Elvis has a gammy leg

[Chicalina]

Hi all, my serama cockerel Elvis seems to have hurt his right leg. No idea how.

I noticed it was drooping a bit and he could not perch properly or balance. The toes were not gripping. When I examined him, the hip joint seems very crunchy and the leg is hanging a little lower from the very top of it, compared to the other leg. I can see no external injury, and no bruising or swelling and the rest of the leg seems OK. It bends and he can grip my finger with his foot, but when he puts the foot down the toes don't spread out as well, and his leg seems to slide to the side a bit.

I'm worried he has broken his hip joint. But.. he can walk on the leg, albeit quite wobbly. He isn't holding it up. He is bright and eating and drinking fine. I've put him in one of my broody hutches for now, and he is upset at not being with the flock, pacing up and down a lot.

Anything else I can do besides get him to try and rest it? No vets here that would operate on him. I suspect a sling would distress him and he is so small and light he would get out of it.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

@aart @azygous @Wyorp Rock

 

[aart]

the hip joint seems very crunchy and the leg is hanging a little lower from the very top of it

That does not sound good.<cringes>

Not much you can do but confine him where he can rest.
If you put him in a crate in the coop or run so maybe he will stop pacing?

 

[Eggcessive]

How old is he? Unless you can get an xray to rule out a fracture, you won’t be able to know whether there is a fracture, a sprain, or a neurological disease, such as Mareks. Was he vaccinated? A farm vet might be able to do that (xray,) or your regular vet, if cooperative, might do that as a favor. Hip and upper thigh injuries are hard to treat in chickens, especially in roosters. Rest in a dog crate with food and water, but kept with his flock would be the way I would proceed. He might be upset at first, but it is usually best to keep them with their flocks.

 

[azygous]

It sounds like an injury, but perhaps a sprain or dislocation. Since it's not possible for us to tell you what's wrong or how to treat it, I would go with rest. This means making his world as small as possible so he won't have reason to try to use the leg. A small pet carrier large enough for him to move around minimally with his food and water within easy reach might do the trick. I'd place him in proximity to his flock so her will remain content and not lonely.

Be aware that it may take up to six weeks for the injury to heal.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

Set him up in a dog cage and put dog bowls of food and water within reach

 

[Chicalina]

Thanks all. To answer your questions, he is 3 months old and was up for sale along with his brothers from this year's hatch, although I was secretly intending to keep him . Looks like I will be now for sure, if he is going to have a gimpy leg. He is the submissive cockerel in the bunch, doesn’t yet crow and is super sweet.

The hutch he is in is within view of the flock. He was pacing because he couldn't understand why he could see them but not be with them. Anyhow, he settled after an hour. I expect the leg must be hurting him, though he is showing no signs of pain (that is normal, I know), and he is trying to walk on it.

I'll go out and take some photos shortly.

I'm hoping it's a torn tendon that will heal. Pelvic fracture seems terminal in my mind. I have no idea how he could have done it, and he seems to be still walking on it, which doesn't seem possible with such a bad fracture like the pelvis. So fingers crossed it is merely a soft tissue injury.

There is nothing for me to splint, unless I wrap his whole lower body to brace it. That might do more harm, and I'm not sure how to do it anyway.

 

[Chicalina]

I've examined him again this evening. I think the dislocation is the right diagnosis suggestion, thanks @azygous.

The pelvis/leg joint feels very loose, like it isn't fitting right, and the leg is lower than the other one. I have felt all the way up the leg and there are no breaks there. I would expect to see bad bruising from a pelvic fracture because they bleed. Also, he hasn't had any serious trauma that I could imagine would do that, like something heavy falling on him, or him dropping from a great height and not landing right. It's more likely he got his leg caught in a bit of netting and tried to wrench it free.

I'm just trying to upload some videos.

As for mareks, there is no sign of it in the flock, I've never had it before, and his eyes look clear. He was home hatched so not vaccinated. This seems unlikely. One of the videos shows him shaking, but this is probably the pain. He wasn't shaking when walking or at any other time. He seems to be off balance only due to the leg.

Here are some stills for now.

 

[Chicalina]

 

[Chicalina]

sorry the next one is a bit long but it shows him walking pretty clearly