HELP PLEASE Broken thigh/leg/foot ????!

[LuvMyChickies13]

A friends dog came over yesterday and got after one of my hens, she took a dip in the pond(Minnesota), got out of that, but got beat up pretty bad by that pup.

i got the dog off of her just in time, but it seems as though she has sustained injuries. I looked in the window of the coop but was unable to get inside to check her out more thoroughly this morning. from what I can see, she is trying to put weight on he right leg, her toes are curled under and as soon as she presses down she releases pressure right away and stumbles. I am not sure which part of her leg is broken at this point but Id like to know how to help her heal whichever part swiftly! Im so scared for my little chicky! Can somebody help me learn how to mend each part of the leg/hip/foot?

also she might have hurt her wing!

 

[LuvMyChickies13]

I should also mention that she appears to be alert and healthy except for the aforementioned details. Also I am worried that she might be unable to access food and water if her limb doesn't heal. how can i help with that???

 

[Eggcessive]

By her toes curling under, I wonder if she may have some nerve involvement. Do you see any swelling, redness or displacement of the bones in the leg? How do the joints look? I would cage her inside the coop with her friends, with food and water. It can take 2 or more weeks for fractures to heal. You could try splinting her leg with vet wrap or tape, you could try her in a chicken sling, or you could leave her alone in the cage to rest the leg. Of course a vet could Xray it if possible. Wing fractures can be splinted with a figure 8 bandage. Here is a good link or two on splinting broken bones:
http://theiwrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Duerr_Splinting_Manual_2010.pdf
http://www.starlingtalk.com/fractures.htm

 

[Eggcessive]

Some photos of chickens slings. Be sure to put food and water within reach.

 

[LuvMyChickies13]

it didnt look like it was swollen or discolored. but its a tad hard to see due to our makeshift coop/run setup tbh. my dad said he saw her out this mornin but when I saw her get up she was attempting to put weight on those curled toes...this only happened yesterday afternoon and she is housed only with one other hen (that wobbly sussex from another post who is doing better but making motions like she has the hiccups or something) so Im not too worried about her being in the way. so do you think it could maybe resolve itself with a splint?

 

[LuvMyChickies13]

Some photos of chickens slings. Be sure to put food and water within reach.

can you tell me how this helps the healing process? I need to convince my dad asap

 

[Eggcessive]

The slings are a way to take weight off the broken leg to let it heal. It is also more helpful to have them up out of their droppings if they cannot stand. She may have broken her foot, also. The curled under toe paralysis that she seems to have from your description can be common in chickens who have a riboflavin deficiency and also in Mareks disease from nerve inflammation or Mareks tumors, so I'm just guessing that your chicken has a similar issue from her injury. If you think she would be better off left in her coop with her mate, that may work, too. Just make sure she doesn't keep re-injuring it.

 

[LuvMyChickies13]

ok ya dad said no on the sling. so a splint is my only option besides letting it heal on its own

 

[Eggcessive]

If you aren't sure where or if there is a break, I would not splint. You could do it later if needed. Maybe just watch her closely for a day or so. Could you bring her inside in a spare room or basement?

 

[LuvMyChickies13]

i have her in a small coop with a heater and our only other hen (I wouldn't wanna leave her alone as she is recovering from whatever it is she had haha) But upon reading your last post, and a couple of blogs my dad has rested on leaving her be, checking her progress. I hope he's right! I'm sorry for being so crazy about this stuff, it's just that she's more than just a chicken, she's a pet and pets are part of the family (within reason!!) and I've never heard her scream like that. I wanna be sure I'm helping her. Eggcessive, I have to thank you for all of your help. You are really great for taking as much time as you do to help people like me!