Broken leg, foot or toes? *new chicken owner*

[tworedwellies]

Hi all! Unfortunately one of my 4-week-old chicks got stepped on by my 4-year-old kiddo yesterday when we were outside.
She is now limping and staying off of her left foot as much as she can. We have done our best efforts of trying to look at the leg to see what the issue is. Nothing seems obvious to us- broken or out of place, no swelling- but I thought I'd post a video here in case someone more experienced might be able to tell. This chick happens to be my favorite, so a bit heartbroken....
Should i wrap it somehow? or put her in a cup or ? Thanks in advance!!

Emily

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC, Videos can be uploaded to YouTube or a similar sight with a link posted here. Is it her left foot that is hurt? Do you see any green bruising? I am not fond of splints since they can become too tight and cause interrupted circulation and death of the extremity, unless they are checked closely. I would watch her to see if she starts using it again. Without an xray on that tiny foot, it is hard to know if she broke it or sprained it. Fractures can take several weeks to heal.

 

[Eggcessive]

If you could take a picture of her legs down while holding her up to a standing position, that might allow us to see it better.

 

[tworedwellies]

Welcome to BYC, Videos can be uploaded to YouTube or a similar sight with a link posted here. Is it her left foot that is hurt? Do you see any green bruising? I am not fond of splints since they can become too tight and cause interrupted circulation and death of the extremity, unless they are checked closely. I would watch her to see if she starts using it again. Without an xray on that tiny foot, it is hard to know if she broke it or sprained it. Fractures can take several weeks to heal.

Just uploaded !

 

[tworedwellies]

If you could take a picture of her legs down while holding her up to a standing position, that might allow us to see it better.

okay will do! few minutes, thank you!

 

[FunClucks]

So sorry this happened!

Best thing is keep her from moving about much, but this injury might take a while to heal. Separation from the flock for a long time if needed might cause more stress. Can you put her in a large wire dog crate inside the run or something, so she has food, water, shade, and bedding, and can see and hear the other chickens, but no one will chase her or pick on her, and she won't be forced to move about much? She's fully feathered, correct?

Also you could look up more info on this site using the search terms "broken toe" or "broken leg" or "sprained toe" or " injured toe"

You may find threads that describe a similar issue.

I don't see evidence of swelling, so it could be bruised. Try and inspect the skin for discoloration compared to the other foot, but that can be hard to see in gray feet chickens. I also don't see anything you can splint at the moment.

For stress, consider feeding scrambled egg, raw egg yolk (remove after 4 hrs), and Nutri-drench (dribble some into the side of the beak, a drop at a time, or let her drink it in a small amount of water). This will give her a protein and nutrient/micro-nutrient boost, which can help with recovery.

 

[Eggcessive]

That doesn’t look too bad and she is using it some. I would try to leave her with the others as long as she isn’t getting trampled or bullied. Take her aside and make sure that she is eating and drinking well. If she has to be separated, let her have visits with the others often so she remains part of the flock. Reintroducing one that has been gone can be difficult especially as they start establishing a pecking order around 5-6 weeks old. I have separated with a screen or onion netting within the brooder temporarily. Let us know how she gets along.

 

[tworedwellies]

If you could take a picture of her legs down while holding her up to a standing position, that might allow us to see it better.

Sorry that took ages, had to grab my husband to help hold!

Also here's another video-

 

[tworedwellies]

So sorry this happened!

Best thing is keep her from moving about much, but this injury might take a while to heal. Separation from the flock for a long time if needed might cause more stress. Can you put her in a large wire dog crate inside the run or something, so she has food, water, shade, and bedding, and can see and hear the other chickens, but no one will chase her or pick on her, and she won't be forced to move about much? She's fully feathered, correct?

Also you could look up more info on this site using the search terms "broken toe" or "broken leg" or "sprained toe" or " injured toe"

You may find threads that describe a similar issue.

I don't see evidence of swelling, so it could be bruised. Try and inspect the skin for discoloration compared to the other foot, but that can be hard to see in gray feet chickens. I also don't see anything you can splint at the moment.

For stress, consider feeding scrambled egg, raw egg yolk (remove after 4 hrs), and Nutri-drench (dribble some into the side of the beak, a drop at a time, or let her drink it in a small amount of water). This will give her a protein and nutrient/micro-nutrient boost, which can help with recovery.

She is only 4 weeks old so not yet fully feathered and still indoors! Will separate her in our dog kennel for sure

A closer look-->

(It's the foot on our right)

 

[FunClucks]

Sorry that took ages, had to grab my husband to help hold!

Also here's another video-

In that still picture I see the slight swelling of the top of her foot. It's not super evident in the video. Just separate within the brooder a bit if she's getting bullied or having trouble getting enough to eat/drink.