Hey all, I've done a lot of BYC forum reading, and actually managed to save one of my geese's life just last week from the threads on here. Through unfortunate circumstances I am now forced to post for the first time as I just can't seem to find an answer this one. I have a young chicken that got caught in between two boards when she went up to roost. We found her hanging upside down, fortunately it wasn't too late, she was still alive. However, she hurt the leg she got caught by, pretty bad. I read another thread where a similar thing happened and the chicken seemed to have the exact same symptoms. They just kept her in seclusion and she recovered completely in about 3 weeks. Well, I did the same thing with my hen and she's done really well, but unfortunately she still isn't right after several weeks. She can't open her foot. She "walks" on it curled up. I almost think she has a severed tendon or something because when you straighten her leg the toes don't stretch out automatically like they normally do. I don't know if splinting her foot would help but I wouldnt think so if it's a tendon problem... Please help! I've just lost too many animals these last couple of weeks to gizzard worm and raccoons and just the most sudden random things. I've gotta save this girl.
Poultry vitamins containing riboflavin might help if added to her water. Since she is holding the leg up, it may be a bad sprain to the foot or ankle. You could just limit her moving around by placing her inside a crate or cage with food and water inside the coop. Or try making her a shoe. Poultry Pdia Podiatry and The Chicken Chick are good sites to check on splinting a foot.