Broken leg... yikes!

[roblynn]

Yesterday one of our ten-week old golden buffs got injured. Her leg is broken high up near the pelvis. We can feel where the bone is fractured and displaced. She survived the night and now I'm not sure what to do with her. Everything I read says these birds don't do well but today she is eating and even hopping around a little. Of course we separated her and I am paying her frequent visits today, offering her food and water. I'm wanting her to pull through and even willing to accommodate any special needs she has, however I am a realist and I don't want to put her through a long ordeal if it's going to end badly no matter what. I'm thinking once she starts laying, it might be very difficult for her to carry a heavy load with a compromised leg like that. What are your thoughts? Can a female chicken live a fruitful life with only one good leg?

 

[Eggcessive]

You could try to make her a chicken sling to get her up and in front of food and water and to keep her clean, while she heals. It would be good to keep her off the ground. Otherwise you could confine her to a crate with food and water to force rest. As you know upper thigh and hip injuries do not heal well. Could you see a vet for an xray? Here is a thread with good pages of slings:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

 

[roblynn]

Thank you so much! I'll give it a try. As it is I have her in her own enclosure with food and water. She seems interested in eating and is even hobbling around a little. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Eggcessive]

Let us know how she gets along.

 

[roblynn]

Well Daisy has gotten along surprisingly well! She is eating, drinking and eliminating just fine and she even stands on one let to greet me! She's still in her own enclosure yet near the other birds. We snuck her into a clinic yesterday and got her x-rayed; just as we thought, her let is not only broken but displaced. Does anyone have experience with this type of thing? I was told we could do a figure-eight splint but she's so fluffy, I get lost in her anatomy. At 10 weeks, I'm thinking she will heal quickly. Also, what will her life be like when she starts laying eggs? Am I nursing her back to a life which will surely be filled with struggle and pain when she gets heavier? I'm feeling conflicted. Any help would be appreciated. Robin

 

[roblynn]

Here is that figure-8 splint as it was explained to me:

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Well Daisy has gotten along surprisingly well! She is eating, drinking and eliminating just fine and she even stands on one let to greet me! She's still in her own enclosure yet near the other birds. We snuck her into a clinic yesterday and got her x-rayed; just as we thought, her let is not only broken but displaced. Does anyone have experience with this type of thing? I was told we could do a figure-eight splint but she's so fluffy, I get lost in her anatomy. At 10 weeks, I'm thinking she will heal quickly. Also, what will her life be like when she starts laying eggs? Am I nursing her back to a life which will surely be filled with struggle and pain when she gets heavier? I'm feeling conflicted. Any help would be appreciated. Robin

I strongly suggest the chicken sling to aid in her healing. Every chicken, injury, and chicken keeper are different but there have been plenty of birds which have recovered well from an injury similar to this and lived a good life! Others, not so much. I don't see anything wrong with trying to save her. I also don't judge anyone who makes the choice to put them down. For me, personally, I'm a realist but also a huge softy and tend to go above and beyond to try to save birds.... again, I don't judge anyone who doesn't do that.

 

[roblynn]

I strongly suggest the chicken sling to aid in her healing. Every chicken, injury, and chicken keeper are different but there have been plenty of birds which have recovered well from an injury similar to this and lived a good life! Others, not so much. I don't see anything wrong with trying to save her. I also don't judge anyone who makes the choice to put them down. For me, personally, I'm a realist but also a huge softy and tend to go above and beyond to try to save birds.... again, I don't judge anyone who doesn't do that.

Ok, thank you so much. I feel the same way. I'm praying that she doesn't suffer. Thank you for your reply!