The name is the most creativity I could muster when I found her . It was late afternoon when I went out to feed the horses and this youngster wouldn't budge. She let me pick her up without a fuss. Dang!! She has a broken leg! That is not a good sign since most little ones would just perish from the shock. I figured she was just holding on and I set her in a box in my workshop and concluded I would have a dead pullet by morning. I set food and water and she practically lunged at it. Good sign.
When she was still alive in the morning I knew I now had to do something about her leg. She was amazingly compliant when I got her on her side and gently pulled the leg as straight at I could get it, put on a splint made from cardboard and taped it up with vet wrap. She camped out in her little box for a couple weeks and we did chicky PT a couple times a day. She had no balance and made no attempt at walking so I just held her up under her breastbone and we stretched legs and moved up and down. We went outside a couple times a day to keep her spirits up, but made sure we stayed away from the flock. She was "different" and had evoked a violent response from "The Old Biddy" hen. They would no doubt want to attack since she was now an outcast. We turned the corner when one morning I went to work and she was perched on the top edge of the box! She was learning how to cope with her handicap and was coming along with her walking. Then I lost her in the shop! She wasn't really hiding from me but had just FLOWN to the top bank of cabinets and perched there for the night.
Through all of this we have become quite close! She always lets me pick her up and we check out the flowers and all the best places for a bite to eat. She's becoming more accepted by the rest of the flock and I expect one of these evenings she will go in the coop to perch for the night. My little Chick Chick is not going to need me for much longer!
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