Chicken with one swollen leg- Help!

[Nbugaj]

Hi All,

I need some help. I came home from a vacation over the weekend and all of my chickens were fine. Yesterday morning I went out and my silver laced Wyandotte, Ellie, was limping and only really standing on one leg (left leg injured). I removed her from the flock and brought her inside. I examined her feet and soaked them in warm water, dawn soap, and Epsom salts. Her feet themselves are not swollen, it does not look like bumble foot or mycoplasma. Her left leg is swollen and red/warm the to touch. I am not sure if she just strained herself or there is some other kind of infection this could be. It has been two days and she is still mostly favoring her right leg and not standing on her left. Leg is still swollen and red as of right now. Clearly larger than the right leg. But no where else is swollenz I have been putting neosporin on it. It is possible she jumped from a high roost or tried to jump over the open run fence. When I had come home from work last week she had somehow jumped over the 5 foot open run fence, so maybe she tried again and got injured? If that’s it then I guess she just needs rest and minimal movement, but if it’s an infection I don’t want to be leaving it alone and not helping. She is eating, drinking, pooping, and laying normally. She is almost 2 years old. Any insight is appreciated for this sweet girl thank you!

 

[Anime2lover]

She might have pulled a muscle. If its infection it might likely gett bigger and more swollen. Has it gotten bigger or stayed the same??

 

[Nbugaj]

She might have pulled a muscle. If its infection it might likely gett bigger and more swollen. Has it gotten bigger or stayed the same??

It is pretty swollen today. Definitely noticeable. I’m not sure if it’s more or less swollen from yesterday. Should I give her something for pain and inflammation? If so, what?

 

[Anime2lover]

It is pretty swollen today. Definitely noticeable. I’m not sure if it’s more or less swollen from yesterday. Should I give her something for pain and inflammation? If so, what?

If it is infection, it might get bigger.

If its something like a sprain or pulled muscle, you can help it by soaking in warm water (helps to relax the muscles). As for pain.... ive heard baby aspirit, but id research more before trying it just to be safe.

 

[Eggcessive]

To me, since the swelling is in the middle of the long bone, I would suspect that it might be broken. Can you feel the break? Cannyou see a vet for an xray? You can try splinting, but the bone must be properly aligned. The splint should be checked to make sure that it is not too tight, and should be on for 3 weeks or so. Here is a link (page 22 for splinting the tarsometatarsus) and a video on splinting:
https://theiwrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Duerr_Splinting_Manual_2010.pdf

 

[Nbugaj]

If it is infection, it might get bigger.

If its something like a sprain or pulled muscle, you can help it by soaking in warm water (helps to relax the muscles). As for pain.... ive heard baby aspirit, but id research more before trying it just to be safe.

Thank you!!

 

[Nbugaj]

To me, since the swelling is in the middle of the long bone, I would suspect that it might be broken. Can you feel the break? Cannyou see a vet for an xray? You can try splinting, but the bone must be properly aligned. The splint should be checked to make sure that it is not too tight, and should be on for 3 weeks or so. Here is a link (page 22 for splinting the tarsometatarsus) and a video on splinting:
https://theiwrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Duerr_Splinting_Manual_2010.pdf

It didn’t feel like it was broken, but I’ll check again after work today. Same amount of swelling this morning so it hasn’t gone up or down. Still not bearing weight on it, she puts a little down, but mostly tries to just balance on her right leg. I will see if I can feel a break and wrap/splint like that video!

 

[Nbugaj]

Hey all, so it has been two weeks now since I brought Ellie inside. I splinted her leg last Friday and it seemed she was doing better. But when I went to change her splint out for th second time yesterday I realized now her entire foot is swollen. Her foot was not swollen before, just her leg. Her leg is still swollen and hot to the touch. Her foot is not hot to the touch. I soaked her in an Epsom salt/comfrey bath yesterday and also put some comfrey tea in her water along with correct dosage of baby aspirin. But I am concerned she doesn’t seem to be improving. I have read all the different articles on bumble foot, MS, broken leg/sprain and nothing is fitting exactly. It’s weird that her foot would have swollen up a week after she had been resting. Any thoughts on this? If her foot was fractured too wouldn’t that mean she would have been swollen when the rest of her leg was swollen. Please help, I don’t think I can bring my self to spend another few hundred dollars on a chicken at the vet. I’m not ready to give up on her and she seems in good spirits other than her foot and now her right leg o think is just tired from doing all the work the last couple weeks. Any help is appreciated!!

 

[Anime2lover]

Hey all, so it has been two weeks now since I brought Ellie inside. I splinted her leg last Friday and it seemed she was doing better. But when I went to change her splint out for th second time yesterday I realized now her entire foot is swollen. Her foot was not swollen before, just her leg. Her leg is still swollen and hot to the touch. Her foot is not hot to the touch. I soaked her in an Epsom salt/comfrey bath yesterday and also put some comfrey tea in her water along with correct dosage of baby aspirin. But I am concerned she doesn’t seem to be improving. I have read all the different articles on bumble foot, MS, broken leg/sprain and nothing is fitting exactly. It’s weird that her foot would have swollen up a week after she had been resting. Any thoughts on this? If her foot was fractured too wouldn’t that mean she would have been swollen when the rest of her leg was swollen. Please help, I don’t think I can bring my self to spend another few hundred dollars on a chicken at the vet. I’m not ready to give up on her and she seems in good spirits other than her foot and now her right leg o think is just tired from doing all the work the last couple weeks. Any help is appreciated!!

If its bumblefoot, you should see a big mass somewhere on the foot its self. It's usually caused by injury getting infected.

 

[Nbugaj]

If its bumblefoot, you should see a big mass somewhere on the foot its self. It's usually caused by injury getting infected.

There is not a large mass. Which is why I’m not clear on what’s wrong. Her bottom pad and webbing between her toes on the left leg is definitely swollen, but it does not look like M.S. or Bumblefoot. If it’s swelling from her foot being broken along with her shin bone which is what I originally thought based on examining her and splinted...would it make sense for her foot to swell up almost a week later??