Feeding:
I feed Antonia the following foods:
dry cat food (always with water added, like cereal, since she can't drink water any time she wants, and so she is in danger of being dehydrated; it's kitten food, whenever I can feed her kitten food, because I suspect kitten food has extra supplements and vitamins added)
raw hamburger (pinch it up into smaller pieces, since the big blob might be dropped and out of reach or dirty)
raw eggs (see below for how to crack them so they're like a miniature soup bowl, then nest the bowl in the watered-down cat food; yes, it will probably run out, but it also gives the cat food more protein)
raw lettuce or spinach (minced fine with a large knife; she has a beak, and it's hard for chickens to tear things)
dry chicken food (when my sometimes-finicky chicken eats it, and only with water added so it's a runny porridge; add a lot of water, since it absorbs water very fast)
Vienna sausages (very cheap, soft source of protein; yes, it contains chicken, but they're easy to eat, she loves them, and she apparently thrives on cannibalism). Update: Libby's is the only brand I have found, that has no corn syrup in their sausages. I don't want her eating corn syrup, or any other kind of sugar, in case the extra sugar inflames her already-disabled joints, so I read the labels and pay a few cents more for Libby's brand. I drain the chicken broth out for my cats, though.
hamburger grease from my cooking
yogurt (until recently, since she used to like it, but now doesn't seem to)
shredded cheese (always shredded, easier to eat with a beak)
slightly mashed banana (only as an occasional treat, and always with some protein (not just cat food), since it contains natural sugar, which might make any inflammation worse)
steamed vegetables from our own table (mash them with your fingers; canned vegetables work too; nothing that is sweet, like peas, tomatoes, or corn, because they don't need the natural sugar, which could harm them)
cream cheese, when I have it
occasionally, a little grass or an ant that she eats herself (beaks are hard to use for tearing, but she does sometimes use them on the grass)
It is VITALLY important that they not have junk food, or foods that are hard to eat with a beak or without much mobility. They are not able to be as active as other chickens, they are not able to get their own food, for the most part, and they are much more dependent on you to supply them a healthy diet.
I had to explain to my mom, once, why I didn't want Antonia to have cold french fries: 1) She is affected much worse by junk food than non-disabled chickens; 2) for the most part, she can't go and get her own, healthier foods in nature, to balance the junk food; 3) she can't have old foods, since the other chickens can just walk away, if the food is bad for them--but she can't; 4) cold potatoes are too big and hard to tear with a beak--she will exhaust herself before she gets much food at all; 5) potatoes are starchy and sugary, which is bad for anyone, and processed french fries contain oils and additives, which are very bad news for anyone.
Our other chickens are fed anything that we have left over, since they are more independent and active, but I am very protective about Antonia's diet. She is my baby, my precious pet. She gets what I eat, as long it's nutritious and soft and not likely to choke her.
In the morning, when I'm still waking up and low on energy, I feed her dry cat or kitten food, with enough water added to soak the bits to their full size. I always give her water with meals. Later in the day, I give her more water and a snack of something else. At night, when putting her to bed, I give her water, cat-food cereal, and one other thing, balancing the meat, egg, or cheese protein with a veggie or minced lettuce, if I can. Often I can't, or don't have time, but I do what I can for her.
How to crack a raw egg for them:
I picked the piece of shell out of the egg before giving it to her. I gave her watered cat food too, to hold the egg in place. There is also a Vienna sausage and a little lettuce in the bowl, left over from her lunch that day. You can kind of see what is wrong with her toes; they grew that way, somehow. So she just lives the most happy, healthy, and active life that she can--the best life I can give her.
Water--I use:
multiple water dishes
a no-tip bowl
water at every meal, sometimes more often
I feed/water her at least twice a day, three times or more if I can, especially if it's very hot.
You can see in the pictures above that she has multiple water dishes in her cage. She also has a small water dish that hangs on the door to her cage.
When I let her out in the mornings (and put her out if it's a nice warm day and she would love the sunshine anyway--though she can put herself out), I give her food and water, and put out the other two water dishes (from her cage) where I think she will walk. She also has a few bigger water dishes (but shallow enough so she can drink from them) spread around her yard.
Watering them is so very important in very hot weather especially. In Part 4 of this series, I talk much more about how to keep your disabled chicken warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Some of the techniques I use, I also use with my guinea pigs and other animals.
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