Hen stuck in between fence

[lmw411]

We were away for two nights and came back to find one of our hens had somehow gotten stuck between two fence boards in the coop. It looks like she had been there for at least 24 hours Which means she was pinned between the two boards in 30 degree temps and no access to food/water. She was obviously traumatized, and I took her into our garage to let her rest. The next day she drank water, and is eating some now. But she cannot walk. When holding her, the right leg will move/push against resistance. Her left leg won't move at all, but I can range it without her showing any pain or discomfort. It's been almost two days since she has been separated and seems to be mentally recovering and will shuffle away from us now with her wings (not using legs at all). Her legs will sprawl out if I don't position them before laying her near the food and water so she can eat/drink. I started giving her nutridrench.

Any ideas on chicken rehab? There are no obvious deformities, but of course I can't see ligament or tendon damage. I couldn't imagine it being paralysis, but then I again I don't know much neuroanatomy in chickens. I work in rehab, but I'm more used to humans than chickens . Any thoughts? How long should we allow for healing before we make a tough decision about putting her down if she can't walk anymore?

 

[Cragg Klefor]

Sorry to hear about your poor chicken!
I would put her in a sling for now to get her up off the ground and allow her legs to heal without her weight on them.
Apart from that others with a lot more knowledge about leg injuries will be able to advise!

You'll need two holes for her legs and one under her vent for poop.
If she takes to it she can stay in it during the day and take out at night to sleep.

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree with Cragg about using a chicken sling with her feet touching the ground in order to get her up, in front of food and water, and to keep her cleaner. I would take her out often, pick her up to stand her up, and hold her to see if she will put her legs down and try to move them. She might have suffered compression of nerves, and maybe they will improve with rest. Only time will tell if she will get better, I certainly hope she will. Here is another link with mire examples of homemade chicken slings:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

 

[lmw411]

Thank you all so much! I was thinking nerve compression as well. Still nothing out of the left leg but I am hopeful. I made a sling for her, not the prettiest but it will have to do. Can't believe I didn't think of that sooner. I'll take her out of it at night and put her back into it during the day as suggested.

 

[lmw411]

For an update and to get a better understanding, the hen seems to be using the right foot some more and has her personality back, but she is still not doing anything with the left leg and the toes remain curled unless I fix them. Both are pretty cold to touch, is that normal? Should I just assume nerve damage, and if so, do I need to cull?

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I don't know much about nerve compression in chickens, but if you're stuck in one spot for a long time like that it could easily take more than a day to recover. I would give it some time, especially if she is eating and drinking a good amount.

I would weigh her so you can make sure she's not loosing too much weight while in her sling.
I would give her at least a few more days to see if she gets well with the sling and a little daily physical therapy where you gently move all her joints about. See if she shows any signs of improvement. Try to give her 5 minutes of flexing 3 times a day. That's the sort of schedule I know humans get for at-home physical therapy.
I would also consider an anti inflammatory, if you can get meloxicam that's one that's chicken safe. (Citation/dosage:
https://www.researchgate.net/public...ses_in_the_Lame_Backyard_Chickens_with_NSAIDs)

The choice to cull is, of course, up to you and how much work you're willing to put in. It's possible that weeks and weeks and weeks of therapy could see improvements enough for her to walk... But are you really willing to 100% baby this chicken for potentially months to look for improvements?
If the chicken goes months without improvement that's when you absolutely HAVE to cull for quality of life (not reasonable for a hen to spend years in a sling) or find a way to give it chicken wheels or something else bizzare. But when you should also depends on you and how long you're willing to work at it.

Pick a time frame and then use your gut. If the time frame says a week and she's not in any distress and you wanna wait another week and then another that's ok. If you say a week and she seems distraught, a week may be too long. If you wait two but she's not improved and seems to be wasting away and depressed, that's a problem. So decide what's a reasonable amount of effort for you to put into this chicken and give it a shot.

 

[Eggcessive]

Try some vitamin B complex tablets 1/4 tablet a day crushed on some food. Or a whole tablet in a liter of water. Can you make a splint for her foot to stretch her toes out normally? Using a styrofoam meat try doubled and cut to fit, along with tape can be useful. Here is a link showing how to make one on page 23 on chicken shoes:
https://theiwrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Duerr_Splinting_Manual_2010.pdf

 

[lmw411]

I'm thinking now there may be a dislocation I hadn't noticed. Unfortunately she hates humans so this is the worst chicken this could happen too, because she loves to fight to get away. Which means it takes two people to inspect her . Seems like the right leg is A-ok today. I think setting a timeline is our best bet. We've not had to cull a chicken yet and it breaks my heart, but I know sometimes it's the best decision.

 

[rebrascora]

How old is she and what breed? Lighter weight birds can learn to hop when they lose use of a leg. I would encourage her to move a short distance towards a special treat each day.... it will be ugly as she will probably crawl with her wings but I have had birds gradually regain use of a leg after several weeks of being nest bound. Start just a foot or so and gradually increase it and don't put pressure on herbut give her time to figure it out.
My concern is that the leg issue may have been the reason she got stuck rather than as a result of it. In my experience birds suffering from Marek's often get stuck in odd places, either due to lack of balance or because they are picked on by other flock members who sense they are unwell and they crawl into small spaces to get away from them. Hope I am wrong about that in this case.

 

[lmw411]

How old is she and what breed? Lighter weight birds can learn to hop when they lose use of a leg. I would encourage her to move a short distance towards a special treat each day.... it will be ugly as she will probably crawl with her wings but I have had birds gradually regain use of a leg after several weeks of being nest bound. Start just a foot or so and gradually increase it and don't put pressure on herbut give her time to figure it out.
My concern is that the leg issue may have been the reason she got stuck rather than as a result of it. In my experience birds suffering from Marek's often get stuck in odd places, either due to lack of balance or because they are picked on by other flock members who sense they are unwell and they crawl into small spaces to get away from them. Hope I am wrong about that in this case.

We don't know what breed she is. Some would say Jersey Giant because she is black with a lovely green hue but I don't think she is. She should be almost a year old come spring, if not a year already. She just started laying around September. She was our best layer We don't think it's Mereks... She is at the bottom of the pecking order and she got stuck near the water supply. My guess is someone got mad at her and she tried to get away or one of the barn cats tried to get in the pin or something. She won't come to us for treats, she really isn't a fan of humans lol. But she would be motivated to get away from us! I may try to see all that she can do tomorrow. She definitely crawls with the right leg.