help with a duck broken leg

[chickenvet97]

I think Kathy has offered some excellent advice. An xray to determine if the leg is broken is indeed what is needed. Until then ( which I realize this is very late in coming), keeping the bird confined, with easy access to food and drinking water is the best you can offer.

 

[casportpony]

@chickenvet97 , thanks for your input!

-Kathy

 

[farmingchic]

Hi,
I was wondering how your duck is doing? I have a runner duck with the exact same type of injury. I was wondering if there is any hope for her or am I only prolonging her suffering. I am unable to take her to a vet, as I called and the price starts at $300, only for exam and x-ray, not including treatment. @linkingemma

 

[linkingemma]

well hes fine she has hope first try to find where the facture is and try to immobilize it and keep it in a closed place in a couple of weeks like 3 to 4 hes goona recover goona look for a link to send you so you can see how to do it.

 

[linkingemma]

https://theiwrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Duerr_Splinting_Manual_2010.pdf
check this it could help someone here send it to me and it helped alot and you dont need wood

 

[farmingchic]

Thank you so much! @linkingemma

 

[casportpony]

Update on these ducks?

-Kathy

 

[Duck Drover]

I don't know how tbese ducks did but I have managed to cast a duck's broken leg using paper tape from tne Dollar Tree and it mended successsfully. I was initially afraid she would end up crippled or that I would have to cull her but I decided there was nothing to lose and I did the best I could. It was hard to set the bone because it was splintered and broken tbrough completely so tbat it was poking out of the leg without breaking tbe skin. Anything that was punctured internally healed while the bone healed.

I started by rolling the leg to position the bone the best I could and taped the femur in place without using any kind of splint. I added a layer at a time around the femur and then immobilized the joint by bending it under the hen and taping around her body like a sling. I wraped the ankle joint in a position that allowed her to balance and bear some weight on it without allowing it to move. Then I kept her inside in a plastic tub with a towel under her and dishes of food and water within reach. In the beginning I did not give her room to turn around but later gave her more room to move. I was afraid tnat tok much movement would keep the bone from mending. A friend of mine bad a vet wrap a duckling's broken leg and it never healed because it was taped across its body and too immobilized. Apparently bone has to scrape against bone to stimulate healing so my duck may have had just enough movement without causing reinjury.

I removed the paper tape cast in layers by first freeing her ankle. Her foot was discolored at tbe time of the break and it was not responsive to pressure but it healed beautifully and she had full use of it when the tape came off a month after her leg had been hanging useless. After two weeks of using the foot for balance while she hopped on one leg, I removed tape splinting her leg to her body. This allowed her to use her hip but her knee was still taped in a bent position. After two more weeks I untaped the knee and just left the tape around the femur. I then started her on physical therapy in a bucket of water. As the tape got wet I gradually peeled off layers until I got it all removed. Her feathers were a mess and she lost a fair share but she kept her leg.

I had her in the house for awhile longer to make sure she mended completely and then found a home for her where she would be a pet duck and make babies with one of my drakes tnat went with her. I assume she will hatch ducklings this year but I have not checked with her owner to get an update. She is a beautiful bluehead Australian Spotted duck and the drake was either bluehead or silverhead, plus she got a silverhead hen to make a breeding trio. I would love to get some of their offspring back in trade.

 

[farmingchic]

Everything turned out good for my girl's leg. I separated her into a kennel to restrict movement, but still in the same coop with the other ducks. I tried to brace her leg, but that would never stay on. So with rest & a little extra special care, her leg healed well. It was really bad to begin with, turned completely in the opposite direction & her foot was drawn up. I probably kept her confined for 3-4 weeks. She slowly started putting weight on it, then she walked with a limp, and then eventually the limp disappeared. Apparently ducks are incredibly resilient!

 

[cayugaducklady]

Very late reply but posting in case it helps others.

My very first batch of ducklings I had a duckling that jumped out of the shipping box and fell about 5 feet to the ground. Broken bone and cracked joint before she was even a week old. The vet didn't splint it because the bone was in place. He prescribed an anti inflammatory ( M- soemthing) and prescribed as much swimming as she could tolerate.. so she started getting at least twice daily swimming sessions in warm water. At first she just swam in place but as it healed she started diving and zoom-swimming.

I made a tiny little dish of food for her under the Brinsea brooder because she had one spot she liked to lay in. She was always a smaller than her sister hens but now she is only a wee bit smaller than her adult sisters.

I took her to a vet that handled the waterfowl rescues and wild life rescue cases in my area. I live somewhere that is lucky enough to have multple bird vets but neither of those practices were highly recommended. Cose t form the wild lfe vet: $70 + meds . Cost of birdvet: $300 + for exam plus other costs.

I feel like i got better advice and better care from the wild life vet because he gave advice concerning pond construction, avoiding snapping turtles and racoons