Chick Dislocated Wing Help

Chica Lady

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Please help. came home today to find one of the 1 week old chicks stuck in the plastic feeder. Apparently SOMEONE (I plead the 5th) Didnt put the bottle jar back on. Well, the little thing must have climbed inside the feeder through the big hole and tried to climb out the little hole. It got stuck with it's head and wings out the top of the hole, but the little big body wouldnt fit the rest of the way through. I dont now how long it was like that. now I believe that one of the wings is dislocated. can someone with more experience than me let me know if this is the case, and if there is any way to fix it. The wing in question is also swollen and appears to be full of blood. thanx in advance for any help
 
It's not dislocated. It's broken. Tough call. There is little chance that the wing is going to heal properly without a pin surgically placed to hold the bone(s) together. If you do not care about aesthetics, then you can get the wing healed to the point where it will not be problematic, but it is always going to sag and look unsightly. That being said, I have a goose that has a broken wing that never healed properly. She won't win any beauty contests, but the wing doesn't bother her overmuch. I keep the feathers trimmed routinely to prevent any extra weight from pulling down on the wing. She flaps it around like it doesn't bother her at all. I am always disconcerted when the wing bends at the break and not at a joint, though. At this point, her fracture probably has formed a sort of soft joint. Not ideal, and definitely not conducive to flight, but it works for us.

Put the wing in a neutral position and secure it to her body with Vet Wrap (also marketed as Coban for humans, but wickedly expensive). Leave her other wing free of the wrapping, so she can learn to balance with just the one wing. Change the wrappings whenever they get wet or soiled. She will need to keep that wrap in place for several weeks to months. Fortunately, she is young, so she should be pretty OK with handling and care. Ice the area as often as you can for the first couple days. The ice should help with the swelling. No pain medications should be used on her, since the only real painkiller safe for birds is aspirin and she should not have that since it increases the risk of bleeding. Broken bones bleed a lot anyways, so you don't want her bleeding out anymore. It will just increase the swelling. Do not be surprised when her skin all turns green in a day or two. Birds bruise in day-glo green. It is very alarming the first time you see it.
 
It's not dislocated. It's broken. Tough call. There is little chance that the wing is going to heal properly without a pin surgically placed to hold the bone(s) together. If you do not care about aesthetics, then you can get the wing healed to the point where it will not be problematic, but it is always going to sag and look unsightly. That being said, I have a goose that has a broken wing that never healed properly. She won't win any beauty contests, but the wing doesn't bother her overmuch. I keep the feathers trimmed routinely to prevent any extra weight from pulling down on the wing. She flaps it around like it doesn't bother her at all. I am always disconcerted when the wing bends at the break and not at a joint, though. At this point, her fracture probably has formed a sort of soft joint. Not ideal, and definitely not conducive to flight, but it works for us.

Put the wing in a neutral position and secure it to her body with Vet Wrap (also marketed as Coban for humans, but wickedly expensive). Leave her other wing free of the wrapping, so she can learn to balance with just the one wing. Change the wrappings whenever they get wet or soiled. She will need to keep that wrap in place for several weeks to months. Fortunately, she is young, so she should be pretty OK with handling and care. Ice the area as often as you can for the first couple days. The ice should help with the swelling. No pain medications should be used on her, since the only real painkiller safe for birds is aspirin and she should not have that since it increases the risk of bleeding. Broken bones bleed a lot anyways, so you don't want her bleeding out anymore. It will just increase the swelling. Do not be surprised when her skin all turns green in a day or two. Birds bruise in day-glo green. It is very alarming the first time you see it.

thank you cmv. the vet wrap that you mentioned... do you think its the same as the stuff that they put on my husbands thumb when he ripped his nail? it sticks to itself almost like velcro
 
That's the stuff. You can get more, in different widths, at the feed store. I would go for the wider stuff than the stuff that your hubs has.
 
That would be the same stuff, looks like an ace bandage but sticks to itself. If you need more get it from a feed store it is cheaper than what you get in human first aid supplies and it is cheaper. The one at feed store comes in all kinds of colors too.

Don't wrap too tight and restrict the lil things breathing. Good luck!
 
i took a couple of close up of the wing. upper side and under side. i dont see a break. i have seen a broken wing before, but it was on a 7 week old chicken house bird, and she was a big one. it was much easier to see. hard to see on these little ones.



 

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