who has special needs birds?

[kinnip]

It's good to know I'm not the only sucker, but I might still be the biggest. Right now, I'm doing housework with Scooter strapped to me in a homemade sling.

 

[little white]

We need a picture of that!!!

 

[tfpets]

RIP PIRATE - ONE EYED CUCKOO MARANS

I shared Pirates story in a previous post.

Pirate is no longer with us, she was literally blindsided by an exhuberant pygmy goat, she didnt see it coming. She did not recover and her loss is a painful one. I cannot/will not be able to separate my chicken flock from my larger pets, but I may need to protect my special needs pets more diligently that I have. I feel awful, I did not see this coming either? I was right there, and she was distracted by a piece of fruit - it was horrid!

 

[gritsar]

Lil' Bit, a dark brahma pullet, is my special needs chick. She has some kind of vision problem. She can see, but it takes her a long time to focus on what she's looking at. The others picked on her a bit when she was little, but I applied pine tar and ended that. She's still smaller than the others and for some reason my rooster Thor really has the hots for her.

When she sees him giving her the eye she comes running to me.
I spent a few weeks babying her, giving her extra feedings, and carrying her to where the others free-range then supervising.
The other day, when she let me pick her up for a quick petting but then struggled to get down so she could join the others, I realized she doesn't need me anymore.

I think if you have the time then a special needs chick is definitely worth the extra work. I have a special bond with Lil' Bit and I'm sure I always will.

 

[revelu]

I have 2, one a blue andalusian with a twisted leg, the other is brand new, newly hatched quail baby with very crossed beak and only one eye--- but little Dan seems very happy, is eating and drinking and doesn't know anything's wrong! (Dan Quail, of course)

 

[kinnip]

tfpets, I'm so sorry.

gritsar, they grow up too fast don't they? :aww
little white, I'll work on that picture.

 

[Chickenaddict]

I have 2 special needs hens one is a buff black tailed japanese i bought at a local animal swap when she was 2 yrs old she is 3 now. Her feet were soooo badly neglected and infested with scaly mites and apparent nerve damage from severe frostbite from being kept out in the cold when she should have been in a heated coop, all but one toe on each foot had fallen off and the rest of her legs were a mess. I didn't check her legs or feet before i bought her i realized it when i got her home but even if i had saw her handicap i still would have bought her. She hates being held but loves her weekly footsoaks and monthly baths. Her feet and legs are still in rough shape and there are days when she cant jump 2 inches off the ground or come out of her coop in the garage but i keep soaking her feet and treating them with vasoline and veggie oil along with lots of treats and tlc. She has a best friend who is a dutch bantam she also lives in her garage coop for companionship. They both go outside everyday to free range and i keep a "special rug" out there for pumpkin to sit on for extra relief for her poor feet. She holds her own with the rest of the flock that comes to the front yard everyday to hang out with her and the other hen.

Second special needs hen is rory a black cochin bantam i had gotten as a day old chick. Last fall/winter she got nipped in the eye by another hen and had problems with that eye ever since. She is now pretty much blind in that eye. She spent the winter in the house with me while i was nursing her back to health she became broody, with being broody she wouldn't poop in her pen she insisted i take her outside so i did and ill be darned if she wasnt house broken! When the broodiness wore off so did the house breaking so she went back outside with the rest for a short time before she started coming up to the garage and scratching at the door to come in the house. SHe now lives in the garage coop with the other 2 hens mentioned. I wouldnt have it any other way and they will be here to live out the rest of their lives happy and comfortable with lots of love, hugs, and kisses

 

[Anny]

I have a special needs chicken, the vets believe she had a stroke or some type of brain tumor. She seems to have nerve damage. She falls over and can't seem to keep control of her body all the time. She lives happily in a smaller cage inside the coop, with her own food and water.

I also just found this while bubbling around the internet, I wonder if it's photoshopped or not?

 

[MoodyChicken]

My Modern Game hen, Over Easy, has Gleet. It's mild compared to having handicapped poultry, but she needs special care. It's basically the chicken equivalent of Crone's Disease and Herpes combined.

I also have Stewie who survived Marek's Disease. He has a permanent limp now, but he gets around fine.

I used to have a Polish with a bizarre genetic disorder (he basically lost the ability to control his head). I found a treatment but he had to be treated every 12 hours otherwise he'd "lose his head" again. I didn't have the time to properly treat him on schedule and I felt bad watching him suffer, so we put him down.

 

[MoodyChicken]

Quote:
Your hen may benefit from Hypericum. That's what we treated our Polish with that couldn't control his head.