Help! broken or injured leg!

[eshack93]

One of my lady hens was attacked by a hawk today but she lived and no blood was drawn. However she is limping very badly and im wondering if her leg is broken or dislocated. Any tips on what to do?? Much appreciated.

 

[CMV]

You will probably do well to limit her mobility for a few days in order that she can rest and recoup. A dog crate is perfect for this type of thing, but even a plain cardboard box is sufficient. Keep her warm and dry for the next day or two so she doesn't get too shocky. Don't be surprised if she won't eat for a bit, but make sure she is drinking. Palpate the leg to find any obvious fractures immediately. Check joint mobility by running her leg through its range of motion. Tomorrow you can look for swelling and hot spots to isolate any injuries. If all these things turn up normal then she will probably be fine in a few days with some rest.

Glad she survived her adventure. I had a few birds that weren't so lucky around the turn of the year- 2 injured and one (the favorite, of course) killed. It was a sad day.

Good luck.

 

[Tojuliet]

Hi I had a hen grabbed by a fox she broke one leg and could not bear to put her foot on the ground at all, no weight whatsoever but after about four weeks she started to limp and did make a full recovery but one leg is thicker than the other now. Just look after her and be patient, feed dandelion leaves if possible or broccoli. she did eat well I felt very bad about the fox as it was dawn and I let them out too early and was in the shower so did not hear the squares till it was too late. My 2 hens are ex battery hens. Hope your hen recovers. Juliet from Loughborough uk