Encouragement/Advice needed for our little "Ana" with an injured leg! PICS INCLUDED!!

JsChkns

In the Brooder
Jan 12, 2016
48
5
26
Southeast VA
Hi Everyone! I wanted to post a few pics of our 15 week old EE Ana. We found her limping over a week ago. No known cause for the injury. We are assuming that she must have landed on it wrong after jumping off the roosting rod. She is able to move the leg back and forth and can lift the leg up. It just seems that the toes and lower part of her leg doesn't want to work. I'm almost wondering if she tore the ligament in her leg. I have scoured BYC for advice and help.

So far, I have isolated her inside the coop with the other 2 hens we have. I have given her aspirin for the first 4 days of her injury. I have since taken her off of it. She doesn't seem to be in any pain. I have started Vitamin B Complex therapy. This one has been a little tricky. I first tried it on turkey, which normally she gobbles up. It was a no go. Then I crushed it and put it in yogurt. She is eating that pretty good, as long as we dip blades of grass or one of her other favorite treats in it (yes, we have sat and picked blades of grass and hand fed it to her). We are also giving her some extra protein and some our greens and herbs from our garden (all of the safe ones we use as treats).

She is eating, drinking, and pooping just fine. She is alert, chattering, and seems to have normal energy levels. I am cleaning her isolation area every other day so she isn't laying in her own droppings. She is getting along just fine. Hopping around on the one foot. I am trying to work her toes, helping her to spread them out, at least every other day. She gets to go outside with the other girls to free range, but I only let her go for about 30 minutes or until she gets tired.

I guess I am looking for a little encouragement or advice from someone who has dealt with this or something similar. She is so sweet and special to our family. We will do anything we can to get her better. We don't have a local avian vet to take her to. Am I doing everything I can for her? If anyone has any tips or advice feel free to share! I will continue to update on her progress. Thanks in advance!

This is how she normally holds the foot


Helped her spread her toes out


Falling asleep in my lap
love.gif



Hopping around with her sisters


Ana, Loudmouth, and No Butt (she loves to be with them)


Her isolation area in the coop with her sisters
 
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Being a nurse, I came up with a splint to help her stabilize the leg and spread her toes out. I picked up cotton balls, popsicle sticks, rolled gauze, and Vet wrap. Wrapped the popsicle stick in gauze to keep it soft, placed it against her leg, put 2 cotton balls under her toes (to spread her toes out), and wrapped the leg in Vet wrap. The splint/cast has held up amazingly overnight and it seems to help some. She still isn't using the leg but her toes are spread out and it gives her a little more protection and stabilization. I am checking for circulation every hour and made sure that I did not wrap it too tightly. Here is the picture of the splint.

 

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