Chicken with hurt leg - need antibiotics??

[chicknmom]

I have a young hen, on whom I used a leg ring to identify her. For some reason, the ring didn't expand as it should have and it badly strangled her leg and became deeply embedded. I noticed her limping, so I saw what had happened, and cut the ring off. I hoped she would recover, but she has not.
Almost 3 weeks have gone by since I cut it off, and she is limping worse than ever, and mostly just sitting and hiding. I tried putting a topical antibiotic ointment and bandaid on the leg, although there was no sign of any break in the skin. The leg is definitely still swollen.
I don't know what else to do for her. Considering antibiotics, because it seems that it may be a systemic infection by now.
Any advice? Thanks.

 

[Pyxis]

It's possible that the ring cut off blood flow to her leg and caused tissue death or nerve damage, and that's not something antibiotics will fix.

What type of ring were you using? I've seen this at least three times now where someone thought the ring they were using was supposed to expand, it didn't, and the bird's leg was damaged, so I'm wondering which ones these are.

 

[casportpony]

I've seen this with zip ties and with those spiral types.

 

[casportpony]

@Chickenmom, can you post a picture of her leg?

 

[chicknmom]

Yes, it was the type MADE for chickens (I think they should NOT be selling these if they are such a known problem!!) that looks like it's supposed to expand.

I'll try to get a pic of her leg - it was slightly red about a week ago, but is now just gray (she's an Ameraucana), but still swollen.

 

[Pyxis]

Yes, it was the type MADE for chickens (I think they should NOT be selling these if they are such a known problem!!) that looks like it's supposed to expand.

I'll try to get a pic of her leg - it was slightly red about a week ago, but is now just gray (she's an Ameraucana), but still swollen.

No, those definitely aren't supposed to expand They have to be changed out as the chickens grow. I don't think there are really any leg bands that expand with the leg. Even so, they'd still be pretty tight on the leg if they did that. Pictures would definitely help, that it's something fixable.

 

[casportpony]

Does she still have feeling in her toes? Unfold a paperclip and poke her foot and toes to see if she flinches.