Dislocated/Injured leg on ISA hen! Pictures/Xrays attached

[saraiquimby1]

I found my ISA brown hen hung up in the fence yesterday. I took her to work with me this morning and took x-rays of her hurt leg to make sure it's not broken. She won't use it, but she can still pull it up and put it down, so she has some control of it. It's obviously painful though, and is swollen.

The conclusion we came to at work (a vet clinic but we definitely don't do chickens so none of us know exactly what we are doing lol) and with the help of a vet friend to my boss, we have discovered it's not dislocated, it's displaced due to tendon injury. The joint is misplaced because whatever she did tore all the tendons/ligaments in her "knee". Recommendations were confinement and a few days of pain meds (meloxicam).

That being said, what can I do to make her more comfortable with the house arrest for a week or 2? She's docile enough, but definitely hasn't been handled so she is nervous being in the house. She ate a bit yesterday but isn't offering to eat much today, don't know if that's pain or just nervousness. She is still laying, both yesterday and today. I've offered treats even and she's not super interested. She is able to stand up but barely, so she seems content enough to just lay. She still chirps at me occasionally.

She is about 1 1/2 years old. Any tips to make her a bit more comfortable or will she just get used to it? Currently she is in the box pictured with hay and food/water. She's being kept in my laundry room.

Here's her x-ray:



And her current bedroom:

 

[chicknmania]

If you can keep her confined in a small enclosure closer to the flock, at least during the day, so that she can see and hear them, that will help with her stress. Chickens are so very social and ours dislike being in ICU in the house. If you can keep her warm and confined out there but with a little privacy, that is better.

Try to keep her tempted to eat by offering goodies. Ours really like soft bread small pieces soaked in buttermilk, or applesauce mixed with their crumbles. Chopped grapes, chopped hard boiled egg or scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, chopped banana, even babyfood mixed with crumbles, or anything else that she likes.

Occasionally soaking in a warm Epsom salts soak for 10 or `15 minutes once in a while helps too. If I have an injured bird I usually do the soaks once every day or two, but some people do them more often.