Broken leg?

[Doodette]

My hen is laying down to peck at scratch, then she hobbles and half flies away. I can't see a visible break. This happened last night, and it is too early to see this am. Please help. Can I splint her leg? I will catch her this am and isolate her and find out what is going on, so if you can, please respond to me. Thanks BYC community!

Doodette

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Welcome to BYC! You can google pictures of a chicken sling to keep weight off the leg while it heals. I hope she recovers fully.

 

[Doodette]

Thanks, duh, I never thought of googling it. I'm somewhat of a first time chicken mom, so I'm a bit gaga

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Thanks, duh, I never thought of googling it. I'm somewhat of a first time chicken mom, so I'm a bit gaga

We all were first time chicken owners at one point or another. Don’t sweat it we all make mistakes. I bought a more infested hen from a county fair. Long story short brought her back and got refunded.

 

[casportpony]

My hen is laying down to peck at scratch, then she hobbles and half flies away. I can't see a visible break. This happened last night, and it is too early to see this am. Please help. Can I splint her leg? I will catch her this am and isolate her and find out what is going on, so if you can, please respond to me. Thanks BYC community!

Doodette

Welcome to BYC! Please catch her and try to figure out which bone is broken. Type of splint needed depends on what bone is broken.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would look at the legs and feet for any scabs, redness, bruising, or swelling. Sometimes they can sprain their leg from flying off a roost or getting injured by another chicken. Sprains can last for weeks, as it takes broken bones to heal. sometimes confining them to a pen with food and water may help. The slings may help when they cannot get around or stand at all, but take her out frequently to stretch her legs.

 

[Doodette]

Everyone has been so helpful. But I can't get to her because the two roos (in the pic) think I'm trying to hurt her and attack me. They've never done that so I believe they're guarding her...so have to wait til my husband comes home from work tonight to catch her. I don't want her to stress anymore. I really don't see any disfigurement on her hurt leg but she does favor it a lot and does not put hardly any weight on it at all.

Please stay tuned til I can get to her. Thanks all so much for your suggestions.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Were you able to catch her? Sometimes it's easiest to get ahold of one while they are roosting.

If you have 2roosters (and they won't let you near the girls) it's time for them to be separated. Depending on the size of your flock and the space you have, you may have atleast 1 too many boys. Overmating could be the cause of the leg injury. If you have a way to house the boys separately, then give that a try to see if her leg/limping improves. If not, then cage her to give her some relief/rest. Provide her with her own food/water, a little extra protein and some poultry vitamins. Hopefully in several days you can determine if she is getting better with limited activity.

 

[Doodette]

I wasn't able to catch her due to an emergency with my dog and hours in and out at the vet.

However, this a.m. I noticed no breaks, no redness on her bum leg. Her hip seems to be distended a bit; feathers around the hip are "fluffier." I will get her this eve w/hubbie. She's eating very well and I fed her some scrambled eggs for a protein boost and she loved it, a couple of cherry tomatoes and some scratch. I feel so bad about not getting her in last night because she's a sweet little thing. I will cage her w/water and food.

You are correct about the roos. I will be letting one go, the most aggressor of the two. He'll go to another farm around here. Thank you so much for caring.

 

[MarySue]

I wasn't able to catch her due to an emergency with my dog and hours in and out at the vet.

However, this a.m. I noticed no breaks, no redness on her bum leg. Her hip seems to be distended a bit; feathers around the hip are "fluffier." I will get her this eve w/hubbie. She's eating very well and I fed her some scrambled eggs for a protein boost and she loved it, a couple of cherry tomatoes and some scratch. I feel so bad about not getting her in last night because she's a sweet little thing. I will cage her w/water and food.

You are correct about the roos. I will be letting one go, the most aggressor of the two. He'll go to another farm around here. Thank you so much for caring.

I have a hen who had an “ankle” swell up. Long story short, after a year of hobbling around on she tried to fight my roo and ended up on her back unable to move it. Took her for x-rays and she had broken her femur clear up by her hip joint and scar tissue had built up enough to allow her to get around. When she kicked out she tore the scar tissue. Doc sent me home to rehab her and let the scar tissue build back again. You just never know if you can’t actually see or feel anything.