Broken femur on a hen

[Mommahoweller]

I have a Rhoden island red hen that some how broke her tibia above the hock joint. How do I splint it and what can I do for pain for her?

 

[coach723]

I'm attaching a splinting manual below, should be helpful. If it's the femur, then often that requires surgery and pins in order to be successful. If it's the tibiotarsus, then a splint may work. You can also use a chicken sling for supervised periods (you must supervise to make sure the bird doesn't freak out and hurt itself trying to get out of the sling), to keep the weight off and let it rest if needed. I will attach some examples of that. For pain, meloxicam is often used, but has to be prescribed. Aspirin can be used as long as bleeding isn't an issue, 2.3 mg per pound of body weight. I honestly generally don't use pain meds, it helps to limit activity naturally if it hurts, and side effects have to be considered. Make sure splints are padded and will not cause rubbing or abrasion, and check often for swelling and make sure they are not too tight. You don't want to cut circulation off.
The bird in the last picture below has a splinted leg. A healing fracture will develop a callus around the fracture as it heals, so a lump may be felt or be visible as it heals, that is normal. The more out of place the bone is when it knits, the larger the callus may be.