Hen has a broken Toe ~ Help needed

[ChickenLady2014]

I have a 1 year old EE hen that has a broken toe. I noticed her foot yesterday as I was hurrying through my chores. I had a dr apt so I couldn't stop to see what was going on with her. Today when I went out to treat her I was thinking I was treating a case of bumblefoot. I was thinking she was my hen that hatched with a very crooked toe, but that was not the case. After soaking it I took tweezers & pulled the scabs off. I then tried to squeeze the hardened kernel out of the center of it, but it wouldn't budge. I put it back in to soak for a little longer & then tried again. This time using my scalpel, this is when I realized what looked like a bumble kernel was actually the toe joint. My poor hen at some point has completely snapped the toe joint. She hasn't even been limping. Had she not gotten up on the roost bar while I was collecting eggs yesterday I don't know how long it would have been before I noticed, I feel horrible. I have soaked it & cleaned it well, have packed the open pocket by the toe joint full of antibiotic ointment & dressed the foot. Is there anything else I might have missed that would help my hen heal? I got a before I soaked & removed the scabs pictures, but the ones I took of the exposed joint were too blurry. I would apreciate any additional advice for treating it, thanks.

@granny hatchet

 

[Granny Hatchet]

That does look a LOT like bumble. You didnt get any pus out ? I would probably soak it a few more times and maybe look again. Do what you did today afterwards except splint it as well. She will be able to walk/roost ok with a bent toe so most important is watching out for infection which I am almost positive she has in there.
@Wyorp Rock ? advise please ????

 

[Chickens 4Ever]

Eek! I have a bantam that lost two toes and I didn’t even know, lol

 

[ChickenLady2014]

That does look a LOT like bumble. You didnt get any pus out ? I would probably soak it a few more times and maybe look again. Do what you did today afterwards except splint it as well. She will be able to walk/roost ok with a bent toe so most important is watching out for infection which I am almost positive she has in there.
@Wyorp Rock ? advise please ????

Thanks Pam, I truly thought it was bumble too, which there is some infection there. Nothing came out when I squeezed it. After soaking it a couple times & debriding the area it exposed the toe joint. Very frustrated that those pictures didn't turn out. I was outside working on the hen & the sun broke through the clouds & I could barely see the picture I was taking. There is swelling & I'm sure infection around the broken joint. There isn't anyway to splint the toe, it will not straighten at all. The angle you are seeing the toe with the dressing on is the direction the toe is pointed. It would be like taking your finger and snapping it sideways until it broke. Just wish I knew how she did it & that I would have caught it sooner. Problem being, up until a few days ago the runs were all mud.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

Thanks Pam, I truly thought it was bumble too, which there is some infection there. Nothing came out when I squeezed it. After soaking it a couple times & debriding the area it exposed the toe joint. Very frustrated that those pictures didn't turn out. I was outside working on the hen & the sun broke through the clouds & I could barely see the picture I was taking. There is swelling & I'm sure infection around the broken joint. There isn't anyway to splint the toe, it will not straighten at all. The angle you are seeing the toe with the dressing on is the direction the toe is pointed. It would be like taking your finger and snapping it sideways until it broke. Just wish I knew how she did it & that I would have caught it sooner. Problem being, up until a few days ago the runs were all mud.

there are some things you cant help. This is one of them. If you suspect bone infection a round of antibiotics wouldnt hurt.

 

[ChickenyChickeny]

there are some things you cant help. This is one of them. If you suspect bone infection a round of antibiotics wouldnt hurt.

bone infections exist? i thought only skin tissue and muscle and stuff could get infected. well, i learned something. thanks!

 

[ChickenLady2014]

Eek! I have a bantam that lost two toes and I didn’t even know, lol

Was this from frostbite?

 

[ChickenLady2014]

bone infections exist? i thought only skin tissue and muscle and stuff could get infected. well, i learned something. thanks!

Yes bone infections do exist, if left untreated, bumblefoot infections can spread to the adjoining bones. I lost a beautiful roo to this very thing.

 

[ChickenyChickeny]

Yes bone infection does exist, bumblefoot if left untreated can spread to the adjoining bones. I lost a beautiful roo to this very thing.

poor rooster sorry for them and you

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do you have any antibiotics on hand, if so, what kind?

I agree that it looks to be infected. If the bone is exposed, then it's possible she may lose the toe, but it doesn't look like it's dying, just has some infection. I would get her going on some antibiotics.
I agree with @granny hatchet to continue with keeping the foot clean/soaking/applying triple antibiotic ointment.

How she did it? That will be a mystery unless you saw her do it. A couple of years ago I was just watching my BR as she was walking to the sidewalk at the coop, she stepped from the grass to the sidewalk and caught the edge of the board. I saw the toe bend sideways and back- it was immediately out of shape. She paused, I knew it hurt, but being a stoic stubborn hen, she just kept on going. I tried to fix it, but she was very active and couldn't stand confinement (even within the run), so I taped it up the best I could and let her go. She would work the tape off every other day so she ended up with a crooked toe.