Help! My only rooster has something wrong with his leg!

[wallwall82]

So I have 10 hens and only 1 rooster to watch over the flock, and he has been limping for about 2 weeks now. Only recently have we been able to tell whats wrong with him (he doesn't let us close to him like the other hens let us), and its a bruise or something that looks pretty serious on his leg. Does anyone know what the cause of this wound could be, and if it may be infected? Is he possibly pecking at it or something that is making it look like that, or is it a bruise that will just go away in time? Does it look like it will require any treatment, or should I go to Tractor Supply and just buy some sort of gauze and cover it up so he cant peck it? Thanks so MUCH for anyone who can help!

 

[Eggcessive]

That is a pretty serious injury, possibly scraping it on something sharp edged, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it might be fractured. But hopefully it is just gashed. If a vet to xray it is possible it might help, but would be expensive. Also it would be late, since if broken, the leg would be healing that way.

I would clean it with betadine once, and apply some plain Triple antibiotic or neosporin daily. If you suspect that it is broken, you can splint it with padding, a couple of popsicle sticks, and some vet wrap, but careful about it slipping and getting too tight to cut off circulation.