Update: "Paralyzed" hen CAN WALK - She laid an egg!

[CrazyerThanAverage]

Nit went out free ranging with everyone yesterday and seemed to thoroughly enjoy herself. She did show that she is not quite up to 100% on her way back in, however. I "encourage" everyone to come back in the coup, when I want/need them to vs. at dusk, by scattering scratch around the run. Nit wasn't in the group that came in with me, and hearing the scratch being scattered, she was approaching at a run. The coup door has a 2 x 4 sill. Nit tripped over the sill and made a pretty impressive face plant. She got right up, with a "how did that happen" look on her face and started hunting scratch. No egg yet, but the rest of the ladies laid me an 18 pack yesterday.

The best sign of improvement...Nit was back on her normal perch with all the other ladies that came from the same place as her.

Come on Squirt, walking has advantages. Just look out for those sills!

Hmmm...Botulism. Have to look into that.

 

[Miss Lydia]

good to hear Nit can stumble or trip but still manage to get her fair share of scratch with out being too embarrassed. Go Nit

 

[Chicken Chat]

At least she didn't let that little trip keep her off the good perch.

 

[CrazyerThanAverage]

Nit is finally 100% A-OK!

I've missed those green eggs!

Chicken Chat - How is Squirt doing? Hopefully vastly improved.

We've been sending good chicken vibes your way.

It helps if you remember to insert the picture BEFORE pressing submit!

 

[Miss Lydia]

why to go Nit...

 

[Chicken Chat]

All Right Nit!

Glad to hear she is doing great!

Squirt is still not walking, not even trying. She's no longer moving her toes.

Her feet aren't cold so I know they have circulation going to them. We are still doing leg exercises twice a day but I can't really tell that it is helping. We are a little past 5 weeks now of no walking. The only positive thing is for the past week she has really gotten her appetite back. She's eating great and starting to put a little weight back on. She had a nasty skin irritation around the vent and lower ab. last week but I figured out that was from sitting in poo all day until I got back from work. She wasn't using her wings anymore to move herself away from it, still isn't. I had to rig up a rolled up towel system to put under her so her vent hung over and let the poo fall past the towel to keep her out of it. A couple of towels on either side of her to keep her steady and centered. The skin irritation cleared up the next day so one less worry.

Sorry, I can't spell today.

 

[CrazyerThanAverage]

Quote:
Chicken Chat - I am so sorry to hear Squirt isn't making progress. It certainly doesn't sound like it is because of lack of care and attention by you! She is a very lucky chicken to have such a caring human. I wish I had some ensight that would help, but I am stumped. The only positive thing I can offer is that sometimes chickens take a long time to recover. The 3 EE chickens I got the day after new years had suffered a bobcat attack shortly before I got them that left them with wounds and no tails. Shortly after I got them home, I discovered they were also sick with a bad case of Infectious Bronchitis. After a month and a half of intensive care they got healthy enough to start laying brown eggs. (Which is disapointing for EEs I was told laid green.) They are still in isolation waiting on their tails to grow back enough to put them in with the others when, last week, I found a green egg! I had never gotten 3 eggs in one day from them and, appearantly, one of them hadn't been laying since I got her. So, the moral of this long winded story is, chickens heal slowly...but they heal. Hopefully Squirt will get there eventually. Nit & I will keep sending the good chicken vibes your way.

 

[Chicken Chat]

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm not sure how long they can go without using their legs, I'm worried about her muscles. She's getting pretty stiff so I've had to lengthen the leg stretches to try to loosen her up again. It's easiest for me if she is on her back so we can do our Jane Fonda, but she tolerates it with a little pillow under her head. Her tummy area is a little pink from laying on it all this time. I've tried to prop her on her side to give that area a break but she refuses, flapping like crazy until she rights herself. I'm worried about bedsores, can chickens get bedsores? I'm guessing they can. I rubbed some vit e gel on her this morning to see if that would help.
The poor baby has no quality of life. It's still too cold to let her have some outside time in the sun. If it is a nerve thing, I wonder how long it takes for nerves to heal? I know a long time. A lady I talked to around here who has nursed lots of chickens back to health thought maybe it was a stroke due to her age. I don't know what that looks like.

I'm glad I don't live in an area that I have to worry about bobcat attacks. Good job on nursing your EE's back to health after all that. That isn't fun to have to walk around with no tail.

 

[Chicken Chat]

Hey, I forgot to ask about Rosie. Last heard she may have had a sour crop?