Help! I don't want to go into details because I feel like a complete idiot and I have been crying for an hour. Two of my chickens have broken legs and one was scratched up on her face. I am going to doctor the one with some salve, but I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO SPLINT A CHICKEN. Please please please any help will be a life saver!
You must immobilize the joints both above and below the fracture for it to heal. Use padding, too. -Kathy
First,take a deep breath and calm down. The legs can be splinted. Do your chickens have both legs broken on each one,or do they each have one leg broken,and are there any bones that have punctured through the skin? Legs need to be splinted,you can use anything that will fit the length of their leg,make sure there are no sharp edges. Place splint on either side of leg where break is,secure together(make sure whatever material you use to secure the two pieces of your splint together are around the splints b/c you do not want to cut off circulation). Leave splint on for 2 weeks. Keep your chickens calm,give them electrolytes for shock. Make sure they are eating/drinking. For pain/swelling you can give them a baby aspirin(81mg)dose is 25 mg per lb of body weight,put in water or sprinkle over feed,may make them sleepy. They may end up with a limp,just modify there living environment,example,lower roosts,easier access to feed/water containers,diligent in keeping them safe from predators as they might not be able to run.
I am calm now. They have one leg broken each. My vet was not helpful as he suggested butchering them :O I know my lil bit will be okay she just has some scraps on her face and she is acting like normal self although in quarantine with the other two. My sister and I managed to splint the other two. The part that is broken is the upper part of leg where it meets the body. We splinted just that part, because they are not even trying to walk on them. They were both alert but apparently hurting some. I will have to get baby Aspirin tomorrow. With the electrolytes can I give Gatorade or Pedialyte? Or is there something special? Our farm supply store is closed tomorrow.
No punctures, but I could feel where it was broke. They are cuddled together sleeping right now. Should I wait till morning or wake them up and make them drink?
Either one is fine,it is used for shock or dehydration in the event of an emergency. You can purchase polyvisol(without iron)infant drops,they contain vitamins and minerals 1-2 drops a day on their beak,so it rolls into their mouth. If your girls are eating/drinking,then they probably will not need Gatorade or Pedialyte. Just let them sleep,no need to wake them up,make sure they do drink as they can become dehydrated very fast.
Thanks! I will see how they are doing in the morning and give them some Gatorade if they are not drinking. I will also look for the drops tomorrow when I am in town for the baby aspirin. Thanks for being so helpful! Honestly I thought the one girl, who is being the most perky and normal, was the worst off- I thought she was dead. So I am feeling much better that she is quite alive and I am dealing with the broken limbs. One is my favorite Silkie frizzle hen and the other is my "pullet" Cochin that wound up being a roo (a wondeful roo tho!). I think that he sustained his injury from protecting the other two!
You should probably weigh them every few days, that will help you tell if they are eating and drinking enough. -Kathy
Update Lil Bit went back outside on day 3 because she was much more active than the other two and started pecking them. She is doing fine. Both Big and Five continue to be splinted, they have one more week for the two week time frame to be over. Five seems to be doing better than Big, she is hopping about a lot more, but he weighs more so I am wondering if that is why he is slower to come about. Both will stand with the bad leg under them and Five seems to be able to feel that foot and leg quite a bit more. Hoping for Big to continue to heal because I really don't want to butcher him, but if he is not able to get around after ample healing time then his fate is sealed. I did learn that he enjoys baths, which is funny. He looks so fluffy after his bath yesterday!
How long should a chickens foot/leg be swollen after breaking it? She got snapped by a rat trap, not caught, but snapped. We splinted it, put iodine and neosporen on it, along with giving her pedialite. We assume it is broken above her foot on her leg between the joint and foot, there are a few scales missing and a wound that is not too bad. She is inside and in a basket with a soft blanket in it and during the day has a sling that she sits in so she can eat. Her foot is swollen and warm to the touch, I have iced it twice. It happened on Saturday, at what point should I see the swelling and heat go away? I am going to go get her baby aspirin today to help with pain and swelling. We have so far followed everything in this book "Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens", even the chicken hammock!
