Chick with a broken leg.

[Mel35]

Hey Chicken Fam,

I need some advice on what to do with my baby! My hen has been broody for quite sometime now, on Monday she became a new mum to x2 new baby's and on Tuesday another. My other broody hen is not too happy about her sister taking over the spot she previously used to brood her babies so any chance the new mum gets to get off and have a drink and something to eat her sister will jump in her grave leaving her own eggs unattended. So on Tuesday when the latest one hatched the new mum was busy trying to wrangle her other babies back to the box which gave her sister time to sit on the newbie. I took her off and put her back on her own eggs and let new mum back in with her brood. All was OK until about Wednesday afternoon when I noticed the newest baby had become an outcast. They had him on the ground and were taking turns in pecking him. I immediately removed him from the clutch and put him in a separate container with a heat lamp and some food and water. Thursday morning when I woke up I checked him over only to find his leg and wing had been stuck to his body with (I'm not sure) was blood or maybe a bad hatch. After releasing his leg and wing and realising he wasn't well I took him to my local vet and she believes that during his ordeal his mother and siblings have pecked him so much they have broken his leg His poor little leg has scabs all over it and it's incredibly swollen and purple and he wont put any weight on even though he only weighs 30grams. Our vet has given him a watered down version of Meloxicam for the next week. Apart from his leg - he is healthy, eating and drinking, and is also very active but lonely because he is seperated. So I guess my questions are: Is there anything else I can do for this little one? How do you keep a 3 day old chick still enough that he can recover comfortably? How do I make sure he goes on to live a healthy happy life? Will he even recover from this?

Once again, any advice from chicken mums and dads would be incredibly helpful right now. I want to make sure he recovers but without further long term damage if possible.

Thaaaaanks

 

[CoopBoots]

How do you keep a 3 day old chick still enough that he can recover comfortably?

You might be able to use a cup or a sling to limit mobility, but I'm not sure exactly how this would work with a broken limb (if indeed this is the case). Any pictures of baby and the injuries to help the experts give more advice on this point? (I'm not at all an expert but you'll get better advice soon!)

How do I make sure he goes on to live a healthy happy life?

Really depends on the extent of the injury. I don't have any one legged chickens but if it is pretty mobile now and eating and drinking well, I think you might have a case for a happy bird that needs a special setup to live comfortably and safely.

For now, I'd setup a "look but no touch" divider and take a sibling from mom to be a companion to it. If this isn't workable, a mirror and a stuffed animal may help (but not fully alleviate) loneliness issues. I think it is much better to raise a special needs bird with a companion it can hopefully keep into adulthood.

Will he even recover from this?

Depends on the injury and the possibility of healing. I couldn't hazard a guess. *hugs* If it is active now, I think there's a chance it goes on to have a happy life regardless. You may have to figure this part out as you go. Wishing you both the best!!!

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

Picture please? It would be easier to advise that way. Usually if I get a broken leg in my flock, I isolate the bird and let it heal. Chickens are fragile, but they have a resilient nature to them that means they heal quickly. I’ve posted about this before, but one of my first chickens was a Rhode Island Red who survived a fight with four adult dogs, and went on to be nicknamed “angel bone” because you could see the wing joints when she flexed on the side she’d been bitten.

 

[Mel35]

You might be able to use a cup or a sling to limit mobility, but I'm not sure exactly how this would work with a broken limb (if indeed this is the case). Any pictures of baby and the injuries to help the experts give more advice on this point? (I'm not at all an expert but you'll get better advice soon!)


Really depends on the extent of the injury. I don't have any one legged chickens but if it is pretty mobile now and eating and drinking well, I think you might have a case for a happy bird that needs a special setup to live comfortably and safely.

For now, I'd setup a "look but no touch" divider and take a sibling from mom to be a companion to it. If this isn't workable, a mirror and a stuffed animal may help (but not fully alleviate) loneliness issues. I think it is much better to raise a special needs bird with a companion it can hopefully keep into adulthood.


Depends on the injury and the possibility of healing. I couldn't hazard a guess. *hugs* If it is active now, I think there's a chance it goes on to have a happy life regardless. You may have to figure this part out as you go. Wishing you both the best!!!

Hi Coopboots. Thank you for you reply. I will absolutely upload some photos for better understanding. Setting up a look but no touch, sounds like a great plan. I have done that in the past not sure why I didn't think of that I am definitely figuring it all out as I go.

I appreciate your reply, thank you!

 

[Mel35]

Hey Chicken Fam,

I need some advice on what to do with my baby! My hen has been broody for quite sometime now, on Monday she became a new mum to x2 new baby's and on Tuesday another. My other broody hen is not too happy about her sister taking over the spot she previously used to brood her babies so any chance the new mum gets to get off and have a drink and something to eat her sister will jump in her grave leaving her own eggs unattended. So on Tuesday when the latest one hatched the new mum was busy trying to wrangle her other babies back to the box which gave her sister time to sit on the newbie. I took her off and put her back on her own eggs and let new mum back in with her brood. All was OK until about Wednesday afternoon when I noticed the newest baby had become an outcast. They had him on the ground and were taking turns in pecking him. I immediately removed him from the clutch and put him in a separate container with a heat lamp and some food and water. Thursday morning when I woke up I checked him over only to find his leg and wing had been stuck to his body with (I'm not sure) was blood or maybe a bad hatch. After releasing his leg and wing and realising he wasn't well I took him to my local vet and she believes that during his ordeal his mother and siblings have pecked him so much they have broken his leg His poor little leg has scabs all over it and it's incredibly swollen and purple and he wont put any weight on even though he only weighs 30grams. Our vet has given him a watered down version of Meloxicam for the next week. Apart from his leg - he is healthy, eating and drinking, and is also very active but lonely because he is seperated. So I guess my questions are: Is there anything else I can do for this little one? How do you keep a 3 day old chick still enough that he can recover comfortably? How do I make sure he goes on to live a healthy happy life? Will he even recover from this?

Once again, any advice from chicken mums and dads would be incredibly helpful right now. I want to make sure he recovers but without further long term damage if possible.

Thaaaaanks

 

[Mel35]

Picture please? It would be easier to advise that way. Usually if I get a broken leg in my flock, I isolate the bird and let it heal. Chickens are fragile, but they have a resilient nature to them that means they heal quickly. I’ve posted about this before, but one of my first chickens was a Rhode Island Red who survived a fight with four adult dogs, and went on to be nicknamed “angel bone” because you could see the wing joints when she flexed on the side she’d been bitten.

Hi Chicken_tiger_catt,

Thank you for your reply, I have attached some photos to my original message. Oh wow, what a fighter Angel bone is. Did it take long for him/her to recover? I'm hopeing I got to him soon enough that he will recover, but it's always nice to get advice from people with more experience than me