feral rooster broke his leg yesterday

[shelleyi]

my feral friend broke his leg. it was obviously deformed so i herded him into a dog crate and went to the vet who splinted it. he might have nerve damage because his foot seems flaccid and his toes don't grip but curl up instead. he's been hanging around behind our house for 2-3 years and we do feed him so he knows us but is wild. has anyone ever seen an injury like this heal? will the other chickens pick on him if it does heal but he limps? poor henry. he is eating and drinking and pooping fine and seems calm in the crate. i just hope i didn't prolong his agony and that he has a chance to recover. any thoughts? thank you

 

[Vora]

First of all...

Second, he'll probably heal just fine. Did the vet you took him to know much about chickens? If so, he would have told you if it wasn't going to heal.

The lack of grip may be because his leg just plain hurts and he doesn't want to use it for anything. If it doesn't heal correctly, I've seen plenty of chickens (especially roosters) with deformed legs get around fine, some being toeless, others just having a limp. If he was meant to be low on the pecking order, then that's where he'll be. Otherwise, if he's a true roo-like boy, he'll keep his dominance short of absolutely losing use of the leg.

Although chickens are adept at hiding any illness or discomfort, you'd know if he was in serious pain, so don't worry too much about "prolonging his agony." As you probably know, roosters can be very vocal when there's a problem. :3

 

[shelleyi]

thank you for the welcome. the vet clinic does specialize in birds but not too sure if many people bring in chickens. he thought it might heal, was worth a try. he was obviously suffering/distressed as he couldn't stand and was using the wing on the opposite side to try and prop himself up and seemed tired. it was about 6 hours from the time my husband found the injury until i got home from work and got him to the vet. i saw him the day before running around normally. i hope you are right and that foot gets some type of grip back. i uploaded a picture but i can't seem to figure out how to get it in a post so you could see it. anyhow, thanks for your concern and encouragement.

 

[chkn]

It might take a couple weeks for the toes to uncurl. I think he'll be fine. Might as well spend some time handling him and making friends!

 

[Vora]

Quote:
You'll have to post a bit more (I think it's 10 posts?) before you can post a picture. It's to prevent spam.

I'm glad to reassure you. He may be in distress now - his perfectly good leg is, after all, now almost useless in a splint and such - but he'll get used to his condition. Just keep him fairly contained and as sedentary as possible - we wouldn't want him trying to hop up a tree only to hurt himself further!
In any case, unless he loses all use of the leg, he should adapt just fine.

 

[shelleyi]

good thing we were friends or he wouldn't have let me get this far! you are right i have lots of time because the poor guy has to be in the crate for a month! he's getting an anti inflammatory medication. you don't think handling him will stress him out since he never has been before? you guys are awesome! most people think i'm crazy for doing this. i didn't see any other option.

 

[Vora]

Ha! I don't think anyone on BYC would think you were crazy for bringing in a feral rooster. Pretty much all of us would have done the same, I'm sure.

If you're gentle with your handling, and maybe start with just hand-feeding him treats, it shouldn't stress him out to the point of obstructing his recovery. Do you intend to keep him, or set him feral again? I can't wait to see pictures, and do keep us updated!

 

[shelleyi]

i was hoping he would recover enough that i could let him go back to his previous freedom behind my house where he can be with his hens and babies. i have a dog who has gotten a couple chicks when they came in the yard

bad dog. i also have a rabbit in the yard. the dog is good with the rabbit and probably could get used to him since they are about the same size but i don't think he would like being kept with all the feral hens running around here. i guess for now i'll just take it day by day. thanks again for being a chicken friend! i'll keep you posted.

 

[Animalian]

maybe you could use him to lure the wild hens in? Then you'd have a whole flock

Maybe you could strap his toes out like they do with chicks to make sure they don't stay that way. Having a flat foot might help him with walking and recovery too.

 

[shelleyi]

henry's leg didn't heal because it had nerve damage. he got it amputated today and is recovering now, home from the vet. i'm sure hoping he adjusts to it. he is eating and drinking and doing well so far.