Chicken with hurt let! Help!

[leibilover]

I have a very special pet chicken named Leibi who was attacked by a dog yesterday. She appeared fine but then this morning she got up with a swollen and bruised ankle that she doesn't want to put weight on. I'm going crazy here. I just moved to a small town in Costa Rica from a big city in Chicago and Leibi is all I have. Her sister was stolen last week and we're still heartbroken about that and I'm getting another chicken for her but I haven't been able to get it yet. I took her to the only vet for hours but he wasn't any help and just laughed and said to eat her. Leibi doesn't like anything better than hiking in the jungle and I'm worried she won't be able to do that ever again. She's only a month and a half, about, and her legs are so tiny I couldn't use a popsicle stick to splint it. It's also right at the bend of her foot- her ankle- so I'm not sure if that's the best thing to do. She's being a trooper about the entire thing and not complaining but I'm sure it hurts. Could I mash up a little tylenol and put it in her daily banana? Also, she likes eating drips of my banana and milk smoothy but I'm worried the dairy will upset her, but if her ankle is broken maybe the calcium will help. Basically, what to I do with a chicken who may or may not have a broken ankle? Help!

 

[sammi]

plain yogurt would be better then milk..

what all are you feeding her?
you say she is only 1 1/2 month old?
is she getting any chick feed?

best to keep her in smallish area with soft bedding..
you might make a sling for her to sit in to get some weight off the leg..just thru-out the day..
you can make on from a bandanna, or face mask.
make sure the vent is clear..

if she is tame enough..you can use warm and cold compresses to help with swelling. 10 minutes warm..10 minutes cold..a couple times a day..

you can give her some Plain Aspirin..no substitute..1(81mg.) tablet crushed into 1 quart of water..just give her some a couple times a day..might help with swelling, inflammation, and discomfort.

you might be able to wrap the area with a stretchy bandage as a soft splint, if you suspect there is a break.

here is a site that might give you other advice:

http://www.voy.com/194762/

 

[#1California Chick]

Welcome to BYC!!!

WOW!! Moving from Chicago to Costa Rica!! What a big change in your life!!

However, the folks from BYC will be here for you!!!

We have members from all over the world!!

The advice you got from Sammi is good. Keep your hen quiet for a few days. It will really help a lot!! You might be surprised at how fast chickens heal!! She might be walking with you in the jungle again soon!!

She will really need a friend soon. They may fight at first (just doing the pecking order thing).

Keep us posted on your progress. Ask all the questions that you want!!

Good Luck!!

Cindy

 

[leibilover]

Thanks for all the advice. It's a huge help hearing that chickens heal fast. We are going camping in Panama soon and I think that will lift her spirits because she loves adventures. She's the sweetest thing and I just want her feeling better. I can't find aspirin in town- maybe in Panama, I'll look. But if I can't find any can I substitute Tylenol?

She does get chicken feed- at least I think that's what it is. It's something called concentrado de pollo. Although I need to hide it in other food because otherwise I don't think she eats enough of it. When I first got her and her sister I put concentrado de pollo in one dish and rice in the other and I'd get back and the rice would be empty and the concentrado de pollo untouched. But that reminds me I should pick up more incase we run out on our trip.

She's looking better than she did yesterday and hopefully tomorrow will be even better. She will want to walk in Panama and will get bored always being carried.

I'm glad to hear that it's normal for her and her new companion to fight a little at first. She pretty much only got along with her sister. But I want to get her used to other chickens because if/when I move away the lady who wants her (and believe it or not thinks she's as special as I do) has two other chickens and a rooster.

Thanks again,
Mary

 

[FarmerDenise]

I had a chick whose leg was broken. the chick was maybe three weeks old at the time. I used a straw to splint the leg, but I don't think that would work on the ankle. I wrapped the leg up to her body with gauze, to stabilize it for a few days. You have to be carefull when wrapping a chicken's body, because they need to be able to expand in order to breathe. I kind of wrapped the gauze in an x shape over the body. After three days she was hopping around on one foot. In two weeks she was barely limping. They heal fast
Don't worry too much about the pain factor any more. It'll help prevent her using that ankle too soon. Make sure she gets good protein foods, it helps them build tissue.
Good luck. Your little chicken sounds like a great pal.