Thought you might want to have an up-date on my poorly girl and possibly give hope to others in a similar situation.
Into week 5 now and over the weekend I noticed that Lola seemed to be getting stronger on her legs, she was still not able to stand un-aided but she was really trying. I have been giving her 'physio' by making her stand and stretch her legs with help, and walking her around the garden. Hubbie been making 'stabilisers' for her all weekend to help her balance issue. By Monday she was definately making headway - she has been pulling herself along the ground to food and water and trying to stand up using the fence for support. By Tuesday I had to go to work (self employed and couldn't hold off clients any longer), left Lola in the garden and when I got back she had got herself back in the pen - no mean feat - through a tunnel to the back of the pond, along the wooded area behind the pond, then over two huge boulders, followed by three boulders to hop down to get to the greenhouse area, up a slope, into the greenhouse up on to the open window, onto the floor in the pen. She must have been exhausted as she couldn't manage the ladder to bed! Wednesday I got up and out to get Lola out of the house and there she was standing up in the garden! Today I have been working all day but Hubbie has been chicken sitting and he says she has been wobbly but walking/running all day and made her own way to bed.
For a chicken who went a whole week without food and about three without being able to walk and who every vet I spoke to told me to have her put down she is my miracle girl. I knew that she had fighting spirit in her and thank god I went with my instinct that she was not ready to go and gave her a chance to fight. She is not out of the woods but seeing her comb slowly standing up day by day, her food intake increasing and now her walking - still wobbly-it was worth the hours of nursing it took. My message is that if you feel your chicken can make it go for it - as long as they do not appear to be in distress or pain they are worthy of a chance to prove themselves. Lola lives another day!