I think my Cochin Bantam Hen broke her leg, how do I fix it?

[RooandherRooster]

Hey everybody!
I think I'm just having a round of bad luck this month in relation to my chickens, ahh.
Okay, so my cochin bantam went broody (actually if anyone knows this kind very well, I don't know exactly what she is and i would like to know, if no one who answers this forum knows, then i will post it under the breed heading so its not a big deal), and 2 calico cochin bantams went broody soon there after. There are currently 16 chicks, with one of my calicos on the nest with the last 8 eggs. My original broody mama started limping two days ago. The next day she was really hobbling about, not putting any weight on it, dragging it beside her. She did NOT want to be separated from her babies and I was afraid she would hurt herself trying to get out if I did. So I put her in a cage big enough fro her chicks to get in and out, and I put it inside the coop with her own food and water. I felt her 3 times now, and from what I can tell, it's either broke or dislocated. But I'm no expert at this sort of thing. It is basically bowed out a bit and she won't put any weight on it, nothing under her foot to cause her pain, and no other injuries. If it is broke, its up by her fibula or femur I believe. I can post pictures and videos if need be.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[DiYMama540]

Pictures of the bird and leg in question will help!

 

[RooandherRooster]

Pictures of the bird and leg in question will help!

Will do, coming right up

 

[RooandherRooster]

There's the video. I will post a picture or two now

 

[RooandherRooster]

Here we are, this is the Mama Hen. Well, one of the three. I can't really get a picture of the leg, and there's nothing to see, especially with all the feathers on her legs.

 

[DiYMama540]

Oh no! She's got to get back on her feet, she's got babies to care for! Have you checked for bumblefoot?

@Wyorp Rock @casportpony @sourland @Eggcessive

 

[RooandherRooster]

Oh no! She's got to get back on her feet, she's got babies to care for! Have you checked for bumblefoot?

@Wyorp Rock @casportpony @sourland @Eggcessive

She's such a good mama! Luckily, there is another broody mo who helps take care of them, Charlotte. And Nutmeg is my third broody who took over the last eggs. They're a good team/family. I did. Her feet are nasty from being in the nest for so long, so I'm going to trim her toenails, but I did not see bumblefoot or anything else that would cause her pain.

 

[Cyprus]

Fibula and Femur are two totally different areas of the leg. Femur is the thigh. Fibula is in the hock region.

Bird bones are incredibly, incredibly brittle. It is totally possible that she broke it, but I've dealt with chickens with broken legs and she doesn't seem to act like she has one.

She seems more like she sprained her hip (seen this is a duck hen I got). I found that after 3-4 days the hen recovered just fine.

If you can get yourself a helper I want you to perform an exam for me. Pay attention to how she reacts and report back.

• Get someone to hold her off the ground, nice and steady with two hands.
• You should gently take your thumb and pointer finger and run them down either side of her injured leg from the hip joint to the toe. No pressure. You're feeling for any bumps or lumps or something out of place. (Use other leg to compare)
• Holding her foot securely but without too much pressure, extend her leg in the normal range of motion. Watch and see if she jerks her leg as if in pain. If she does, determine just when she does it.
• Extend it again and watch her pupil as you do. You're looking to see if her pupil shrinks suddenly at any point. This is an indicator that she is in pain. If that happens, determine what position her foot is in when she reacts

Report back with details. This will help me narrow down if it's a joint issue or broken bone.

She is a Brown Red cochin, btw.

-Cyprus

 

[RooandherRooster]

Fibula and Femur are two totally different areas of the leg. Femur is the thigh. Fibula is in the hock region.

Bird bones are incredibly, incredibly brittle. It is totally possible that she broke it, but I've dealt with chickens with broken legs and she doesn't seem to act like she has one.

She seems more like she sprained her hip (seen this is a duck hen I got). I found that after 3-4 days the hen recovered just fine.

If you can get yourself a helper I want you to perform an exam for me. Pay attention to how she reacts and report back.

• Get someone to hold her off the ground, nice and steady with two hands.
• You should gently take your thumb and pointer finger and run them down either side of her injured leg from the hip joint to the toe. No pressure. You're feeling for any bumps or lumps or something out of place. (Use other leg to compare)
• Holding her foot securely but without too much pressure, extend her leg in the normal range of motion. Watch and see if she jerks her leg as if in pain. If she does, determine just when she does it.
• Extend it again and watch her pupil as you do. You're looking to see if her pupil shrinks suddenly at any point. This is an indicator that she is in pain. If that happens, determine what position her foot is in when she reacts

Report back with details. This will help me narrow down if it's a joint issue or broken bone.

She is a Brown Red cochin, btw.

-Cyprus

I did the exam. Report:
No out of place bumps
She didn't react to the movement of her injured leg, she didn't jerk or dilate her eyes
The only time she dilated just a little bit is when we moved it forward and inwards a bit
But before I tried this she would jerk a lot when I picked her up too close to that leg
Oh, thank you!

 

[Cyprus]

I did the exam. Report:
No out of place bumps
She didn't react to the movement of her injured leg, she didn't jerk or dilate her eyes
The only time she dilated just a little bit is when we moved it forward and inwards a bit
But before I tried this she would jerk a lot when I picked her up too close to that leg
Oh, thank you!

Sounds like a sprain. She should fully recover in a few days
Keep her on soft bedding and in that cage, so she can't move around too much.