My hen hurt her leg

[Chichin Mama]

I'm not sure if anyone can help me on here over the Internet, but to be honest, I really don't know where else to go. I don't have a vet I can take her to, but I'm willing to put in whatever effort it takes to get her better.

My Barred Rock hen started limping last week. At the time, she was still able to get on the roost at night and was laying. I decided to just keep a close eye on her. Now, the problem has gotten worse and she won't roost at night, even having problems getting up the ramp into her coop. I'm not for positive, but I think she might still be laying. I have noticed her tripping a lot and falling on her face; she often uses her wings to help her get around and balance.

I have checked her foot and see no signs of bumblefoot, mites, or swelling. When I look at her from behind, it does appear that the left leg is crooked like she twisted it. The problem seems to be at the hip. She can still move her toes on both feet. I really hope she didn't dislocate something. I'm at a loss of what to do. How would one go about splinting it since it is her hip joint? Would it help if I gave her an epsom salt soak?

She is still in with her three flock mates since I have not seen any signs of bullying and she can still walk some, she just lays down a lot.

I can put on some pictures of her in the morning. If anyone can help me or has any ideas, I would be so grateful as I have no idea where to start!

 

[nuthatched]

This is the best place to ask, most vets don't know anything about chickens.
Can you feel the head of femur?
What's her diet? How old it she?
Is she a fat hen?

 

[Chichin Mama]

This is the best place to ask, most vets don't know anything about chickens.
Can you feel the head of femur?
What's her diet? How old it she?
Is she a fat hen?

I have tried to feel around, I don't think I can feel the head of the femur, but it is very hard for me to tell for sure. She is free fed All-flock and oyster shell. She is right around a year. She is a Barred Rock, so on the heavier side, but she is one of my skinniest BRs.

 

[BagBegBog]

Wow, I just came here for advice, I'm having a very similar issue with one of my young chickens. It's a young chicken (approx 4 months). Hasn't started laying yet. Started limping a week ago, left leg, seems like it might be a little crooked and twists inward. We can't feel any problems in the leg or the foot. No visible signs of bumblefoot, mites or swelling.

She likes to fly around in excitement when we come outside, and we think she might have injured it on one of those flights or possibly just jumping around in the chicken run (they have a variety of branches and mini ladders stationed for climbing and roosting through the day).

I was just about to start my own thread, but I saw yours and it's so similar that I think I'll just keep an eye on this. We're taking her to the vet as soon as we can. I'll post back if we find out anything that seems helpful to mention.

I've been reading about providing 1/2 a baby aspirin from searching this forum, but I'm concerned it might mask the problem and cause her to overuse her foot or leg. We've isolated her into a smaller cage within the run to keep her from moving too much while the leg hopefully heals, but keeping her within the rest of the flock to keep any pecking order disruption to a minimum. Wishing you the best of luck with your chicken!

 

[Chichin Mama]

@AidKD @nuthatched

Here are a couple of pictures I got of her tonight. You can't see her leg very well, though. I have also noticed that her back seems to droop down when my other ladies's backs/tails point up.

 

[nuthatched]

I have tried to feel around, I don't think I can feel the head of the femur, but it is very hard for me to tell for sure. She is free fed All-flock and oyster shell. She is right around a year. She is a Barred Rock, so on the heavier side, but she is one of my skinniest BRs.

@AidKD @nuthatched

Here are a couple of pictures I got of her tonight. You can't see her leg very well, though. I have also noticed that her back seems to droop down when my other ladies's backs/tails point up.

It could be tendon issue, I'm not sure. They're hard to diagnose and fix the older they get and a year is pretty old for those issues.

 

[AidKD]

Could she have injured it jumping off something? It also could be a vitamin deficiency.

 

[Chichin Mama]

Wow, I just came here for advice, I'm having a very similar issue with one of my young chickens. It's a young chicken (approx 4 months). Hasn't started laying yet. Started limping a week ago, left leg, seems like it might be a little crooked and twists inward. We can't feel any problems in the leg or the foot. No visible signs of bumblefoot, mites or swelling.

She likes to fly around in excitement when we come outside, and we think she might have injured it on one of those flights or possibly just jumping around in the chicken run (they have a variety of branches and mini ladders stationed for climbing and roosting through the day).

I was just about to start my own thread, but I saw yours and it's so similar that I think I'll just keep an eye on this. We're taking her to the vet as soon as we can. I'll post back if we find out anything that seems helpful to mention.

I've been reading about providing 1/2 a baby aspirin from searching this forum, but I'm concerned it might mask the problem and cause her to overuse her foot or leg. We've isolated her into a smaller cage within the run to keep her from moving too much while the leg hopefully heals, but keeping her within the rest of the flock to keep any pecking order disruption to a minimum. Wishing you the best of luck with your chicken!

Wow! That sounds very similar to my situation. It would be very helpful to hear what the vet says.

 

[Chichin Mama]

It could be tendon issue, I'm not sure. They're hard to diagnose and fix the older they get and a year is pretty old for those issues.

Would it be a tendon issue if it has only been bothering her for a week?

 

[Chichin Mama]

Could she have injured it jumping off something? It also could be a vitamin deficiency.

Yes, she definitely could have injured herself jumping off the roost.

What vitamins could I give her?