Avie the House Chicken

More about Avie

Avie is our house chicken. She is very photogenic!

And she loves snuggles and hugs.

Avie was found one morning lying in the coop with the rest of the chickens, unable to stand or walk. She had never shown problems up until that day, so we assumed she had hurt one of her legs and brought her in for further inspection. Indeed, she could not put weight on her left leg, and she was frightfully ill. After an Epson salt soak, some warm scrambled egg and broccoli, and a fresh drink Avie acted as though she felt better. So, it was time for a thorough inspection, and what we found was shocking to say the least. Avie had an exposed breast bone that had been chipped.

You can see by the size comparison next to my thumbnail that it is a sizable wound. This photo above was actually taken almost a month after the initial injury, and you can see feathers growing back in and a healthy scab formed over the site. The next photo shows the full breast bone now and the healing that is taking place.

Avie may never again be reintroduced to her flock, simply because chickens will peck at each other if they find an injury and will actually kill another injured bird. She can walk with effort and prefers to stand on her right leg and use the left one like a kick stand, so until she is strong and able to move around freely with minimal effort, Avie will just have to be our house chicken. Chickens have amazing healing abilities, so we have confidence in her future as a healthy, happy chicken.

Get well soon Avie!

Happy farming.