I think my chicken may have a broken leg. Please help

[rubyred12]

I have a 4 month old brahma. Yesterday she was out free ranging with the other chickens. When it was time to put them into the coop for the night we noticed she was laying under a tree. As we got closer we noticed she was limping. We picked her up and couldn't see any trauma to the foot or leg. She wasn't putting any weight on it so I soaked it in epson salt and put her in the coop. She ate and drank. Today she was outside the coop but laying down and didn't move around much. My husband checked on her recently and said her leg seems to 'dangle'. What should we do? We have no idea what may have happened.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

Debby

 

[Eggcessive]

What part of the leg is injured? Has it pierced the skin? Splinting can be done if the bones are re-aligned first. This is best done by a vet. If you have to do it yourself, use a lot of soft padding, something stiff such as popsicle sticks, paint stick, rubber hose or other stiff item, and vet wrap, taking care not to get it too tight to cut off circulation. Very important to keep checking circulation and for swelling of foot afterward. Here is a good link on splinting legs on pages 17-23:
https://theiwrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Duerr_Splinting_Manual_2010.pdf

 

[Eggcessive]

Many times isolation in a dog cage with food and water, or making a chicken sling to sit in to rest and heal the leg can help. Here are some chick sling pictures in post 5:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

 

[rubyred12]

What part of the leg is injured? Has it pierced the skin? Splinting can be done if the bones are re-aligned first. This is best done by a vet. If you have to do it yourself, use a lot of soft padding, something stiff such as popsicle sticks, paint stick, rubber hose or other stiff item, and vet wrap, taking care not to get it too tight to cut off circulation. Very important to keep checking circulation and for swelling of foot afterward. Here is a good link on splinting legs on pages 17-23:
https://theiwrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Duerr_Splinting_Manual_2010.pdf


View attachment 1506276

I'm not sure what part. I'll check when my husband gets home. I have vet wrap to use. Do we have to use a hard object or can it just be wrapped? With us working all day tmorrow I'm concerned about swelling and circulation loss. I'll try to get a picture when he gets home and upload. I'm not sure if my dog or horse vet will treat chickens. I've never needed vet services for any of my chickens before....

 

[Eggcessive]

A lot depends on how big the chicken is as to what is used for splinting. Some use cardboard or tape, finger splints (first aid aisle at Walmart) or other homemade things. Here is another link to look at:
https://www.animalwised.com/healing-a-fractured-bird-leg-how-to-make-a-splint-667.html

 

[rubyred12]

A lot depends on how big the chicken is as to what is used for splinting. Some use cardboard or tape, finger splints (first aid aisle at Walmart) or other homemade things. Here is another link to look at:
https://www.animalwised.com/healing-a-fractured-bird-leg-how-to-make-a-splint-667.html

Not sure of the exact weight. I'll try splitting it until I can call a vet tmorro. Is there anything I can give her to help with pain?

 

[rubyred12]

Not sure of the exact weight. I'll try splitting it until I can call a vet tmorro. Is there anything I can give her to help with pain?

I'm still not sure where the injury is. No bones are sticking out. While I was holding her my husband felt around and gently pulled out the leg. He says he feels a 'click'. When he does that she does pull the leg back into her. I'm not sure if it's by the knee or up further to where it connects to the body. For right now, we used vet wrap and wrapped it in both places and put her in a corner of the coop with her own food and water dish. She was eating and drinking tonight.

 

[Eggcessive]

It is possible that she dislocated it, but I hope the vet can see her. Give us an update on her tomorrow, especially after the vet sees her.

 

[rubyred12]

It is possible that she dislocated it, but I hope the vet can see her. Give us an update on her tomorrow, especially after the vet sees her.

Thank you

 

[rubyred12]

We took Stella to the vet and found out her leg was broke in 3 places. Still not sure how it happened but the vet out a splint on hoping it will help her heal. She’s currently an ‘inside’ chicken until she gets used to the splint and is able to move around better. So far she’s still eating and drinking. Thank you for your help and suggestions. I’ve attached a picture.