Chicken With a Leg injury

[sarahag]

Tonight I went to feed/water my birds. I noticed one of my girls trying to jump up to where the food is. She couldn't. She the. Held her leg up, I picked her up and I saw no open wounds, no noticeable broken bones. She seems unable to bare any weight on it. She uses her wing to get up from a laying position and holds it up when standing. I brought her inside, into a kennel. She's eating and drinking. I'm new to chicken keeping, I've been a vet tech but this is all new to me. Is there anything I should be doing? Do I need to find a vet willing to see her? Anything anyone has on the subject would be stellar. Thank you!

 

[Eggcessive]

More than likely, she has a sprain injury. Can you examine her leg for any swelling, redness or bruising especially near joints? Confining her for a week or two would probably give her time to heal. I would also add some poultry vitamins to her water or food. Chicken slings can be a good way to place them upright and take weight off the legs in some cases. If she shows any signs of her leg being paralyzed, then nerve damage or Mareks disease could be a possibility.

 

[sarahag]

First off, thank you! It feels nice to have someone else think so. Should I keep her separate in the coop or in the house in her kennel? We are having one heck of a cold snap reaching -19°.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would probably confine her inside the coop, and partially cover her cage on the sides, or even position a heat lamp a couple of feet up. We are all suffering from very cold temps now--it can be brutal weather for them when temps are near zero.

 

[ashrich6]

about 6 months ago, one of my hen Rhonda started to limp around the yard. I checked her leg and there was no swelling, cuts or any outside sign that she was injured. When she would stand still she would keep it up and put no weight on it. She ate and drank just find. She would try to run and catch up to the other girls but just was limping. I kept an eye on her. When I kept her separate from the other girls to try and have her not walk as much on it, she would freak and I thought she would end up hurting it more. I decided to let her be with the other hens and be happy. Eventually the limp went away. I'm not saying do what I did but I am just telling you my story. Chickens are hardy animals. I would keep an eye on her leg everyday and take it day by day. If she is doing fine in the kennel, then I would keep her in there. I hope this helps

 

[mom1776]

I ended up taking her to one of the only vets here that will see chickens. He charged me $354 and told me it was a virus. He gave me antibiotics and something like a pain med. It did her no good. I took her to the breeder and he and his wife helped me wrap it. He thought she injured it jumping from the roost. Long story short she still has a badly curved leg and now the other one is showing signs of going because she's over used all her weight to the one side. It hurts to see her like that. She still eats and drinks fine. The vet called and told me to bring her back.....I told him no way and that he should advise customers in future when a bill will be so high. If she gets to far down I will have to make a decision. She's a Polish hen and just beautiful and so very sweet. We tried wrapping her leg but she really let me know that she didn't like it. I let it stay an hour then took it off.