With the exception of our barn cat incident, we have had an uneventful chicken raising experience, up until a couple weeks ago……
It was dark and VERY cold the night I went out to shut up the coop and realized a chicken was missing. I called for her and looked around with a flash light, but there was not much I could do at that point. So thinking she had found a nice place in the barn to spend the night I shut up the coop and went in. The next morning I fully expected her to be standing at the coop door wanting in,… but she wasn’t… After collecting eggs I started searching, and after about 20 minutes (beginning to worry I’d only find feathers) there she was! She was stuck behind some chain link gates that were leaning against a rock wall, alert but making no sound. Just quietly hanging there with one wing above her head and her feet dangling off the ground. I couldn’t get her out by myself, so Digger came out and lifted the gates up while I pried her wing out of the gate. I immediately started inspecting her injuries when my husband politely asked me to move out from between the rock wall and the stack of gates he was balancing for her retrieval.
Day One: Chicken Hospital
She was very cold but alert. One of her legs wasn’t working so she couldn’t stand at all, and the one wing seemed tender. We took her into Diggers shop and set up a “chicken hospital”, and she immediately started eating and drinking. As cold as she’d been I figured when she warmed up she would bounce right back. But that was not the case.
Later that day in the nice warm shop, she wasn’t looking so good. We tried to get her to walk by tempting her with scratch. She really wanted it and would try to stand, but would just flop over, and then give up. In spite of all this, she LAID AN EGG that afternoon!?
Day Two: Discussions
She still wasn’t looking good the next morning….maybe worse. She was now sitting on the floor with one leg strait out in front of her and the other stretched out behind her. It looked painful and she was not even trying to get up. Digger and I had a few discussions that day that sounded about like this:
Digger: “Do you want me to wring her neck?”
Me: “Well, I don’t know……..let’s see how she’s doing later today”
Digger: “Just let me know, I’m not sure I like having a chicken in my shop”
A few hours later…….
Me: “She doesn’t look so good, maybe we should put her out of her misery”
Digger: “She’s still alert and she doesn’t look like she’s giving up, maybe we should give her a couple days?”
It went back and forth like this all day.
Day Three: Stinky Chicken
By day three she was not so affectionately being called “Stinky”. This was Diggers idea…. (He was the one stuck working in the shop with her.) Lets just say the name suited her well! She spent most of the day sleeping, yet seemed alert and very interested in whatever nibbles were presented to her. Despite not being able to move, she managed to lay another egg, but still wasn’t looking so good. The discussions continued until that evening when Digger paused to tell her she was going to be soup if she didn’t buck up soon, (the smell was getting to him). As if on cue, she pulled her legs up under her body and tried to stand. I guess she didn’t want to be soup.
Day Four: No Chicken Soup
A good day! She kept her legs under her and even took a couple steps. Digger managed to get her to roost for a couple of minutes on the handle of his forge. It was hard for her to grip and balance, but she managed it. It was amazing how amiable she was to all our fussing and fiddling with her. I was finally convinced that she was going to make it, so I put my soup recipes away. 😀
Day Five
She was now standing up and taking very slow, careful steps, but still sleeping most of the day. Digger did the math and realized the replacement value of all her eggs should she die would be well over $200.00, but was still anxious (to put it mildly) to get her healthy and OUT of his shop!
Day Six
Slowly getting better, walking a little more. When it got dark out she started looking up for a roost. (It’s a wonder how she knew it was getting dark with the shop lights on for hours after sunset, and only two small windows she couldn’t even see.) She hopped up on a little tool box wanting to get higher but had to settle there for the night. It was nice to see her trying to act like a chicken again.
Knowing she couldn’t go back with the other girls until she could balance on a roost all night, we kept encouraging her rehabilitation. Digger would place her on the handle of his forge several times a day, and even shaped a tin to hang from a higher handle that she could only reach from the “roost”. She became very determined to stay up there when a pinch of scratch was dropped in the tin.
Day Seven
It was a nice day out so we took her outside to get some fresh air!! The other hens seemed happy to see her. She hobbled around and nibbled at grass but was soon worn out.
Day Eight
Spent most of the day outside. She couldn’t keep up with the rest of the girls but was VERY happy to be outside. 😀 It’s absolutely unbelievable how fast she is healing!!
Day Nine
It snowed out and she was not fond of the idea of being outside. So she spent the day hanging out with Digger and playing around in the shop. Well, maybe I should say “pooping around the shop”. The name Stinky is still very appropriate!
Day Ten
The sun was shining bright and I went to the shop first thing to see if she wanted to go out. She was waiting right by the door and quickly walked out with barely a limp!! She still couldn’t manage to get up on the roost that evening so we brought her in to the shop for ONE more night. Digger wasn’t to happy when she hopped up on the counter knocking a bunch of stuff on the floor and of course pooped on his bench! No more nights in the shop for Stinky. 😀
Day Eleven: Back With the Flock
Back with the flock and laying eggs!!
Digger now officially has his very own chicken….whether he likes it or not! She follows him around outside and if the shop doors are open, guess who walks right in and makes herself at home. 🙂 I’m so glad we didn’t put her in the crock pot!! Think of all those eggs she’s still going to lay, and the wonderful story we have to tell of a sweet, determined chicken named Stinky!
Awww, what a sweet story! I’m so glad it had a happy ending. It’s pretty amazing what chickens can recover from if given a little time. She is a beauty 🙂
Visiting from the Clever Chicks Blog Hop.
What a wonderful story of the recovery of ‘Stinky’. She is definitely a survivor huh?
I am visiting from the Clever Chicks Blog Hop! I am subscribing to your blog now so I wont miss your future posts 🙂
Holly
Coming soon…”Backyard Chicken Lady” http://backyardchickenlady.blogspot.com
Yipee! I love a chicken story with a happy ending! Thanks for sharing it with all of us. (Stopped by from Clever Chicks)
Thanks for dropping by Joan! I visit your blog often, I love reading about your ladies 🙂
I love that she not only got better but fell in love with Digger- It’s like a fairy tale for a chicken- She was rescued by her prince:)
What a wonderful story- I love a happy ending! Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week!
Cheers,
Kathy Shea Mormino
The Chicken Chick
http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com
Stinky is lucky she doesn’t live here 😉 Congrats on nursing her back to health!
Thanks for sharing this on The HomeAcre Hop! See you Thursday on the next hop!
http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/04/the-homeacre-hop-13.html
Stinky looks like she has a personality very much her own — all animals do, don’t they? I enjoyed the story and the day by day photos.
She does!! Thanks for dropping by Carolyn.
How sweet! Some people have shop cats, he has a shop chick!
Aww, what a precious story! And what a wonderful little friend Digger has gained. 🙂 Is she a red star? I can’t tell the differences between chickens, so forgive me if I’ve guessed wrong. I have two red stars and Stinky resembles them very much!
I’d like to invite you to share this post and up to two others at Farm Girl Blog Fest #28, which is live right now. You would be a great addition to the wonderful posts that are shared!
Farm Girl Friday Blog Fest #28
Hope to see you there!
~Kristi@Let This Mind Be in You
Hi Kristi, thanks for visiting and the invite, I shared a couple posts at your blog fest! We call Stinky a Golden Buff but I think Red Star might be another name for that breed? I saw the pictures of your girls on your blog and they do look very much alike!
Oh dear, please forgive me–I can’t always remember who shares and who doesn’t on the Blog Fest. I’m so happy you do! I absolutely loved this story.
I *thought* our girls looked similar! I think you might be right about Golden Buff and Red Star being the same. Have you heard that they are also called Cinnamon Queens? I’m thinking of referring to the girls that way when people ask, it’s such a sweet breed name. 🙂
Thanks for being so gracious with my mistake!
Kristi
Oh No, I didn’t mean I had shared before I just NOW shared a couple posts. I need to be more clear…LOL! Anyway, I like Cinnamon Queen too it suits them well! I wish they would call them all the same name. I think each hatchery makes up their own name?? Have a great weekend Kristi!!
Ohhh, gotcha! Well, I’m glad to have met you! I think I will really enjoy your blog. I’ll be subbing by email once I’m done with this comment.
~Kristi, the other Cinnamon Queen owner 😉
Great story, along with the pics! Glad ol’ Stinky survived!
Oh dear you must have been so shocked to find her hanging there. I do appreciate that you documented her loving and therapeutic rehabilitation. I have my head hen recovering from double bumble foot surgery right now and she finds it very hard to stand, walk and roost. I take heart from Stinky’s resilience after such a trauma. You can read my hen s story at http://findingfifth.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/bumble-foot-surgery-and-post-op-care.html
A wonderful story !!! Hope and grace and mercy… in spite of the assorted chicken untidiness 🙂 Stinky needs a new name !!
I think Stinky is stuck with that name, out of endearment of course! She is our favorite chicken, my daughter is even going to take her to the fair next month. 🙂 She is the most well behaved chicken we have…and not stinky at all! Thanks for stopping by.
My first visit with The Queen and am exploring your site while I wait for the Homemade White Sandwich Bread you posted to rise. Just found your site and the recipe today doing a search. I love this story! What a beautiful ending – or more appropriate: What a beautiful (new) beginning – for Stinky & Digger! I am looking forward to catching up on the other posted entries and your recipes! Thank you!!
So glad you found us Chey!! Hope you enjoyed some nice warm homemade bread with lots of butter melted on it. 🙂 Stinky is on her way to the fair next week, she is such a sweetie!
The bread is PERFECT! I’ll have to leave a comment on the recipe page – lovely crust and delicious!! More so with ….. yes, lots of butter (at least once 🙂
Stinky should win just for the fact she probably is the only chicken ever to have a fan base! : ) She is so deserving. Thanks, again for sharing, Grace.
Haha I think you’re right!! She does have lots of fans 🙂
Ok Grace, I seriously LOVE this story!! I love animals anyway, and love our “girls”, but you all went above and beyond for your “girl” Stinky 🙂 I would have done the same but I wonder if Loren would have been as good with letting one of our girls hang out in the garage with him as Jess was 🙂
Great story and I’m so glad she is doing so well!
Haha! Hi Jen!! Never thought I would love these darn chickens as much as I do. I certainly never would have thought that both of us would be patient enough to nurse one back to health! It was worth it though. 🙂 So glad you came by my blog!