Advice Please, I think she's hurt???

[Ascholten]

Literally 20 minutes ago I went out to feed them, they were all running around, doing their chicken thing. I put food in their run and closed them in because I have the termite guy coming later and dont them running loose with the fence open.

She was FINE, I fed them. About 15 minutes later there's like egg song clucking, but seemed a bit urgent. I went out to look, and one girl is just sitting on the ground, like she's broody but very lethargic and with her wings slightly spread. I got scared so grabbed her up. She is not bleeding, her crop is not over stuffed, she is breathing and clucking softly, her vent appears no issues, but she just is like all of the sudden lethargic like in pain or something. I put her on top of the coop and she just sat right there, this is NOT her!! I sat her up like a penguin literally sitting on her ass with her feet sticking out and she just sat there. I did not see any blood or other injuries, and there were no feathers as if there was a fight or struggle. She seems to be favoring one leg a bit and was standing on one leg for a bit but is kind of back to walking on it but still ... just sitting there like she's broody.

It just bam came on, she was FINE 20 minutes ago!! She's NOT choking ... any ideas here? I don't think it's an egg either because she'd have gone into the box, i put her in the box, she came out, and when you interrupt them when egging, they get a bit of an attitude. she was totally submissive.

Ideas, comments, something else I should do?

Aaron

 

[CluckerFamily]

Could she have run into something that knocked the wind out of her?
I know you will be watching her closely but you may want to separate her to keep a closer eye on her but then you would have to integrate her back into the coop.

 

[Ascholten]

its a fairly small pen and I held her for a good 5 minutes examining her, so if she was winded she should have recovered, she's just sitting there now very quiet closing her eyes, im very concerned. She was perfect just a few minutes ago, Id think a stroke / heart attack would show other symptoms if it was that, I dont know what to think...

Aaron

 

[Ascholten]

She's still pretty much laying there, when she does stand up, she's got one leg tucked up under her. IM pretty sure she must have injured a foot / leg somehow. I don't see any blood, or any wild angles on the leg, which is a good thing but still, feel terrible and am very concerned for her. Just looking at her I can tell something is very wrong and she is in pain, I just feel so bad, and there is not much I can do.

The others are NOT picking on her or anything, so that's good but I think I better get her into a separate cage anyways so there are no problems.

Aaron

 

[Ascholten]

Well, she definitely has a bum foot. She tries to get around but is hobbling on one leg. THe others are not picking on her and she is getting around, just hopping here and there using that leg as little as possible. She laid her egg out in the pen this morning too, letting me know she can't hop up into the roosting box when she needs. I looked at her leg. It looks normal for a chicken eg, nothing bent or torn, I didn't feel any obvious breaks or anything, she did wince once while I was feeling up around her thigh area so didn't really rummage up there much.

Can a chickens leg come out of socket? Lets say they get it stuck under something and pulled it out, can they dislocate it? I don't know what else it may have been TBH. IF it's just a bad sprain or something, how long can I expect her to hobble around incapacitated like this?

Aaron

 

[webmistress32]

yes they can dislocate a leg. I had one that broke a leg this past October and yes it's sudden. they are fine and then not fine. obviously. In my case I took him to the Vet and got an Xray right away as I could see he was not using his leg. She found a tiny hairline fracture but that made it easy to decide how to manage him. He made a full recovery. If you can't do a vet you might 1. Check the legs again, compare the bad to the good all the way from the hip down and satisfy yourself that things are where they should be 2. Isolate her in a small cat carrier, small enough that she has to stay laying down and rest. See what you get over a week or so. Food water, keep clean, etc. In my case, recovery to the point he could put weight on it was at least 10 weeks.

 

[Ascholten]

Thank you for the info and yes hobbling around, she is not going to be able to dig / scratch so Ill have to keep an eye on her and probably hand feed to make sure she's getting her share of food and its not being inhaled by the other feathered piggies. She's getting around now but is doing so on one leg. Ill have to put her in a separae cage but she's pretty much going to be VERY upset if she can't walk around with the others. We will see how it goes.

Aaron