Honey hurt her leg

[Cutiepie29]

Honey (nearly 4 months old) used to have a plastic leg band on but about a week ago, it got caught and scraped up her leg as seen in the attached picture. We obviously immediately removed the band and I cleaned the sore as well as I could using sterile saline solution. I didn't know what else to do, I didn't try to bandage it or anything, and have just been keeping an eye on her ever since. At first, she didn't want to put her foot down at all although now she can and will put pressure on that leg. She is walking better but still has a pronounced limp. I've been watching and none of the other girls seem to have been pecking at her (thank goodness) although I wonder if she pecks at herself at night in the hen house since it just doesn't seem to be getting much better. Any advice?

 

[horror_trashcan]

That is extremely deep, you can see her bone, I would wrap it and continue spraying, I wouldn't expect her to use that leg for a while. A crutch may help as well, that is no mere scrape.

 

[Cutiepie29]

What do you recommend I use to wrap it? I have some cotton gauze that would probably be fine but I'm still quite new to things and don't want to make things worse accidentally. Being able to see the bone is part of why I wonder if she picks at herself at night since it wasn't like that originally and I've never actually seen her (or any of the others) pecking at the wound.

 

[horror_trashcan]

What do you recommend I use to wrap it? I have some cotton gauze that would probably be fine but I'm still quite new to things and don't want to make things worse accidentally.

I believe that's fine, I wouldn't try and stuff it into the open area but just keep it covered and tight enough that it won't fall off, its going to probably look pretty nasty afterwards but I imagine she'll be alright walking and such. She seems like a fighter, for a week untouched it looks pretty healed already. Also you're doing great! If it gets worse just know you are only trying to help.

 

[Cutiepie29]

So, I coated Honey's sore with petroleum jelly and wrapped gauze around it then used some medical tape to hold it in place. The tape I used is a bright poison green (since that's what I had) and has had the effect that everyone is leaving her leg completely alone (I was worried it would attract negative attention). When I initially wrapped it, Honey kind of examined it for a moment but quickly lost interest. Another pullet came bustling right over and got close but seemed to back off in horror (at least that's my whimsical interpretation) when she saw the color. She absolutely did NOT aggress on Honey. I've changed the dressing a few times since and have seen no signs that anyone has pecked at it in the intervening time. I didn't take new pictures yet, but the crusty look has disappeared and it seems to be closing over and healing. Poor Honey may have a limp for the rest of her life, but it has improved a lot. Thank you so much for the encouragement, @horror_trashcan!

 

[Cutiepie29]

Here's a follow up pic of Honey's leg. Yes, it still has a bit of a scab on it, but it has filled in the gouge completely. Her limp is almost imperceptible now, and while she still tends to stand on her right leg with the left foot elevated, I've noticed the others do the same (favoring one leg or the other while standing). I'm so pleased my chickie survived her crisis!

 

[Daisy June]

I use the bands on my four younger chickens to know who is who. Twice, now, the bands have moved in such a way that I needed to fix them. Once the band had just begun to dig into the scales of one foot, but I was able to adjust it before it caused any damage. The other time, the band worked its way up to the top of another chickens leg, but I watched it drop back down itself before causing any damage. The lesson here is that we need to look closely at our chickens daily to be sure they are not in trouble. I just love them so much.

 

[Cutiepie29]

My girls had bands on their legs as babies since they all looked pretty much the same. Since then, things have changed greatly! I need to get pics of them all so I can show them off. I'd do it now but the sun's already down and it's too dark. Honeysuckle is white with gray speckles. She was supposed to be a brown sex link, but obviously is not. Cara, a buff Orpington, is my avatar picture. Marmalade is also buff Orp, but is three years older than the other girls. Cinnamon is a brown sex link and a gorgeous orange-red. Nugget is stripey brown with fluffy cheeks. I'm not sure of her breed, but she's adorable .