Broken leg??? ):

[Alicia0795]

Today when i had left, my boyfriends mother told me she found one of my chickens laying in the grass. She could barely stand and was laying kind of on her side. I brought her inside and now she is painting hard and she lifts one leg up and won't stand on it at all. We felt around her leg VERY softly and couldn't really feel anything dislocated. We are not vets or anything so it is hard to tell if her leg is broken. When i touch her leg, it just dangles. Pretty sure it is broken but what are your guys's thoughts?

If it is broken, what do i do! This obviously has never happened to me and i cannot take her to a vet because of funds. She is eating fine and i feed her water every so often. I feel really bad. She is our pet so i don't want to put her down or anything. Please help ):

 

[theoldchick]

Get you hands on her again and examine her carefully for would. Look past the feathers and see if you can find any type of wound or bruising of skin. Keep her away from the flock and in a hospital cage. You can make a sling (sorta like a baby swing) to help keep her off her chest. If her pelvis is intact she will learn how to walk on one leg. If she has other internal injuries she may take longer to recover. Sometimes chickens who can't get up just don't do well. You have to be careful about keeping them clean and they do require intensive type care.

Good luck with her.

 

[Alicia0795]

i will look again to see. I thought i saw a little blood, just a little. I just have lots of thoughts like: Did she get bit by something? There is nothing on the bottom of the foot. The blood was a little higher on the leg.

 

[Alicia0795]

I just found out that some of our chickens went next door (they are free ranged) and the next door neighbors were not very happy and were shooing them and kicking at them. Not sure if they accidentally kicked her or what. I don't understand why people would do that. Very very cruel.

 

[theoldchick]

If a dog or other varmint grabbed her back she could have spinal trauma which has caused her weakness. She may or may not recover from this. Or something grabbed her leg and she dislocated her hip as she escaped. Hard to say without a radiograph, but chickens are tougher than we think.

 

[theoldchick]

A well placed kick can hurt a chicken.

 

[Alicia0795]

Well i looked over it and it feel like her hip. She squirms when i touch it. What would have to be done if it is her hip? I feel bad because i know she is in pain ):

 

[theoldchick]

Chickens can survive a broken/dislocated hip. However, the leg may never be normal and she will always be lame. She willl most likely learn how to 'peg' the leg. Give her a week or two of cage rest and see how shes does.

 

[Alicia0795]

ok thank you very much for helping me! I'm much more calm knowing my girl will be ok.

 

[Pyxis]

Additionally to help with the pain you can dissolve five regular aspirin into a gallon of water for her to drink from. This is totally safe and I've done it with my own birds.