Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Chicken in the bathroom (again)

Today I did something that I have never done in almost 41 years of living. I took a chicken to the vet. Why? This morning when I went outside to open the chicken coop, I found our favorite little chicken, Sarah, stuck to the wire netting on the chicken ramp. She had most likely been stuck there all night long with her toes caught in the wire and her leg pulled out behind her body. When I unhooked her the leg was completely stiff, cold and deformed looking. I was beside myself. When I shut the chickens in for the night yesterday, she must have just been getting ready to jump off the bottom of the ramp when I closed it. I don't usually open the coop and look in after I close the ramp, so I didn't realize her foot was stuck. I sobbed when I went inside to tell my husband what had happened because I felt responsible for her injury. Unfortunately, we both had to get out the door, DH to take my oldest son to school, and I to get to work. Luckily, my husband's schedule allowed him to come home and bring Sarah inside around noon. He held her for a long time and warmed her up. Gradually he was able to reposition her foot and leg so they looked more normal. He set up our "brooder box" in the bathroom to keep her in. When I got home I called the vet and they suggested we bring her in. So my little guy and I loaded up the chicken in her box and headed to the vet. Luckily, she did not break any bones. She also seems to still have some intact nerves in that leg. The vet is worried about her circulation, however, and gave her a steroid shot. The wounded leg is very swollen and is still colder than the other leg. Hopefully the steroid will reduce inflammation and that, perhaps, will get her circulation going again. For now, she is living a life of luxury in our bathroom. It is about 69 degrees in our house as compared to less than 20 degrees for the other four chickens out in the coop. She may decide she wants to be a house chicken from now on. We are certainly babying her a lot. Within a week we will probably know whether or not her leg will recover. I will be sure to keep you all updated. Below you can see her in her luxury suite. She is sticking her wing out to help keep her balance. I truly hope she recovers with no long-term damage. She has always been our most inquisitive and out-going chicken. She certainly has the pluck and stamina to come through this ordeal unscathed.


2 comments:

LindaLea said...

I hope Sarah recovers! We had a terrible cold stretch, and one of our 10yr old's hen lost an entire foot from having it freeze. She's doing really well, though. It's amazing how they can adapt. Hopefully, Sarah won't become a "Stumpy" as our son has renamed his hen...

originalkat said...

I love all your chicken posts! They are just perfect for the aspiring Backyard Chicken Farmer. I clicked on the Chicken tab and read from your first post until this one. Thanks for sharing! I hope Sarah feels better soon.