I have a chicken who's leg is injered

[Twopuggs4me]

My chickens leg has been hurt for about a week. she won't put any weight on it. she is still eating and drinking. The other chickens are not bothering her and there's no sweling. I put her in a cage by herself with food and water and she just made a huge mess out of herself, pooped all over and I had to wash her at least twice a day. this has been this way for a week now. She is an orpington. Oh and she stopped laying eggs. She has always been a perfect little lady. what should I do?

 

[chickschool]

One of my hens broke her leg last year and everyone said I should put her down but I just didn't have the heart. She lived like a queen in our living room and even went camping with us for two weeks. Needless to say we were known as the chicken people.

Because she couldn't stand up I had to wash her bottom a few times a day. During the day when I was home I would put her outside under a tree which helped with the mess. I put an old pillow in her cage and covered it with layers of paper towels which made the cleanup a little easier. My feeling are if they are eating and drinking and otherwise healthy give them time to heal. Good luck.

 

[chickschool]

Oh, and she stopped laying too. She started again this spring.

 

[Judy]

I also have one whose legs look a bit like the pic above, but she does walk, sort of. She limps heavily on the injured leg and flaps her wings as she walks, I assume to lighten the load on the injury, which happened about 2 years ago. She still lays, and since she walks, I don't have to deal with a poopy bottom. She has a spot on the floor near the flock where she sleeps and lays. She goes outside in the morning to a spot under a bush or weed, then returns at night, on her own. I worried over her for a long time, and at one time they pecked her a fair amount, but they pretty much leave her alone now. and she seems content. I had her in a separate "room" in the coop for a while, with chicken wire walls so she could see the flock, but she obviously wanted to be with the group, even when they were pecking her enough to make bald spots on her head.