Nov. 28 (UPI) — A California rescue chicken that was severely injured in a fight with another rooster is learning to walk again with a special wheelchair.
Darcy Smith said her rescue rooster, Roo, was severely injured in a confrontation with another rooster that she was caring for during the recent California wildfires.
“A few weeks ago during the fires, we took in another rooster that was evacuated, that rooster was kept in a separate cage and the chicken got intimidated by him cause he was very big so he tried to fight that rooster through the cage,” Smith told KXTV.
Roo’s beak was broken in two places, his comb was bloodied and he suffered damage to his head and swelling on his brain.
Smith said Roo couldn’t stand properly and had trouble eating and drinking until she procured a specially-made wheelchair from Australian company Chicken Therapy Chairs.
Smith said the chair has made all the difference in Roo’s life.
“He’s able to move around in it, sit upright, and he eats a ton,” Smith said. “He’s eating a lot of food, drinking a lot of water, and it’s just made all the difference.”
Smith wrote on her Funky Chicken page on Facebook that Roo is improving every day and is now moving his feet without human help.
“I hope he’s not in this chair for the rest of his life,” Smith said. “He’s made such a progress in a week so.”
Chicken Therapy Chairs said news of Roo’s recovery has led to an influx of orders for similarly-afflicted birds.
“We are so proud to a part of his rehabilitation!!” the company said in a Facebook post.
