The blog is back! Sorry it's been so long since my last post. I'm not sure if I've had writer's block, been too busy with other projects, just plain been feeling too old, or perhaps a combination of all three. At any rate, I'm feeling inspired to write today, so I'm going with it.
Much has happened since I last wrote, but I can't give away all my news in one post or I'd run the risk of not having anything to blog about for another long while. Plus, I've heard from a few of you loyal readers that you miss my posts (thanks!). So I am rationing the news, starting with today's update about Hope Mabel.
You will recall that one of our chicks broke its leg back in July in a tractor (chicken tractor, that is) collision. "That chick is going to die," I was told. It didn't seem right that a chick should die from a simple broken leg, so I decided to put my medical training to use on a different species and play veterinarian. With gauze and duct tape, I fashioned a makeshift cast for the chick's leg. Because the injured chick kept getting stepped on by her siblings and mom, I moved her into an infirmary consisting of a large cardboard box with a chicken wire roof. With the help of our summer campers, I named the chick Hope Mabel (as in, "I hope she gets better").
After the U.S. women’s soccer team won gold in the Olympics, I renamed the chick Hope Solo in honor of our
amazing goalkeeper. Once Hope’s leg felt solid under the cast, I removed the cast and started her on a physical therapy regimen consisting of passive range of motion and weight bearing exercises. Her injured leg was very weak and shaky at first, but she grew stronger with time.
Once I began growing attached to Hope, I decided that now was the right time to build the backyard chicken coop I’d thought about for years. My confidence boosted by small building projects during my apprenticeship, I felt ready to take on the coop’s construction. I built about half of the coop by myself, then called in reinforcements when it became apparent that Hope had outgrown her cardboard box and needed a bigger house soon. My dad, an avid woodworker, came to my rescue, bringing another set of hands, much know-how, and better tools. Working side-by-side in the sweltering heat of my garage, we bonded over talk of power tools.
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| Hope's house. |
Once the coop was built, I couldn’t wait to bring Hope home. As I transferred her from her small box to her spacious coop, I wished my new pet well. The first time I placed her on the roost, Hope nearly fell off, struggling to balance on her weak leg. One week later, Hope was getting around remarkably well. She roosted without difficulty and climbed the ladder into the henhouse like a champ.
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| Hope enjoys her new home. |
Chickens are social creatures, and I imagined Hope was lonely after so many weeks by herself, so once I thought she was strong enough, I introduced a new chick into the coop to keep Hope company. With the help of Alison and her mom, I picked out a curious Polish chick from the litter of Hope's cousins at the farm and brought her home. I had put off bringing home another chicken for a couple of weeks, filled with worry about Hope being picked on by the newcomer and not being strong enough to defend herself from attack. I never would have guessed that my innocent Hopie would be the bully, but there she was, pecking at the head of the new girl, making the new girl cower in the corner. Ever heard the phrase "establishing the pecking order?" Well, that's what was happening. Hope knew that she ruled the roost and let Abby know it. (Yes, I named the new girl Abby. Yes, after
Abby Wambach, my absolute favorite soccer player. And if I ever get a third chicken, she will be named Alex or Morgan, after
Alex Morgan. But if I ever get a third chicken, I can't tell you about it, because Folsom's municipal code only allows 2 hens.) Hope and Abby now seem to get along just fine.
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| Hope and Abby roosting side-by-side at night. |
Over the last couple of weeks, I've noticed that Hope is having a harder time getting around. She broke her left leg, but now her right leg is abnormal. The leg seems to give out underneath her, twisting awkwardly behind her. When I pick her up and manipulate the leg, the joints feel fine, so I'm at a loss for what the problem is. For now, I'm just keeping her under observation. Her activities of daily living don't seem to be impacted by her condition at this point; she can eat, drink, and poop just fine. I'm concerned that she may worsen as she grows, but that's just speculation at this point. All I know is that this chicken is a fighter, and I'm certainly not going to give up on her.
