broken leg/ do we need antibiotics?

[deanna&rich]

Hi, our hen fell off (or was pushed off by the dominant hens?) her roost last night and we realized today that she had broken her leg between the toes and the "ankle" (in the middle of the lower big bone, the scaly bone with no feathers).

We splinted it, as best as we could; it was swollen and the foot swollen, but not excessively swollen, and did not seem to be too warm or oddly colored. However, I did see some dried blood on her feathers and it looks like it was a compound fracture with broken skin.

She is eating fine and kept quiet in a dog kennel. We are not going to go to a vet, for financial reasons; we can't even pay off the medical bills we have for ourselves right now.

Question is: do we need to give her any kind of antibiotics? Are any of them more affordable than others? Can we give them orally instead of injections?

Thanks for any help!

 

[Wiglwerm]

I would definately use antibiotics. Get some tylan 50 (injectable) and some diabetic syringes from CVS. If she is full grown give her 1/2 cc into one side of the breast meat. Do this for 3 days alternating the side you inject. (left on day right the next) God luck , it shoulld heal just fine, but because the skin has been punctured I would use antibiotics, with money tight I would atleast buy some triple antibiotc salve, Good Luck