So I am having chicken issues. I have a drafty, crapola backyard dog breeding shed that I have converted to use temporarily for my chickens. However, even with a major heat light, I am still having problems with the birds getting too cold?
How cold, you ask? Cold enough to have to think about prosthetic chicken feet.
I have 3 house chickens. All are Belgian Bearded D'Uccles, which is an abominably cute breed with no tolerance to cold. The rooster gets sniffles if he gets in any kind of a draft or if the house temp drops below 50 degrees.
Needless to say, the bf is not thrilled about another house chicken. Much less a house chicken that will grow up to be a full size chicken in less than a year. Right now, she is about the size of a full grown bantam. That will change soon.
How did this happen?!---let me fill you in. I have been losing toenails off of my birds because of the ridiculous cold. I have taken to locking the girls up 24/7 to keep them out of the snow. This works most of the time. Then I feel sorry for them and let them out for an afternoon and someone always gets cold. The older hens that have made it through a winter do not have problems with anything--they step outside and then come right back in. It is the babies, like this one, that just do not have the experience to know when too much is too much.
I think this particular baby got herself wet in the water dish and did not think to get herself dry. So perhaps she went out and played in the snow while she was wet. Or stood in the water (despite single digit temps outside) and pecked bits of corn or something out of it. I don't know. All I know is that her feet are totally frozen, totally zombie-fied, up to an including about a half inch of her actual LEG.
Now...if I was not a sucker for chickens, I would just take the machete and end this particular pullet's problems. If I cannot think of a reasonable solution that will keep her comfortable, I will make the bf do so anyway. To note: the bf and the dad say chopping block. I say that the hen is still eating comfortably, drinking water, and has no signs of not wanting to live anymore.
I have rehabbed a hen from serious, should have ended her life soft tissue injuries to her legs (she has squashed by a dog and could not stand). I was almost through rehabbing a chick from a seizure injury to her leg when she was eaten by something (GR!!). So rehab is really not an issue in my mind.
This is the question: do I want another house chicken?
A: Not really, but if it necessary fine. She will HAVE to have a diaper though.
In my mind, there are a couple of things to consider when trying to make prosthetic feet for a chicken. First is that the surface area really does not need to be THAT big...just stable.
1. ease of putting on and removal--means fabric or something soft, like a pencil grip
2. ease of cleaning--nuff said
3.interface with leg--the replacement has to be soft to ensure the comfort of the bird.
With that, I am brainstorming with a super smart mechanical engineering undergrad I know in a couple of hours.
Picture of prosthetic 1 would NOT upload. GR x 2.
No comments:
Post a Comment