Chicken leg got caught under coop. Bruised and swollen.

[Stelmyra]

While moving our hens from their former home to ours, one of the them got her leg caught under the coop. Some of the feathers where her leg meets her body were pulled off by the coop. She scraped off some scales but that's all it looked like. However, hubby and I are new to chicken-keeping and so we can't be entirely sure.

I'm going to upload pictures and maybe someone here can help me with figuring this out and treating it well. Any advice would be appreciated.

We got the hens Friday night (that's when she got hurt). I cleaned her wound and dressed it with local raw honey and gauze. I got her comfy in our guest bathroom and gave her water and food. She wouldn't drink unless I shoved the water in her face.



Saturday afternoon I unwrapped it and it looked glazed over, like it was healing. She was moving around the bathroom a lot (on one foot) and I felt bad for her (it's a small bathroom, we have 2 cats prowling around the door) so I decided to put her in the coop so she could rest there. I watched her and the others to make sure they didn't pick on her. She seemed fine and actually hopped (on one foot) into the run to peck at grass. She had a good attitude so I figured she was on the mend.

This morning I went out there and her foot is green and blue and swollen. She still sits in the run and pecks at the grass, gets excited for dried meal worms etc. Still a good attitude but her foot looks terrible.







Should I bring her back in? Wrap it? Or just keep adding probiotics and electrolytes to her water?

I checked for a scab anywhere (and even cleaned her feet to make sure I didn't miss anything) and couldn't find anything so I doubt it's bumblefoot, but, as I said, I'm new to chickens. I feel so bad for her please help me help her!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! And thanks for taking the time to read this

 

[welasharon]

No expert here but I don't think I would wrap it. Does it feel hot like its infected? Or is it possible that it is bruising and swelling settling in. I would soak it in warm Epsom salts water either way.

 

[Eggcessive]

Actually, I think she is doing fine. The swelling seems pretty normal for such an injury, and the green color is bruising. She could very well have a fracture or just trauma to the foot and leg. BluKote or Alushield spray on wounds works great to prevent pecking. You can splint the leg with vet wrap or tape, or leave it alone. She really needs to rest it for 2 weeks, so placing her in a cage with water and food, within eyesight of the other chickens would be a good way to force rest. One B Complex tablet dissolved in her water or food daily would benefit her.

 

[Stelmyra]

Thank you both for your advice. I'm monitoring her and she seems to be resting on her own. She doesn't leave the run and just sits where she can see the other chickens frolicking around the yard. With that in mind, is there any reason I should quarantine her, even in sight of the other chickens?

She's not pecking at it at all and her hurt leg isn't much warmer than the other leg, just a tad bit. I checked again today and there seems to be a little more green coloring. I'll give her an epsom salt soak today.

I'll be ordering B complex tablets soon. Is that only for injuries or can I use it as a health booster as well? Time to expand my first aid kit!

 

[welasharon]

I don't like to remove mine unless absolutely necessary. Integrating them is difficult at times

 

[Eggcessive]

The only reason to cage her is to force her to rest the leg. As long as she is not up moving around or jumping up on a roost, it's probably fine. You can find human B Complex at most grocery and drug stores. Chickens can suffer from vitamin deficiencies fairly easily if feed has sat on the shelf any length of time. B complex vitamins are water soluble and any excess is excreted in the kidneys, so it is difficult to overdose. They are good for the whole flock. Here is a good link on vitamin deficiencies to read: http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/pou..._poultry/vitamin_deficiencies_in_poultry.html

 

[Stelmyra]

Thank you, Eggcessive (clever name). Do you suggest I administer B complex vitamins on a regular basis? Currently I put crushed garlic in their water, sometimes ACV, probiotic powder and electrolyte powder. This is what their former owner did and the chickens have been very healthy with regular egg production (even when other chicken owners in the area were reporting a severe decrease in production).

 

[Eggcessive]

I use brewer's yeast once ot twice a week for B vitamins. I also use a vitamin with probiotics in place of the brewers yeast, but either one I only use it twice a week. In a chicken with a deficiency, I would use it every day. The use twice a week gives a little confidence that they are getting enough from their feed. I don't recommend ACV use in hot weather because it can interfere with calcium absorption, and affect egg shells and bone health.