster rescued from a coyote, using Manuka honey

[Birdinhand]

I wouldn't worry too much about seeing some odd behavior here and there, it's hard to know what exactly is going on inside. major internal injury causes a lot of tissue to bind together that doesn't normally stick together, this is often called adhesions and the worst of it is actual scar tissue. As Henry attempts to regain full range of motion he will be coming up against the restrictions and in some cases gradually tearing away the stuck tissue where it should not be connected. this can be a little painful but is generally a good thing. don't forget, he is doing stuff he hasn't done in a long time and it's going to take a while for him to "get back into his body" completely. I would think expanding on the jungle gym is very important, think back to early school days if you had a gymnastic teacher that set up a series of obstacles. one of the coolest one's I've seen is a large wheel on an axle that was tilted so that it became a treat mill of sorts, I added a link below to the video. there are lots of fun ideas, I'll post a few other video's below.
I would:
-raise his food and water just high enough that he has to stand up to eat and drink.
-make some snack/treat bottles that he can roll around and occasionally succeed at getting food from.
-hang high value treats to give him a challenge, maybe from something stretchy like a bungy cord. ideas: cabbage, squash, lettuce, kale, spinach
- give him exclusive access to a compost pile where he can practice scratching and using his foot more. some of what you are doing is trying to get him to forget that his foot is an issue and just keep trying to use it.
- add a hanging swing, using a 2"x4" with two holes in each end to tie the string in such a way as to form a triangle to stabilize it and see if he can get the hang of it. you could use a coat hanger to make triangles on either end and tie the string to that. if you look at a lot of kids swings you will see what I mean. https://www.google.com/search?q=swing+seat&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=orpgcujQ7TDGKM%3A%2CIrC1ezvZGT-0LM%2C_&usg=__1I4K2HHmmXdPIgm9HhewLGY0SPM=&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiRiKaV39_XAhVC8mMKHQ45DjEQ9QEIwQIwCw#imgrc=orpgcujQ7TDGKM:
- add a perch for nighttime sleeping, made out of a 2"X4", it will offer a nice and wide platform.
- consider making a wheel treadmill:

some general ideas video:

all of this stuff can be offered up to your whole flock once he is "up and running".

 

[LJoWilly]

I just finished reading this thread, and all I can say is amazing!! Both of you.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

I wouldn't worry too much about seeing some odd behavior here and there, it's hard to know what exactly is going on inside. major internal injury causes a lot of tissue to bind together that doesn't normally stick together, this is often called adhesions and the worst of it is actual scar tissue. As Henry attempts to regain full range of motion he will be coming up against the restrictions and in some cases gradually tearing away the stuck tissue where it should not be connected. this can be a little painful but is generally a good thing. don't forget, he is doing stuff he hasn't done in a long time and it's going to take a while for him to "get back into his body" completely. I would think expanding on the jungle gym is very important, think back to early school days if you had a gymnastic teacher that set up a series of obstacles. one of the coolest one's I've seen is a large wheel on an axle that was tilted so that it became a treat mill of sorts, I added a link below to the video. there are lots of fun ideas, I'll post a few other video's below.
I would:
-raise his food and water just high enough that he has to stand up to eat and drink.
-make some snack/treat bottles that he can roll around and occasionally succeed at getting food from.
-hang high value treats to give him a challenge, maybe from something stretchy like a bungy cord. ideas: cabbage, squash, lettuce, kale, spinach
- give him exclusive access to a compost pile where he can practice scratching and using his foot more. some of what you are doing is trying to get him to forget that his foot is an issue and just keep trying to use it.
- add a hanging swing, using a 2"x4" with two holes in each end to tie the string in such a way as to form a triangle to stabilize it and see if he can get the hang of it. you could use a coat hanger to make triangles on either end and tie the string to that. if you look at a lot of kids swings you will see what I mean. https://www.google.com/search?q=swing+seat&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=orpgcujQ7TDGKM%3A%2CIrC1ezvZGT-0LM%2C_&usg=__1I4K2HHmmXdPIgm9HhewLGY0SPM=&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiRiKaV39_XAhVC8mMKHQ45DjEQ9QEIwQIwCw#imgrc=orpgcujQ7TDGKM:
- add a perch for nighttime sleeping, made out of a 2"X4", it will offer a nice and wide platform.
- consider making a wheel treadmill:

some general ideas video:

all of this stuff can be offered up to your whole flock once he is "up and running".

Oh, boy ... what a treat to read!

Fantastic suggestions for Henry's therapy room. (It's no longer a recovery room!) And I love the idea of a private session with a heap of compost. I think I'll convert a wheelbarrow to a deluxe rooster transport carriage and wheel him back there and sit inside my favorite tree, reading my favorite book 'That Quail, Robert', while he forages and digs around like a proper chicken.

By the way, if you dare to carry a rooster for any distance, you risk disaster, especially if the rooster is half a rooster with various injuries and severely clipped wings. Hence, the need for a taxi. Deluxe simply means a pillow tucked in there so he doesn't roll around like a log.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

Some more Henry milestones:

He has been working to reestablish his role as Head Chicken. The head hen Rosemary took over during Henry's recovery and would peck and bully to remind him of his demotion. But yesterday Henry stood up tall, puffed his chest out, and Spanish danced circles around her. This is the first time he's done this since the day he was attacked.

I love when he does this. He'll do it to me, and I Spanish dance right back and he gives up and walks away. I was delighted to see him doing this again.

Hortense the Cannibal has been excommunicated to free ranging (not really a punishment since they love it so much), while Henry is enclosed in the chicken run. Rosemary was hiding behind a tree when I closed the gate and there they were a few minutes later: Henry hobble-dancing circles around her until she gave up and resumed pecking moss from the trunk of an oak tree.

And now they're fine together. Pecking order reestablished.

I'll need to see this next milestone on auto-repeat a few more times before I'm convinced it's true, but it seems Henry is using both feet now to dig for seeds and insects. As you saw in the videos, he lifts the injured right leg and sets it down again and again before taking a step. He doesn't do this as often as he used to, but he's still showing uncertainty with that leg.

Today he did this same thing while reclined. It was odd because he moves like this when walking, not when he's sitting down. Right after moving his leg in a digging motion he pecked the ground, and then he did it again. I watched some more and he repeated the process with his good leg. So I'm pretty sure this is a tired Henry's version of scratching the ground and foraging.

This would indicate awareness of what that foot is supposed to be doing, right? The toes don't move yet, but he can lift the leg and drag it back several times to simulate scratching. Could this also mean he's beginning to feel his foot?

 

[Birdinhand]

this is wonderful news! I don't have a crystal ball but I'd say that his healing trajectory just got a whole lot better. I would not be surprised if he figures out how to use his foot in some manner. what you are describing sounds like he is at the very least not in a lot of pain or having a lot of pins and needles tingling or he would be showing more sensitivity. sometimes the best therapy is just simply getting back into the old routines. he sounds motivated and not afraid to attempt to use his foot and that means a lot. who know whether the sensation will return before muscle control and how much each will recover, but less need to be worried about it all, just keep observing and making sure Hortense behaves, he doesn't need any more bloody sores to heal up from.

so, I hate to bring up a difficult subject but can the coyote still get to the chickens?

 

[biophiliac]

Some more Henry milestones:

He has been working to reestablish his role as Head Chicken. The head hen Rosemary took over during Henry's recovery and would peck and bully to remind him of his demotion. But yesterday Henry stood up tall, puffed his chest out, and Spanish danced circles around her. This is the first time he's done this since the day he was attacked.

I love when he does this. He'll do it to me, and I Spanish dance right back and he gives up and walks away. I was delighted to see him doing this again.

Hortense the Cannibal has been excommunicated to free ranging (not really a punishment since they love it so much), while Henry is enclosed in the chicken run. Rosemary was hiding behind a tree when I closed the gate and there they were a few minutes later: Henry hobble-dancing circles around her until she gave up and resumed pecking moss from the trunk of an oak tree.

And now they're fine together. Pecking order reestablished.

I'll need to see this next milestone on auto-repeat a few more times before I'm convinced it's true, but it seems Henry is using both feet now to dig for seeds and insects. As you saw in the videos, he lifts the injured right leg and sets it down again and again before taking a step. He doesn't do this as often as he used to, but he's still showing uncertainty with that leg.

Today he did this same thing while reclined. It was odd because he moves like this when walking, not when he's sitting down. Right after moving his leg in a digging motion he pecked the ground, and then he did it again. I watched some more and he repeated the process with his good leg. So I'm pretty sure this is a tired Henry's version of scratching the ground and foraging.

This would indicate awareness of what that foot is supposed to be doing, right? The toes don't move yet, but he can lift the leg and drag it back several times to simulate scratching. Could this also mean he's beginning to feel his foot?

Everything you are observing is jusT sooooo GOOD!

 

[LJoWilly]

I just love this story!! I am so glad I took the time to read it. Bless you both!

 

[Sunshine Flock]

this is wonderful news! I don't have a crystal ball but I'd say that his healing trajectory just got a whole lot better. I would not be surprised if he figures out how to use his foot in some manner. what you are describing sounds like he is at the very least not in a lot of pain or having a lot of pins and needles tingling or he would be showing more sensitivity. sometimes the best therapy is just simply getting back into the old routines. he sounds motivated and not afraid to attempt to use his foot and that means a lot. who know whether the sensation will return before muscle control and how much each will recover, but less need to be worried about it all, just keep observing and making sure Hortense behaves, he doesn't need any more bloody sores to heal up from.

so, I hate to bring up a difficult subject but can the coyote still get to the chickens?

The chickens free range only when I'm working outside and can do constant head counts and herding. I don't let them stray out of an area beyond a certain area off the back deck, and Henry is alway near my feet. I'm finding it easier to keep him in the chicken run, though, since Hortense often flies out.

But a coyote can strike at any time. I'm constantly scanning and am quite unnerved that something can happen so fast. The Chicken Chick had one of her hens grabbed by a coyote that wasn't far at all from where she was standing. The hen strayed to the edge of her large clearing, right up against the forest line, and that's where she was attacked.

She still free ranges, and for the same reasons I intend to continue free ranging, too. But only under strict supervision. I don't let them near the forest line anymore, although they may be safer in the deep woods than out in the open. Where the coyote grabbed Henry, there are several shrubs for camouflage. I actually witnessed the coyote stalking the flock a week before Henry disappeared. I just happened to look up at just the right moment and couldn't believe what I was seeing. She was within maybe ten feet of my flock.

A few pages into this discussion I had a bad day and said what happened to Henry was my fault. I should have known the coyote would come back. I was always vigilant but more relaxed about it than I should have been. We hope to fence the property next year around the house and outbuildings; a four foot fence, easy to scale for just about any creature. But it'll help. I've seen wildlife roam the perimeter of fencing and then leave in search of more accessible prey.

What I'd like to do is add overhead fencing to the chicken run. I know netting isn't sufficient, but I'm concerned about our finances. And I'm replacing the coop roof when I'm able to so I can increase the overhang and also extend it out like a porch covering. For now, though, whenever we go into town I put the chickens inside the coop. It's small but safe.

Every night I fall asleep to the coyotes and pups howling. I love them, but I'd love them more at a safe distance from my flock. We have a seasonal creek down a hill at the back of our property. It's now running and it's my guess that's why a coyote family has set up house here.

I can't sleep, so you get a long winded response to your coyote question!

 

[Hen Pen Jem]

No worries...CarolinaSunshineFlock.

Our two humble acres, existed without fencing for 15 years. We could only afford to fence a backyard perimeter after the first 3 years. There was all manner of wildlife trampling through property: Deer, racoons, coyotes, bob cats, dogs and skunks!

Property improvements are no problem, when finances are of no concern. But, for the rest of us, they are works in progress.

I used to think, wow...if only I could win the Lottery. What I could do with that money. But now, I have come to realize, I did win a Lottery! How blessed I am to have ended up in this peaceful place. Nature abounds in all it's glory...and all it's harshness too. But it's a package deal. Living in any rural or wild environment is a struggle.

Protect your animals as best as you can. Then, remember...there is no such thing as 100% safe.

I know, I rescued one of my roosters three years ago, when a coyote jumped our fence at two o'clock in the afternoon! Then, this August my beloved hen was taken from my back yard in the late afternoon, by a bobcat that jumped over our fence. I tried to get to her, but sadly, I was just not able to save her. I was working outside supervising both times. Who's fault is it?

There is no fault, just nature. Focus on your blessings, Henry lives!

God Bless and peace to you!

P.S. Now, get some sleep.

 

[Birdinhand]

beautiful post Hen Pen Jem!