Broken or sprained leg?

[jak2002003]

I have been having some problems with my roosters fighting. I had to separate them after a big fight - but their wounds were only on the face and comb and they were healing up nicely.

Yesterday I had to go to work early and my husband let all the chickens out together - not knowing I had separated the roosters.

I came home to find they had been fighting again. There are 4 of them. 3 are OK and just face injuries (and they are happy together again after sorting out the pecking order)

But one came off quite badly. He is limping and one eye was sealed shut.

I bathed his eye and put him away from the other chickens for a rest. Today his eye is open and seems OK, but he is still limping.

All his toes are OK, and I can not feel any breaks in his legs (its difficult as Japanese bantams have very short legs). There is no swelling on the hips or anything and he can still grip with his toes. But he is not going up on the roost to sleep.

He is not holding the leg up, and stands with weight on both.

I can hear a clicking sound when I stretch the leg in and out, but nothing is moving strange and he shows no pain when I do it?

Can they sprain a leg? What should I do to help him heal? I have put vitamins in the water and gave him layers pellets to eat (figured they would have calcium to help heal bones).

 

[rollkeeg877]

its likely a sprain if it was broken he wouldn't be moving at all so treat it like you sprained your leg

 

[jak2002003]

Thank you for your reply. I am very attached to my chickens and I was really worried about him.

Today he is still limping, but it does not see quite as bad. He is alone in a dog crate to restrict him running about. He used his roost last night for the first time.

He likes to push his way past my arm and run out when I open the door to fill up his food dish and go limping straight back to chasing the hens - where the other roosters then chase him - he is determined not to give in!

I will keep him apart until he is back in condition and then try a slow re introduction. If I can't get it to work I will make him his own pen and get him his a couple of hen of his own.

Good to know it is most likely only a sprain. I was not sure if he would still use the leg if it was broken. I also thought it might be dislocated hip - but I cant feel any swelling and both hips feel the same.

His eye is better now also.

 

[rollkeeg877]

well my duck is limping right now so all i do is make him walk to see if its a weird limp and its not so he's fine