Today I was given a little chick, who I've since named Igor. (I don't know if its a boy or girl, but due to being named Igor, I will refer to as a male)
He looks like he could be somewhere around 6 weeks or so I'm guessing, he is almost fully feathered, still barring a couple of tiny body sections where he still has baby fluff.
He has gorgeous feathers, very long wings, lovely little tail...
And despite that, I am utterly surprised and amazed he has survived this long.
I went out to a farm to get some chicks, as they had an open day for buying, and a few other people were there.
I was looking around, trying to decide which ones I wanted, as there was a lot of choice, and I saw this woman pick up this little black feathered chick that was resting on the ground. She placed it inside a barrel, hidden away. Her daughter asked her what she was doing, and she said she wanted to take it home and eat it.
Mind you, this thing is small. It sits in my hand and is a perfect fit.
So as soon as she turned her back, I grabbed it and took to carrying it around because I wanted to talk to the owner about it. When she saw me holding it, she asked if I would like to have it, as it had some problems getting around, and needed care.
This young one just seems to have legs made of jello.
If you sit him on a floor with a smooth surface, the legs just don't sit right, they can slip and slide every which way, so the little one can be doing the splits to the sides, to the front and back. It's really odd.
Put him on a rougher surface, like a piece of carpet, or something with a bit more grip, and he can actually push himself to his feet and stand (not completely upright, but hey, his tummy is off the ground), he can walk (okay, so its more like a shuffle, but he's trying).... he eats, he drinks, in all respects other than his odd little weakened legs, he is perfectly healthy.
I want to know if there is any way I can help him get his legs... improve the muscles... somehow. I'm keeping him inside at the moment, he has his own cage, with a roughened floor, so he doesn't have to fend for himself...
What could also be the cause of this problem?
How has he survived so long having this problem, when he was out in the yard with all the other chickens at the farm? How has he not been eaten, I have no idea!
But he's utterly darling.
When I first got him home, I wanted to see what his limitations were, and sat him on the pavers to see how he went.
Not well, he toppled over sideways.
I put him on the polished timber floor, his legs slip and slide.
On the carpet, he can stand, on the dirt he can stand...
But yeah, I just wanna know how I can help him get his legs, apart from just keeping him isolated so he doesn't have to fend for his food, and he's not picked on and all that.
And PLEASE, I don't want to hear "cull him".
The little guy is a fighter... he's lived this long all on his own, so I'm not going to do that. Surely there has to be something that can help him build up those muscles in those legs?
He looks like he could be somewhere around 6 weeks or so I'm guessing, he is almost fully feathered, still barring a couple of tiny body sections where he still has baby fluff.
He has gorgeous feathers, very long wings, lovely little tail...
And despite that, I am utterly surprised and amazed he has survived this long.
I went out to a farm to get some chicks, as they had an open day for buying, and a few other people were there.
I was looking around, trying to decide which ones I wanted, as there was a lot of choice, and I saw this woman pick up this little black feathered chick that was resting on the ground. She placed it inside a barrel, hidden away. Her daughter asked her what she was doing, and she said she wanted to take it home and eat it.
Mind you, this thing is small. It sits in my hand and is a perfect fit.
So as soon as she turned her back, I grabbed it and took to carrying it around because I wanted to talk to the owner about it. When she saw me holding it, she asked if I would like to have it, as it had some problems getting around, and needed care.
This young one just seems to have legs made of jello.
If you sit him on a floor with a smooth surface, the legs just don't sit right, they can slip and slide every which way, so the little one can be doing the splits to the sides, to the front and back. It's really odd.
Put him on a rougher surface, like a piece of carpet, or something with a bit more grip, and he can actually push himself to his feet and stand (not completely upright, but hey, his tummy is off the ground), he can walk (okay, so its more like a shuffle, but he's trying).... he eats, he drinks, in all respects other than his odd little weakened legs, he is perfectly healthy.
I want to know if there is any way I can help him get his legs... improve the muscles... somehow. I'm keeping him inside at the moment, he has his own cage, with a roughened floor, so he doesn't have to fend for himself...
What could also be the cause of this problem?
How has he survived so long having this problem, when he was out in the yard with all the other chickens at the farm? How has he not been eaten, I have no idea!
But he's utterly darling.
When I first got him home, I wanted to see what his limitations were, and sat him on the pavers to see how he went.
Not well, he toppled over sideways.
I put him on the polished timber floor, his legs slip and slide.
On the carpet, he can stand, on the dirt he can stand...
But yeah, I just wanna know how I can help him get his legs, apart from just keeping him isolated so he doesn't have to fend for his food, and he's not picked on and all that.
And PLEASE, I don't want to hear "cull him".
The little guy is a fighter... he's lived this long all on his own, so I'm not going to do that. Surely there has to be something that can help him build up those muscles in those legs?
