**!!HELP!!! Chicken with broken leg after dog attack!!!!***

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

So I wake up to distressed chickens (I work nights so I was sleeping) and I grab the shotgun because we've been having dog problems. Well I find 2 dogs in the process of killing some chickens. So I Shot and kill one..!!! (already reported it to animal control and sheriff's dept).

But my 14 week old roo I found with a broken leg!

Left leg just dangles. He was just almost fully recovered from being injured in the first attack about a month and a half ago. WHAT DO I DO?!!! He's in a rubbermaid contained with straw/shavings and I gave him food/water. He's obviously in shock. I feel like he should be put out of his misery(he's already been through SO much) but I'm gonna talk to DBF when he gets home from work but if thats the case I dont know if I can do it myself.. and I know DBF wont..

maybe I can offer some eggs when the shock weres off? see how he's feeling.

I work at the emergency vet hospital... but I JUST started working there and really cannot afford to rack up a huge bill on a chicken that would probably have a 50%-50% chance of recovering anyways..

So PLEASEEE help me!! what do you guys suggest?

 

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

Help I dont want him to suffer! please!!!

 

[kidcallous]

that is very sad. I'm not sure what you should do, as I'm new - but maybe my posting will bring some more attention to your need for help!

I would say (if it were me, and i'm a beginner) see how he does overnight. Give him some bugs or worms tonight, and check him out in the morning?

Someone who knows what theyre talking about - HELP HER!!

 

[Nostalchic]

If the attack were severe enough that his leg is broken, he may have other significant injuries, internal injuries, etc. that are not survivable. Keep him as comfortable as you can and observe. A broken leg, depending on where the break is, could possibly be splinted and heal, and I had a rooster once with a broken leg who survived and did well despite minimal treatment - obviously not always the case. You have him in a safe place, feed him if he'll eat, give him water, and see how things evolve. No life is without pain, and we're all gonna die at some point...his time may be up. But YOU don't have to decide right now, wait and see. Sometimes the answer becomes clear with time, and you will be able to make a decision with some serenity.

 

[Lorije1]

Make sure he is warm and away from any drafts. Perhaps this is a good time to try sugar water or pedialyte, something to keep him hydrated? If it is where you can splint it, and you can do it without more stress, perhaps a soft splint of rolled up washcloths?

Sorry... newbie too... just trying to think of something

 

[lilchik]

I am definately not an expert, but I am a nurse (I have human patients) so I will tell you what I would do. Make sure he is warm, heat lamp or heating pad. That is the first treatment for shock. Make sure he is taking in fluids. If not on his own, use a syringe and put drops on the end of his beak, he will swallow it when it goes in his mouth. You can add some sugar to the water for energy until he starts to recover and eats on his own. If he is not drinking enough, give the drops of water every few hours. Give drops of liquid infant multi-vitamins without iron, also a supportive measure. Splint the leg with a straight peice of thin wood or stick. You can wrap it with kling dressing or coband (self adhesive dressing sold at Tractor Supply, Southern States, etc., usually in the horse section). If the leg bone is not alligned, you must realign it before splinting to allow for proper healing. If there are any breaks in the skin, watch for infection. You can apply antibiotic ointment to open areas on the skin.
Once you have done the above, give him some time. Apparently he is a fighter to live since he made it through a previous ordeal.
Good luck and leave us know how he is doing.

 

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

Okay he's in the house next to the wood stove warming up. I offered him sugar water and tried dropping it down his beak. he didnt even try to swallow. I have a scrambled egg cooling so thats next.. I think im gonna give him a chance. Maybe get some vet wrap and tounge depressors and tape from work and splint it up. We'll see how he does over night though.. it seems to be broken right at the hock. Poor poor Precious!! (and yes, thats his name... When he turned out to be a boy I never came up with a new name!

)

 

[lilchik]

Make sure he isn't too close to the wood stove that he gets overheated. He should be able to move away from the heat source if he gets too hot, if he can move that is. Use a syringe for the sugar water if you have one, and angle it to force the drop in his beak, small drop, you don't want to choke him. If you get the drop of water inside his beak he is more likely to swallow. After doing that a few times, you should be able to just drop them on his beak tip. Tounge depressors would work great! Good thinking. You do want the splint to be solid to keep the bone stablized. Vet wrap is the same as coband, love the stuff, works great.
Precious is a fine name, a rooster has to be strong to have a name like that!
Good luck!

 

[lilchik]

Anyone with more advice for a chicken? Mine was human based advice...

 

[homesteadingcowgirl]

We had a younger bird get stepped on by the milk cow. I brought him in and we used a kabab stick (he was that small) and made a splint using the vet wrap. I had to take it off once and make a different one and then eventually (prob. 10 days-2 1/2 weeks) just used the vet wrap. At some point (sorry, I am fuzzy on the timeline, this was a while ago) the splint was more of a hindrance than a help and we took everything off. He never even had a limp.

With an older bird, he will likely not heal as well, but there's a great chance he'll be fine if there is nothing else wrong.

Check for puncture wounds, etc... that might need a different kind of treatment. If he is "traumatized" I have found that Rescue Remedy (Five Flower) works great.
It always astounds me how resilient birds seem to be, they can handle quite a lot generally.