News Stories

Amelia - The most famous chicken in Cheshire!!!

November 2011

By Sue Murphy

Amelia is an ex battery hen who came to us in May at the age of around 12 months together with 5 other girls. They settled into their new home nicely in the 'chicken fortress' which is a converted horse walker. She was happily enjoying her new found freedom and soon became 'cock' of the chicken run being very forward and mischievous. She was always coming legging it to the gate when you go in to see what you're bringing for 'her'!

Then disaster struck!! I found her very quiet and not moving round and realized she was very lame so off we went to the vets where they diagnosed a fractured femur.

Given the site and severity of the fracture the only treatment option was to put some metalwork in to stabilize it. The surgery went to plan (see Figs 1 - 3) with a metal rod placed into the hollow bone and linked with tiny clamps to some threaded pins screwed in from the outside.

This modern method of fracture repair produces incredible stability at the fracture site but unlike a cast leaves the joints free to move so she could use the leg and do her own physio throughout the healing process.

Amelia recovered well from her surgery and within half an hour she was walking about and tucking into a tub of mealworms!
(Fig 4)

The day after, she came home and was nursed in a cage in a spare stable together with a sick feral cat that wasn't best pleased that she'd moved in too. She was kept on cage rest for a couple of weeks spending nice days in the cage but out on the yard in the sunshine. After a couple of weeks she was allowed to mobilise so she was allowed out of the cage in the daytime but confined to the stable. Luckily at this point the feral cat had been released back into the field as she had got better.

Amelia was happily chattering away to herself in the stable during the day and back in her cage at night in case foxy loxey decided to visit - as she was now our prize chicken and the talk of the village.

Pin finally removed (Fig 5) and allowed back in the chicken run during the day in a separate house with a run and back in the stable at night. Felt Amelia was getting 'cabin fever' and tried to re introduce her back in with the others. So bit the bullet and popped her in with them at night when they were all roosting and sprayed them with my best perfume. Following morning let them out with supervision and very traumatic - the other girls were pecking at her which was fine, but when they started chasing her everywhere that was just too much - so mission aborted and back into the stable for a couple more weeks.

So had to think of a different plan - so purchased 3 new chickens last evening and popped them all together last night, sprayed them all again and let them out this morning with everything crossed and waited with baited breath for the fisty cuffs...........but there were none. Halleluiah!! The girls attentions were diverted towards the new colourful chickens so thankfully they left Amelia alone completely so she is successfully integrated back with them all and at least she's 3 weeks further down the line with her recovery and her leg is much stronger. So thank you Vera, Beryl and Arnie for taking all the flack but at least everyone is happy now.

Amelia is already up to her old tricks - trying to leg it out of the run as soon as you go anywhere near it and perching on the house roof when I mucked it out. She's such a cheeky character and fingers crossed she doesn't get into any more trouble with her 'antics'. (Fig 6)