Broken leg

[Crashlystarr]

i have a silkie about 4 weeks old with what appears to be a broken leg. Any suggestions how to treat?

 

[CJLR]

Try making a splint

 

[CJLR]

Can you get more pictures please

 

[sylviethecochin]

Are you sure it is broken? You say it "appears to be." Does that mean that the leg isn't moving like it's supposed to (could be tendon/ligament/nerve/bruising) or that something's bending the wrong way, or in a place it isn't supposed to bend?

 

[CindyinSD]

If you’re certain the leg is broken, I’m afraid you’ll have to consider euthanizing the poor little thing.

1. I can’t tell from the photo... is the bone protruding from the flesh or pushing the flesh out?
2. Is the leg bending in the wrong place?
3. If not, what symptoms lead you to suspect a broken bone? Do you suspect a complete break or a “green stick” fracture (think of the sort of damage you see when bending a green stick)?
4. Is the suspected break in the thigh or the lower leg? A femur (thigh) break is far worse, but any break would have me reaching for the shears. Unless you have a vet who feels she would be willing to set it somehow, you’ll need to consider how much pain you’re willing to allow the little bird to experience.
5. What do you think/speculate may have happened to cause the possible break?
6. How is the chick acting? Eating? Drinking? Laying there shivering?

 

[Crashlystarr]

If you’re certain the leg is broken, I’m afraid you’ll have to consider euthanizing the poor little thing.

1. I can’t tell from the photo... is the bone protruding from the flesh or pushing the flesh out?
2. Is the leg bending in the wrong place?
3. If not, what symptoms lead you to suspect a broken bone? Do you suspect a complete break or a “green stick” fracture (think of the sort of damage you see when bending a green stick)?
4. Is the suspected break in the thigh or the lower leg? A femur (thigh) break is far worse, but any break would have me reaching for the shears. Unless you have a vet who feels she would be willing to set it somehow, you’ll need to consider how much pain you’re willing to allow the little bird to experience.
5. What do you think/speculate may have happened to cause the possible break?
6. How is the chick acting? Eating? Drinking? Laying there shivering?

Maybe it’s the tendon he is just holding the leg up nothing seems to be sticking out. And he is able to move around the brooder but very unsteady.

 

[Crashlystarr]

Are you sure it is broken? You say it "appears to be." Does that mean that the leg isn't moving like it's supposed to (could be tendon/ligament/nerve/bruising) or that something's bending the wrong way, or in a place it isn't supposed to bend?

He is not moving it like it’s suppose to.

 

[sylviethecochin]

If he's just stiff, feel along the leg for swelling or warmth, comparing it to the other leg. Look for discolouration (particularly green. That's a common bruise colour, for chickens). If you feel nothing unusual, I'd advise you to simply put him in a sling, keep his weight off of it for a few days, and see if anything improves. It could easily just be a bad bruise, or his twisting it somehow.

This is not my chicken sling.

If it does turn out to be broken, it's usually fixable. I've fixed up two cockerels (lower leg) who just needed a splint and two weeks in the "infirmary." I've got a duck right now who's recovering from a broken thigh. It was shattered, but has healed straight, with a lump on the bone to show where it healed. She's in semi-isolation to keep her away from her mate, a rather large Pekin drake, but everything seems to be going well.

 

[Crashlystarr]

Can you get more pictures please

 

[Crashlystarr]

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