Skinny, Small + Stumbly.. Sophie's Story -Will she walk again??

[ChickieMandy]

What a touching story. Please don't give up on her. She clearly wants to get better. Could her symptoms be sure to a vitamin deficiency? I am sure having to do so much extra to keep her going is a hardship. I an verymuch rooting for her and watching this thread closely for developments.

Edit: There is nothing crazy about spending time and energy saving a life that wants to live. You are doing the right thing for your peace of mind and for the bird, that little chicken clearly is in good hands.

Thank you!!!!!

I've been treating for vitamin deficiency for a few weeks now using Poly-Vi-Sol - she LOVES taking her medicinie, which is adorable! 2-3 drops, 1-2 times a day. Skipping days when doing other treatments.. I think its definitely been part of whats been helping her...

And your right, its been very hard balanncing this with life, especially having a full time job (I've been finding workarounds... lol)
Would love to just be a full time chicken caretaker at this point!! haha

 

[BantyChooks]

I hope Sophie recovers fully, you are doing a great job with her!
-Banti

 

[ChickenChaser9]

Thank you!!!!!

I've been treating for vitamin deficiency for a few weeks now using Poly-Vi-Sol - she LOVES taking her medicinie, which is adorable! 2-3 drops, 1-2 times a day. Skipping days when doing other treatments.. I think its definitely been part of whats been helping her...

And your right, its been very hard balanncing this with life, especially having a full time job (I've been finding workarounds... lol)
Would love to just be a full time chicken caretaker at this point!! haha

You are doing a really great job! It is so obvious Sophie wants to get healthy. I applaud your creative solutions. My wife says the chicken harness looked excellent and really well made. i am sure the chair will help too. I am happyto lend morale support. I wish i could do more for you both.it seems like you are doing every thing right. Please keep me updated on her progress.

 

[Woobsie]

Sometimes they really suprise you! My one had waterbelly a couple weks ago and the vet basically said there was nothing he could do and wouldn't drain her because she would go into shock but I did it on the kitchen table myself because I cpuld tell she was having trouble breathing. I took out 700mL of liquid from her abdomen and she probably drained another 300mL on her own that night after. Now 2 weeks later her abdomen is totally back to normal, shes out free ranging all day, runs to me if she sees food in my hand across thr yard, beats up the other hen whenever there's food around she might like. She has recovered 95%. The other one tested positive for e. Coli even though the first vet was 100% sure it was EYP but I took her to the vet college where they can do ultrasounds on birds and better testing and turned out it was definitely not that after all and now after administering the proper dose of antibiotics orally shes is 90% better! Just 8 days ago she wouldn't move more than 5 feet a day on a good day, and wouldn't stand more than a few seconds...it was awful and she had been going downhill for over a week before then. Now she free ranges all day and only lays down at bedtime and today she even ran! Hand feeding them and loving them and holding them made a huge difference plus getting a second opinion or doing my own research is what it sometimes comes down to!!

Hi Woobsie!! Your chickies look so sweet! I notived your Columbian Rock, so is my girl, Serenity, and she is the absolute BEST, Sweetest chicken!

I've done all but the milk soaked bread!! Will add that into the mix to spice things up!
Also, been taking her outside for some good foraging! Some days she is more into it than others! lol

So glad your chickens recovered, gives me hope
I know its been a long time, but I'm not giving up on Sophie until SHE gives up!

 

[ChickieMandy]

Hi folks!!

Thank you all so much for the support and kind words.. so helpful through this hard time!

Sophie is doing well! Continues to be a slow recovery but she is holding on!
This last weekend I noticed her gaping and found a worm in her poop so she has been taking Safeguard dewormer.. she had her last treatment this morning. I did this treatment a few weeks ago but failed to follow up in 10 days, I will not be missing that this time!

Her weight has finally gone up a bit and has been holding at over 1lb 8oz for over a week!!! She is finally 1 pound and a half and that feels like such an accomplishment!!

The chicken chair is GREAT and seems to be doing wonders for getting her legs and feet back to working order.

Below are some pics as I was making it - lets call this Trial and Error, lol a few modifications continued over that weekend.





Dont make this so tight!! You'll see below i quickly modified it so she was more supported by the fabric (see below)




My sis has been calling her my "pocket chicken" for month.. lol i proved her right!


The other chickens have been pretty mean to sophie since shes been sick but Serenity still seems to like her! She was fiesty with her yesterday though.... hmmmmmmmmm



Sophie and my sisters dog Ellie! Ellie loves this little chicken soooooo much!

 

[ChickenChaser9]

Hi folks!!

Thank you all so much for the support and kind words.. so helpful through this hard time!

Sophie is doing well! Continues to be a slow recovery but she is holding on!
This last weekend I noticed her gaping and found a worm in her poop so she has been taking Safeguard dewormer.. she had her last treatment this morning. I did this treatment a few weeks ago but failed to follow up in 10 days, I will not be missing that this time!

Her weight has finally gone up a bit and has been holding at over 1lb 8oz for over a week!!! She is finally 1 pound and a half and that feels like such an accomplishment!!

The chicken chair is GREAT and seems to be doing wonders for getting her legs and feet back to working order.

Below are some pics as I was making it - lets call this Trial and Error, lol a few modifications continued over that weekend.





Dont make this so tight!! You'll see below i quickly modified it so she was more supported by the fabric (see below)




My sis has been calling her my "pocket chicken" for month.. lol i proved her right!


The other chickens have been pretty mean to sophie since shes been sick but Serenity still seems to like her! She was fiesty with her yesterday though.... hmmmmmmmmm



Sophie and my sisters dog Ellie! Ellie loves this little chicken soooooo much!

I am really pleased to hear that she is gaining some weight and that you have been able to treat some of her issues instead of just maintaining her in poor condition. It is natural that the other chickens are less accepting of her since she is away from the flock for so much time but as long as you can nurse her back to health she will eventually be able to reintegrate. Do keep us updated on her progress, we are all rooting for Sophie!

 

[Woobsie]

Sooooo great to hear! She looks wonderful!
My 2 that were quite sick made a full recovery and much to their dismay had to be reintroduced back into the flock because I am 1 week overdue and want to make sure my in laws can keep everyone together, fed and watered while I am in the hospital. They definitely get picked on because the pecking order has to get reestablished and the roosters seems to need to dominate them as well. My little bantam Japanese roo was fighting with the one hen 6x his size....but if they are strong and healthy it's usually ok to let them settle things with a watchful eye. The 2 hens have been spoiled with treats, attention and unlimited free ranging ...vacation is over!
Is Sophie eating her feed well or more eating treats?

 

[ChickieMandy]

Sooooo great to hear! She looks wonderful!
My 2 that were quite sick made a full recovery and much to their dismay had to be reintroduced back into the flock because I am 1 week overdue and want to make sure my in laws can keep everyone together, fed and watered while I am in the hospital. They definitely get picked on because the pecking order has to get reestablished and the roosters seems to need to dominate them as well. My little bantam Japanese roo was fighting with the one hen 6x his size....but if they are strong and healthy it's usually ok to let them settle things with a watchful eye. The 2 hens have been spoiled with treats, attention and unlimited free ranging ...vacation is over!
Is Sophie eating her feed well or more eating treats?

First off - congrats on your bundle of joy! And good luck!

So glad your hens came around! I know the getting re-established will be hard but I look forward to that battle at this point! lol
I just wish I could get her standing/walking on her own again but it's been such a slow process >.<

She's still been on organic chick grower/starter, she eats mostly feed, I've reduced treats, egg yolks not every day, more like weekly. She eats a good amount with just a little water in the feed to make it mushy. I also try to get her outside to munch on grass and bugs but she isn't all that interested sometimes in foraging...

My other chickens will be switching to layer feed in a week.... Any thoughts would be appreciated regarding feed!

P.s. Happy Fourth of July!

 

[Woobsie]

Thank you!
Happy 4th of July as well! We celebrated our Canada Day on Friday July 1st but I am pretty sure we do it the same up here..terrifying pets with fireworks and bbq. Lol
Sounds like you are doing everything well. Have you tried meal worms and sunflower seeds to get her supermotivated to try moving around more? Shelled peas and corn kernals also. Plain yogurt every few days seems to do wonders for overall health.
Sometimes it just takes a long time. Last yeat at this time my hen Rusty was attacked by another hen she was littermates with and I could see bare scalp. She's perfectly fine now and gets along with everyone but at the time it was a long recovery. Satisfying to see them integrate again or at least have 1 friend.
I had 5 japanese banties hatch last week and I have tried for over a year with this hen. She let die 3 sets of babies ( a total of 4 chicks) so I tried once more and shes in the safe zone...dont give up!

 

[ChickenChaser9]

First off - congrats on your bundle of joy! And good luck!

So glad your hens came around! I know the getting re-established will be hard but I look forward to that battle at this point! lol
I just wish I could get her standing/walking on her own again but it's been such a slow process >.<

She's still been on organic chick grower/starter, she eats mostly feed, I've reduced treats, egg yolks not every day, more like weekly. She eats a good amount with just a little water in the feed to make it mushy. I also try to get her outside to munch on grass and bugs but she isn't all that interested sometimes in foraging...

My other chickens will be switching to layer feed in a week.... Any thoughts would be appreciated regarding feed!

P.s. Happy Fourth of July!

it is peculiar tip more that she is still struggling to get around. I think a professional opinion would be a good idea. She should be showing signs of recovery so of her condition does not improve then a good vet should hopefully shed some light on what it's going on. Best wishes as always we're 0rooting for Sophie.