Chicken injury and recovery

One recent morning I did my livestock rounds and found the Black Australorp lying on the ground with her legs splayed behind her. She couldn't move them much and couldn't stand up at all. She would definitely die from exposure and dehydration if I didn't give her any support, so I brought her indoors. I laid out a towel for traction in the bathtub, and propped her against a food bowl and water.

She perked up immediately after drinking water. Over the next three days, she steadily gained strength in her legs (left one more quickly). She started being able to shuffle around on her "hocks." She'd had diarrhea at first, but it cleared up after 24 hours. She started preening her feathers after 48 hours. I did little rehab exercises by holding her above the floor and slowly lowering her down, so she would try to engage her muscles to support herself.

Three days after the incident, I had to leave for the weekend. I didn't want to leave her in the bathtub in case she knocked over her water bowl (which had happened once before), and so that she didn't poop and then smear it all over herself. I arranged for my local vet to board her.

Fortunately, on the morning I was leaving, she was able to stand and take a few wobbly steps at a time. With that milestone, I felt comfortable putting her outside into one of the old animal pens. She continued to gain strength while I was gone and could walk up to a few feet before resting.

She is now back with the flock and has even been able to get onto the roosting bars at night.