How can I tell if it's a sprain or out of socket?

[MissJenny]

Yesterday I was having a load of gravel delivered. The noise made by the truck and the dumping gravel scared the chickens. They jumped all around, banged into one another and now one of them is injured.

She is a 5 month old EE. She won't put any weight on one leg. She is eating a little and scoots herself around her cage but won't even try to stand. I was going to give her a few days to improve, but I'm not very patient.

How can I tell if she has sprained her leg or if it's out of the socket. Is there anything I should be doing for her. Will this require a vet visit?

Any suggestions?

Jenny

 

[kcaywood]

Hi Jenny,

I'm bumping this to the top because I have a very similar problem!

My four-month-old Speckled Sussex is doing the same thing, but her problem started as a limp and progressed over two days to no usage at all.

Hopefully someone has some insight.

 

[Dar]

if a limb or wing is out of socket it will hang differently... droop there is sometimes a lot of pain... sometimes not so much it depends if there is a nerve being affected.

broken can appear the same as an out of socket... but when you feel it and move it you can feel the bones have separated

a sprain they will limp and hop for a few days most times it will correct it self sometimes they need to have the movement restricted so they can heal and not re injure with every step

 

[kcaywood]

Thank you, Dar.

 

[Dar]

If the limping continues for more then a day or 2 I would confine the chicken to a small area like a cat carrier so they cant move around and make sure you provice food and water within easy reach. If it does not get better within a few days a day or 2 then you may want to have another look at things..

can you take a pic of the bird... are the limbs dangling? or is the chicken just limping?

 

[FlipFlopFarmer]

hold the chicken in ur lap on the unaffected side, slowly take the affected leg and while moving the leg in its normal full range of motion, put ur other hand on the area of the joint, if it is dislocated, just like dar said, it feels dramatically different, also, if you put one of ur hands on either leg, feel them both top to bottom, you can feel anything asymetrical such as an obvious fracture. now, a hairline fracture or a "sprain" will not be as obvious when palpated, but both will heal with limited mobility. The body of animals is usually symetrical if free of birth defects, use that to your advantage when investigating an injury. Good luck to you and ur little chicken.

 

[kcaywood]

*Added more pictures*

Thanks Dar and FlipflopFarmer for your input. Didn't mean to hijack your thread, Jenny! Here are some pictures of my Speckled Sussex pullet, about four months old. The first shows her sitting in the brooder. In the second, she is standing up while favoring her left leg. She can stand on one leg for a minute or two. The third picture shows shows how she holds her leg before she lays down, and the fourth shows how she lays, with her left leg extended.

That is poop on her toe, not an injury. I have washed and examined both feet under bright lights. No bumblefoot, no visible injury. I've checked the bones from claw to hip. No breakage that I can feel. From all I have read on BYC, I suspect it's a sprain. She eats and drinks, maybe less than usual, and sits with her eyes closed a lot.

She is the only pullet of mine that I didn't buy at the feed store as a days old chick. I got her from an individual, and she has always been squinty-eyed and a bit scrawny. Maybe she is just a sickly bird? All my other birds are sleek, active, and of normal weight.

 

[Dar]

that last pic is reminding me of my NN who we ended up culling because I think she had Merricks...

if she holds weight for a bit then looses strength.. I dont think its a dislocation or a break... most likely a sprain...

My NN had the tell tail one foot forward one foot backward she would not hold ant weight and i had to spoon feed her... so at this moment I would not suspect merricks in your pullet

 

[MissJenny]

Thanks Dar and FlipFlopFarmer -- mine is starting to put a little weight on her leg. She is mostly staying in one spot but she is making sure that she eats and drinks. I take her out periodically to make sure she gets her fair share of something to eat and drink. I appreciate your instructions -- it looks to me like a sprain. (I was really worried!)

Thank you,
Jenny

 

[MissJenny]

kcaywood, to put a little weight on that bird you might try taking her off on her own a couple of times a day and giving her a little bacon mixed with oatmeal. Winter is going to be coming on soon and she'll need a little meat on her bones to carry her through the cold.

I have no idea what to say about her leg -- the left leg looks turned badly inward.

Jenny