BROKEN WING THERAPY?

[Loulou08]

Can anyone out there help??

I have a cockerel who broke his wing 3 weeks ago. I took him to a general vet ( no avian vets around here) who wrapped the wing up in sticky tape & secured it to his body. Despite all my efforts during the 2 weeks he had this on, he never regained his balance, but I thought it best to try to pop him on his feet as often as I could to keep his muscles in order. The day came last week to remove the tape & i expected him to run around as normal ...but he still can't regain his balance, & today it's day 6 of trying. I am trying to help him as much as i can by supporting him often during the day.

How long does it take for them to regain their balance?

 

[chooks4life]

First, hello and

I don't think a broken wing can cause them to lose balance like that. He likely sustained another injury as well, probably to leg or pelvis on the same side as the wing, which is causing him to fail to support his weight properly. A bird minus a wing does not walk differently.

Having had a hen put down after getting stepped on by a horse, and getting a totally smashed shoulder (bones sticking out through the skin and all) in future I would just amputate the wing. Why waste a whole bird over an accessory appendage which isn't crucial to their survival? Anyway, this hen with her ruined wing never walked differently because of it. I think your bird has a hip or leg injury as well. Vets are often amazingly ignorant about poultry since the general rule is to cull and replace, not treat.

Best wishes.

 

[Loulou08]

Thank you very much for your reply.

As he can actually support himself on his legs now, I guess I'll keep going for a while & hope that time will heal him properly. There are tiny signs of improvement - standing longer with less support; moving them to walk a little, aided etc.

You'd have thought the vet would have x-rayed that side of him, wouldn't you?? Pity there are no avian vets around here at all.

Thanks again for taking the time & trouble to reply.

 

[chooks4life]

I had a cockerel with a severe pelvic injury who took 6 months to walk again. The rest of the time he was often splay-legged, doing the splits with one leg ahead of him and the other behind. I restricted him in a small area until he was recovered, but it did take a long time. Cheeky fellow was crowing from a prone position, his enthusiasm for life was undiminished, so I didn't cull. Be prepared for slow recovery, though, as it's a possibility. I had to rearrange his legs into a natural position once a day minimum. But I love rehabilitating animals and if they want to fight, I'll help them. If they don't want to fight there's nothing you can do to force them or keep them alive.

I'm not surprised about your vet's apparent unhelpfulness; if you read about cases involving vets on this forum you will find the majority don't get any meaningful assistance from vets, most are simply not trained in poultry or bird care, and plenty are rather baffled as to why someone takes the effort to preserve or treat an animal they apparently have been taught to view as being totally consumable and disposable. Rather like farmed fish --- well, actually, my reading on aquaculture shows me they often receive better and more knowledgeable care than poultry, lol! But poultry as pets are rapidly gaining popularity, and poultry being valuable is nothing new and only increasing, so savvy vets will soon step up to the task and we should all be able to access greatly knowledgeable assistance soonish.

All the best. I hope it works out for you.

 

[Loulou08]

Thanks again for your help.

Sadly, Coco died yesterday & I am unbelievably upset by it.

He was the first chicken I ever got...he had been dumped in our garden full of chicken pox, from which he recovered to rule the roost over a couple of chickens I bought for him & our cats as well for the past 7 years. He was a great introduction to the beauty of poultry, & full of character. I shall really miss him.

So - this has left me with just one surviving chicken, who seems happy enough just roaming around the garden by herself.

One quick question if I may? Do chickens mind being solitary? We are retired, living in France but I have a handicapped husband & our children keep asking us to go back to the UK to see more of us. I won't leave any of my animals behind so don't really want to increase my menagerie now!

 

[subhanalah]

Thanks again for your help.

Sadly, Coco died yesterday & I am unbelievably upset by it.

He was the first chicken I ever got...he had been dumped in our garden full of chicken pox, from which he recovered to rule the roost over a couple of chickens I bought for him & our cats as well for the past 7 years. He was a great introduction to the beauty of poultry, & full of character. I shall really miss him.

So - this has left me with just one surviving chicken, who seems happy enough just roaming around the garden by herself.

One quick question if I may? Do chickens mind being solitary? We are retired, living in France but I have a handicapped husband & our children keep asking us to go back to the UK to see more of us. I won't leave any of my animals behind so don't really want to increase my menagerie now!

maybe you can find another elderly, solitary chicken for her? Or make her a house pet, then you and your husband can be her flock mates. She'd probably fall madly in love with your husband and never leave his side.

 

[chooks4life]

Thanks again for your help.

Sadly, Coco died yesterday & I am unbelievably upset by it.

He was the first chicken I ever got...he had been dumped in our garden full of chicken pox, from which he recovered to rule the roost over a couple of chickens I bought for him & our cats as well for the past 7 years. He was a great introduction to the beauty of poultry, & full of character. I shall really miss him.

So - this has left me with just one surviving chicken, who seems happy enough just roaming around the garden by herself.

One quick question if I may? Do chickens mind being solitary? We are retired, living in France but I have a handicapped husband & our children keep asking us to go back to the UK to see more of us. I won't leave any of my animals behind so don't really want to increase my menagerie now!

Sorry to hear that. Sounds like you gave him a great life, and more than twice as long as most males get.

As to your question, the answer depends on the personality of the chicken. Some prefer being somewhat solitary, some prefer flocks, some are happy with only one or two others, some are happy as long as they have their human companions, some are only happy if they can breed. They're more likely to be happy alone if they've never known company. If they have, and they lose it, they're much more likely to pine and fret over the lack. I'd just keep an eye on the chook and you should see if she starts to lose quality of life or stress out.

Best wishes.

 

[Loulou08]

Again, thank you for the time you have devoted to me! That was just what I was about to do with her....

Your kind words were also much appreciated.

Don't bother replying to this as I don't need to go onto the site again ( at least, hopefully!!).

All the best!