Dislocated wing?

[Skibum]

My hen is struggling with a droopy wing. It was bad enough she would step right on it. About a week ago I wrapped it against her body. She is in isolation in the coop. At first she ate better once it was wrapped. She eats well for me when I bring her inside not so well when she is out in isolation.

If I had a garage I’d give her extra TLC there but it’s still heavy winter here so it’s hard to give her that in the coop plus the others can break into her area if I leave high value treats out. I guess I could just work on really getting her closed up so I can give her eggs or something.

Anyways I’m losing hope of fixing this on my own but anytime I’ve taken a chicken to the vet it’s been $200 plus and they end up passing anyways.

I know how to relocate some bones on humans but birds are a mystery to me. I’m not even sure it’s dislocated and not broke. (Nothing compound but the irregularity I feel is near her “shoulder” and even then I’ve been nervous to mess with it too much).

Any advice??

I think it was rooster damage.

 

[coach723]

I will attach a link that may be helpful, it tells how to examine for a fracture and how to splint various kinds, the illustrations are songbirds, but the anatomy is the same. That is the best we can do without xrays.

 

[Skibum]

Thank you!

 

[Skibum]

Her wing was getting so much better. She was doing better eating and drinking on her own. I was really trying to set up an isolation within their coop but since it’s heavy winter here still most of my isolation rooms were under 4 plus feet of snow so I did the best I could with some dog kennel dividers. Long story short another hen broke in and ate up above her tail area of her back. I have applied vetermycin (sp can’t be bothered) and will keep her inside until fully healed. Not ideal but after the journey we have been through she deserves it. Of course reintegration was what I was trying to avoid. Chickens are assholes. I’ll be on the lookout for a big kennel for her as clean up on a loose chicken is a pain. I put down a mattress cover I happened to have laying around and whatever blankets and pillow cases I’m willing to part with. I’ll be on the lookout for scrap towels or ideally a medium dog kennel.

 

[coach723]

I'm so sorry. Yes, they can sometimes be awful to each other.
I've no idea what kind of set up you have or options, and winter does make it more challenging. I have multiple dog crates I use as needed, both wire ones and the plastic airliner ones. I pick them up at yard sales and have gathered quite a few over the years. In a real pinch I use the shower enclosure in my guest bathroom. I put towels (I have a huge supply of old towels that are used for chickens, dogs, donkey, garden frost cover, car washing, etc.) or puppy pads down on the floor of it, put in food and water and close the glass doors, makes a fine little isolation area where they are safe. And makes it easier for me to monitor and do whatever care needs to be done. Hubby is less than thrilled with a chicken in the bathroom, but he tolerates my idiosyncrasies . Being winter, if she's inside for more than a short time you may have to slowly acclimate her to the cold outside again before putting her back out permanently, when she's ready, so that's a little more time consuming. If the wound is substantial, I would use a plain triple antibiotic ointment or plain neosporin on it, the petroleum base helps keep the wound moist (which aids healing) and you just reapply a couple/few times a day as needed to keep it that way. It tends to have more staying power than the veterycin (veterycin is great stuff, I use it also, but it doesn't stay as moist).

 

[Skibum]

I'm so sorry. Yes, they can sometimes be awful to each other.
I've no idea what kind of set up you have or options, and winter does make it more challenging. I have multiple dog crates I use as needed, both wire ones and the plastic airliner ones. I pick them up at yard sales and have gathered quite a few over the years. In a real pinch I use the shower enclosure in my guest bathroom. I put towels (I have a huge supply of old towels that are used for chickens, dogs, donkey, garden frost cover, car washing, etc.) or puppy pads down on the floor of it, put in food and water and close the glass doors, makes a fine little isolation area where they are safe. And makes it easier for me to monitor and do whatever care needs to be done. Hubby is less than thrilled with a chicken in the bathroom, but he tolerates my idiosyncrasies . Being winter, if she's inside for more than a short time you may have to slowly acclimate her to the cold outside again before putting her back out permanently, when she's ready, so that's a little more time consuming. If the wound is substantial, I would use a plain triple antibiotic ointment or plain neosporin on it, the petroleum base helps keep the wound moist (which aids healing) and you just reapply a couple/few times a day as needed to keep it that way. It tends to have more staying power than the veterycin (veterycin is great stuff, I use it also, but it doesn't stay as moist).

I have a good sized airline crate that I typically use but I had a chicken in isolation in late fall and didn’t clean it out before the snow started falling and temps were too low to wash outside. I know it was careless of me but it happens. I do need to keep picking up more. I wish I could just use the bathtub but I do not have a spare and my shower and bath are one and the same. I would keep her in the laundry room but I have a tenant and we both have dogs. So she will stay in the spare room. I’ll go to the thrift store tomorrow and see what I can find for scrap towels / blankets. I will check if I have triple anti biotic. I also have this amazing wound healing salve from an Amish man in maine that healed my frost bite open wounds in a matter of days. It says it’s safe for use on livestock but I will have to look into all the ingredients.

It’s so frustrating when they round a corner and then you’re back at square one.

I’ll make sure to acclimate her well before she goes back out. I imagine I’ll need to reintroduce slowly anyways because the others have shown they’re likely to turn on her anyways.

 

[coach723]

You are correct, integration sometimes goes easily and quickly, sometimes not, just depends on the particular birds in the flock. The Amish cream may be perfectly fine to use and may even work better than the ointments, I have a lot of respect for many Amish products. Keeping it clean and moist is the most important thing, to prevent infection and let it heal. It's hard to plan for every possible contingency, even under perfect conditions, life happens. My husband jokes that I "Macgyver" things all the time. Gotta do what you gotta do!

 

[Skibum]

You are correct, integration sometimes goes easily and quickly, sometimes not, just depends on the particular birds in the flock. The Amish cream may be perfectly fine to use and may even work better than the ointments, I have a lot of respect for many Amish products. Keeping it clean and moist is the most important thing, to prevent infection and let it heal. It's hard to plan for every possible contingency, even under perfect conditions, life happens. My husband jokes that I "Macgyver" things all the time. Gotta do what you gotta do!

Should I be flushing with saline to properly clean the wound? I’ve luckily never had to deal with a chicken wound like this before. Mostly it’s just skin abrasion but there is one area that is more of a puncture.

 

[coach723]

If there is a puncture, then yes, I would flush that out with saline or a chlorhexidine solution (hibiclens), make sure it's clean and no debris in there. If you have an oral syringe, that can help with flushing. Then use the ointment. They usually heal up well, how long depends on how deep and extensive the wound is (pictures are always welcome). Depth and size can also affect how large or thick a scab may form. The ointment can also help keep thick scabs from splitting when they move around, if it's in a place affected by that. Biggest thing is to not let other birds peck at it more until it has a chance to heal up completely. Once it heals and feathers out (that may not happen until molt depending on the age of the bird) you will likely not know anything happened. Once it's healed you can protect the area from picking with a hen saddle, until she's feathered out, if needed. But don't use a saddle until it's completely healed as it could rub and cause irritation and other issues. Any kind of covering can hold bacteria in and make things worse.

 

[Skibum]

Wilma Update:

Her pecking wounds have all healed nicely. She is even growing feathers already which I did not expect. She is eating and drinking on her own. I unwrapped her wing about a week ago. It is staying in the correct position but she does not use it at all. I think I need to start adding vitamins again. Her balance is not good. I can’t tell if it is because I unwrapped the wing or because she’s out so much energy into healing and growing new feathers that she needs the extra boost. She isn’t pigging out either but eating enough that I’m not super worried. I’ll keep her inside and keep trying to get her well if she keeps eating and drinking. Besides being underweight she looks pretty good. Bright eyes and red comb. Definitely not out of the woods yet.