Coop for special needs chicken - ADVICE PLEASE

[TJAnonymous]

I have a special needs chicken who essentially has only one good leg. She clumsily hops on one leg to move around but generally lays on the ground most of the time. Her other leg is deformed and stretches straight backwards. At times she somewhat uses it for balance but not well. I currently have her in a puppy pen with some friends - 4 new ducklings who will be moving out soon, a young Silkie, and a new chick I had to take from its mother. I am hoping she will bond with the Silkie and maybe the chick but I don't really want to keep them indoors forever more. I was hoping to build a small coop with run or even buy a pre-fab one that could allow these 2-3 chickens to be out in the main run with the big chickens but still separated. It would have to be something at ground level that she could easily navigate. There's no way she could navigate a steep ramp or stairs, for example. If it's ground level, I can put down straw or shavings for them to bed down in.

Thoughts? Advice?

This is her as of today... She is a little under 2 months old now.

 

[azygous]

Your heart is big, and I know you care about this disabled pullet. But I'm concerned about what is underlying her disability. Was she this way from day one? Or has this disability appeared more recently? If so, when and how did it manifest?

 

[Aunt Angus]

I am *almost* done with mine for a chicken with an uncorrected slipped tendon. It is on the ground with no ramp. No roosts (I put in a guinea pig cave instead). A short run (as in not walk-in). Soft, fine pine shavings. I'll adjust as things arise.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Your heart is big, and I know you care about this disabled pullet. But I'm concerned about what is underlying her disability. Was she this way from day one? Or has this disability appeared more recently? If so, when and how did it manifest?

Yes, she was born with a deformed foot but I think I UNINTENTIONALLY made it worse.

This video was her with her mama when I first noticed it. At the time I thought she had a broken leg. It was only after I snagged her away from mama that I realized it was deformed. But more importantly you can see in the video that she WAS able to walk on it (or hobble).

When I brought her inside, I had her in a box with a MHP. She would push herself way to the back part of the MHP cave. My theory is that her leg was routinely pushed out behind her when under the MHP and her bones solidified in an abnormal position making her deformity even worse. She has had 2 nails/toe ends on that foot which died. She picked at them until they came off. They have since healed up. The only other oddity I've been watching closely on her is a strange lump on her belly. You can see it here -

I do clean her belly regularly since she is always laying on the ground and comes in contact with poop. Her skin isn't irritated or showing any skin problems. She eats, drinks, and preens herself just fine. Other than not being able to walk well, she seems healthy and normal.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Here's a picture of how she normally sits with the leg stretched out behind her.

After I moved her from a puppy pad to shavings, she was much more comfortable and had less poop on her belly.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I wouldn't be so quick to assume you made it worse. I don't think you'll ever know. But for that baby, I'd also put multiple feeders/waterers down low so she can have access to them.

I'm looking into making some sort of splint for my girl. There are lots of prosthetics on etsy. I'm not saying you *should* do something like that for her, but it might be an option to keep her underside clean. A diaper might not be bad, either.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I wouldn't be so quick to assume you made it worse. I don't think you'll ever know. But for that baby, I'd also put multiple feeders/waterers down low so she can have access to them.

I'm looking into making some sort of splint for my girl. There are lots of prosthetics on etsy. I'm not saying you *should* do something like that for her, but it might be an option to keep her underside clean. A diaper might not be bad, either.

I have tried a few things to no avail. I tried to make a hobble from pipe cleaners which I have used successfully for splay leg. That may have worked in the early days if I had realized what was happening sooner. Needless to say it only made her completely unable to move without falling on her face. She would have certainly injured herself so I took it off.

I also tried to make her a prosthetic using a sponge, flexible foam board, and some vet wrap. That didn't work either. As a last resort, I reached out to the vet at University of Arkansas who runs their poultry department and asked if he knew anyone in the biomedical engineering department who might be interested in making a prosthetic but he wasn't much help either.

She does flop & hop her way around the pen she's in and seems much happier now with friends to keep her company. I am a bit concerned about how she will fair outside in rain or even the one snow we get each year... But as long as she has a warm, dry coop she can access, I hope she will be OK. If not, I'm not sure my DH would be very happy about making her (and her friends) a house chicken.

 

[NatJ]

I was hoping to build a small coop with run or even buy a pre-fab one that could allow these 2-3 chickens to be out in the main run with the big chickens but still separated. It would have to be something at ground level that she could easily navigate.

I would suggest it be a rectangle shape, longer than it is wide. Put solid walls on one end, and part of the sides at that end. Put hardware cloth on the rest of each long side, and the other short end. Roof the whole thing, and put bedding everywhere inside it.

That way she can get in and out of the sheltered area without having to go too far or through any doors, and will never get stuck without a roof over her head. Face the pen so the sheltered end blocks the direction rain & wind most often come from.

Put feed & water in the sheltered area and the open area, so she never has to go far to eat and drink.

Dimensions will depend somewhat on how much space you have, and how well she is able to travel. I don't know those things, so I'll guess maybe 3-4 feet wide, by 10-12 feet long? With the sheltered area being 3-4 feet at one end, with maybe even more of the length sheltered when winter comes. The deeper it is, the less likely rain or wind is to reach all the way to the back.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I would suggest it be a rectangle shape, longer than it is wide. Put solid walls on one end, and part of the sides at that end. Put hardware cloth on the rest of each long side, and the other short end. Roof the whole thing, and put bedding everywhere inside it.

That way she can get in and out of the sheltered area without having to go too far, and will never get stuck without a roof over her head. Face the pen so the sheltered end blocks the direction rain & wind most often come from.

Put feed & water in the sheltered area and the open area, so she never has to go far to eat and drink.

Dimensions will depend somewhat on how much space you have, and how well she is able to travel. I don't know those things, so I'll guess maybe 3-4 feet wide, by 10-12 feet long? With the sheltered area being 3-4 feet at one end, with maybe even more of the length sheltered when winter comes. The deeper it is, the less likely rain or wind is to reach all the way to the back.

These are good suggestions. I can implement some in my soon-to-be set up.

Here's my dog house to coop so far. It will be in our flower bed area once I get it all assembled. I just need to attach the roof, which has shingles. The coop has a 30 sq ft covered run we still need to assemble, too. It has gable vents and 2 high windows for ventilation. It's basically a 3.5' x 4' box with a wall 8 can open for access/cleaning. Not the most people-friendly set up, but it should work for the chickens (pictured below the coop; ignore the duck - she's an attention hog). The buff is partially blind, and the frizzle has the slipped tendon.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I would suggest it be a rectangle shape, longer than it is wide. Put solid walls on one end, and part of the sides at that end. Put hardware cloth on the rest of each long side, and the other short end. Roof the whole thing, and put bedding everywhere inside it.

That way she can get in and out of the sheltered area without having to go too far or through any doors, and will never get stuck without a roof over her head. Face the pen so the sheltered end blocks the direction rain & wind most often come from.

Put feed & water in the sheltered area and the open area, so she never has to go far to eat and drink.

Dimensions will depend somewhat on how much space you have, and how well she is able to travel. I don't know those things, so I'll guess maybe 3-4 feet wide, by 10-12 feet long? With the sheltered area being 3-4 feet at one end, with maybe even more of the length sheltered when winter comes. The deeper it is, the less likely rain or wind is to reach all the way to the back.

I'm having trouble visualizing what you are trying to describe. Are you able to draw it on a piece of paper and take a picture?

I was going to purchase this little fenced kennel and put it inside my chicken yard between the goat house and the main coop. This will allow a "see but don't touch" capability between them and the big chickens. This placement should also help block the wind and sun for the most part.


What I THINK you are describing is like a mini run-in type shed that is essentially open on one whole side but still under a roof? Kind of like this but on a much smaller chicken-sized scale....