Topic of the Week - "Special Needs" Chickens

[sumi]

This has turned into a really amazing, heartwarming thread. Thanks so much for all your stories!

 

[CoopintheWoods]

I have a special needs chicken, an Favorelle named Lucy. Lucy was the sweetest chicken imaginable. If someone entered the coop, Lucy would wait at their feet for petting or hugs. She had always been at the bottom of the pecking order in my main coop. One night I found Lucy lying on the floor, unable to walk, with her cute little beard all but gone. She was immediately placed in a large dog crate in the garage, away from the other chickens. It was soon determined that Lucy had broken her leg. We could not splint it, for we did not know where it was broken. We tried to sit her in a sling, but it appeared to make the pain worse. So we left her in a soft bed of shavings to heal. In almost two months, Lucy was walking and appeared to not be in much pain. However, she walks with a permanent limp, and the other hens would surely attack her. So she was left with me for her only company. Until Pumpkin came along.
Pumpkin is a Buff Orpington hen. For some reason, the other hens were intent on killing her. They would chase her, and peck her all day. She was removed from the main coop when I found her trapped in a dust-bathing hole, with several of the other hens standing on her and hurting her. So she was placed in another dog crate in the garage.
When the mostly-healed Lucy was introduced to Pumpkin, they became almost-instant friends. Since Lucy has very little use of one leg, she cannot scratch for worms. Instead, Pumpkin scratches up the leaves, and allows Lucy to follow her and eat the bugs. Pumpkin also looks out for Lucy's safety. Each morning, Lucy must be picked up and removed from the coop, or else she will hurt herself tumbling down the ramp. Once, as I removed her, I accidentally touched her bad leg, and she screeched in pain. (this never happened again) Pumpkin bit and scratched until I put Lucy down. This is the only time I have been attacked by a chicken, and she did it for all the right reasons. Even after her injury, Lucy is still very sweet and loves hugs.

And that's my story.

 

[GreatBreeder]

This has turned into a really amazing, heartwarming thread. Thanks so much for all your stories!

x500,000,000

 

[LilJoe]

I've got a 'brain damaged' silkie named Sweet-Pea.
Love her to death. She hasn't and won't (?) lay any eggs and is scared of all my pther chickens.

 

[GreatBreeder]

So is the Sweet-Pea in that RP also brain-damaged?

On a serious note what was her story?

 

[Poultrybreeder]

I used to have a Black Sexlink hen that was the biggest pet in the world, one day she lost almost the entire top of her bill, (there was only enough left to see it). She refused to eat, and began to lose weight, I got dog kibble, and put it just at the beginning of her throat, she would swallow, and then beg for more. Eventually she learned how to eat and drink again, and was happy. But one day she fell terribly ill, very inactive, losing weight rapidly, quit laying, and got a huge bald spot on her back. Again I gave her dog food, (the only reason I had her on that instead of chicken food, it was easier to pick up) but this time I was dosing her with a very powerful chicken antibiotic capsule after meals. She regained her health, but never started laying again, and the feathers on her back never completely returned. She continued to come down with this mysterious illness, but through the antibiotics and dog food, recovered every time, at least until the last time she came down with it. This time I did not start treating it in time, and it proved fatal, but, I think she had a good life while it lasted.

 

[Top Rooster]

My RSL Daisy certainly fits in this category. Within a few weeks of getting her as a POL pullet we noticed one of her eyes didn't dilate anymore. She's now completely blind in that eye. It has had zero effect on her health though, and she's so sweet she's become the only hen we will never get rid of. She'll run right up to you with her head cocked for her good eye, curious and bushy-tailed. I've had her peck at me a couple times due to curiosity but never out of meanness. She's about two years old now and still a great layer and companion. We love our special girl. <3

I have a hen blind in one eye too! She was pecked a lot as a chick by older hens when we were inergrating her to the flock she was eventually pecked in the eye and it bled it was a mess and she was taken out if the flock, eventually it healed and it came back as all grey she could not see out of that eye of course. Also her blindness effected her laying too she didn't lay at all for the first year of her life except once but that's it I was really surprised but I understood. After the first year she took baby steps torwards laying more, but now she lays every day! Oh, I forgot her name her name is Oreo and she's an Ancona. I don't have a picture of her anymore it got deleted but I'll get a knew one.

 

[LilJoe]

So is the Sweet-Pea in that RP also brain-damaged?

On a serious note what was her story?

Shes based off of Sweet-Pea , yes. But the RP Isnt brain- damaged...


Her whole story I don't really know.

I got her for my birthday along with a cockerel of the same age. We put her and the cockerel in with the other silkies, who were in a small coop at the time.

It took the cockerel awhile to go in by himself but Sweet-Pea never did.
She didnt eat.
She didnt drink.

Had to "force feed" her for a month or two before she drank and ate on her own.

When I let her and the other silkies out with the "big chickens" the wyandottes wpuld always pick on her and peck her in the head (making her "brain-damagness" worse.

Finally came to the conclusion that she was brain-damaged before I got her.
She was also most likely a house chicken for she is more like a puppy than a chicken and would rather be in a cage rather than "out in the world".

Since I didnt have her her whole life I don't know much...

~LilJoe

 

[MagpieDucks]

I have what I guess I would call a special needs chicken. She is a 3yr old RIR named Ruby. She lives by herself in a pen during the day and a tote in the garage at night. She started limping about 2 yrs ago, and we tried soaking her in Epsom salt and wrapping her foot but that didn't work. She eventually switched to hopping on one foot. Now, she sort of rocks back and forth between her legs to get around. She still lays an egg almost every day! If I don't let her out soon enough she jumps out of the tub and goes for a bug hunt in the yard!

 

[GreatBreeder]

Nice!