Injured Chicken 8/9 weeks old

[countylineacre]

We had a chicken injury - at first I thought it was just the toes, then it turned into the leg and it got worse. Went for X-ray (8 weeks in and wasn't ready to go through that trauma but here we are), no breaks, a little swollen. Seems like she is mostly using the bend of the leg to hobble around on when she does move around the isolation cage. Extending the front foot trying to get her balance, I am thinking because of the broken toes and not being able to put pressure. Ordered all the amazon things, a chicken sling, wax application wooden sticks to splint the toes, pet wrap and then flattened the foot on a thin disk we cut down from some material in the shop, wrapped it all up with pet wrap. The next day I left the wrap off to give her a break and she went to town pecking her leg raw when I left her in her cage for a bit to rest. Started reading got freaked out about Mareks the breeder said they are vaccinated (I realize that doesn't mean that they wont get it and it's stress induced as well but I don't think it's that after thinking about it and losing sleep because I know for a fact she injured the toes but possibly the stress of it all induced it and that's why it doesn't seem any better? Switched all of the others to a new pen realizing if it is that it's too late and have had her isolated for several days, she is trying to put weight on it and succeeds every so often When I take the wrap off she does stretch her toes out. Vet said the toes looked straight no breaks but they definitely were going to the side before I wrapped it (I guess that was a good wrap). Regrouped and treated the open wound she pecked that wasn't there before and applied cleansing spray and bag balm wrapped the leg and the toes again individually with splints and then did the disk with the foot wrap to keep it all flat. She flailed around a bit in the cage and wasn't happy on the front porch I am guessing from the new noises so I moved her to our shop and when I checked she was resting. The wrap goes on the upper part of the leg towards the hip (not sure I am using correct anatomy here) then has a slight open area to allow a little movement by the "knee" but not much and the bottom part of the leg it wrapped. Almost looks like a little fun leg cast. Doc said to leave it on and change every two days but how can I truly rule out Mareks. If she has scaly leg mites and that is why she is pecking at the leg then it's just the start applied some coconut oil amidst the wrap and have been giving her chicken drench in her water to keep her energy up. She is eating and drinking. She has rather long toes and kind of steps on her toes as she walks sometimes. I hope I don't lose her would love to see a turnaround just trying to gauge how long it could take this to heal (guessing it's a tissue injury possibly in addition to some sort of skin issue now if it's not the Mareks. She is only 8 weeks and a Silver Death Layer and I just love her so much when I held her in my lap she just passed out and slept from being exhausted I almost cuddled up to take a nap with her but then thought am I going to get scaly leg mites or marks haha (need to research that) quite frankly I am feeling like I just came home from the hospital and am watching a newborn breathe again. Hoping it's not all drama with the chickens and I get to have some fun with them soon. This has pulled me away from the others so much I feel like my attention can only spread so much. Will post pics tomorrow or the next day when I remove the wrap I did tonight she is finally sleeping. Could be that I didn't pull her fast enough and she injured her knee trying to get around or it could be something totally different. The knee joint is certainly inflamed Doc gave anti inflammatory meds. When I had the wrap off she was reaching for the side of the cage with her little toes to support them on the wire while she leaned in to drink. What can I do except all that I am doing now? Giving pain relief, chicken drench and the anti-inflammatory meds and she pooped not long after I shot the dose in her mouth which also made me refer back to what I read about Mareks. Send help I was not emotionally prepared for this yet. Sorry this is so long.

 

[WhiteCollarWeezy]

No need 2 be sorry..very descriptive thats a plus...I have personally never dealt with Marek's...that I know of, but if you have already been 2 the vet and no mention of Marek's. Surely your in the clear...chickens are very hardy birds. The leg is prolly irritating her so she's trying 2 peck it off. Just like if we break a bone and need a cast. Itchy. I betcha your bird will find a way 2 get around with 1 leg and be mobile. Keep using whatever technique your using that helps her the most. I admire your support. Truly.

 

[countylineacre]

Thank you this made me feel a lot better. No she didn’t mention it at all at the appointment so I’m probably just over analyzing everything. Tomorrow im just going to hold her a lot because I’ve tried to leave the room to let her rest and that does help but she also I think just needs to keep the pressure off and that sling I ordered for her is a little big so she can move her wings too much and won’t enjoy the hang for lack of a better term haha. She did have a little bit of a loose poop at one point last night but I think it could be due to the meds. Again google and the internet are a helpful but also a dangerous place for the mind to wander when you read about symptoms for anything haha

Thank you I am feeling so good about posting the details now because I feel like I have a little sigh of relief. She’s so pretty although holding her at the vet she pecked the corner of my eye she was mad about being there and pecked the nurse repeatedly crazy how she knew it wasn’t me or my kids and didn’t want that lady holding her and I’m hoping after another day of being wrapped I can re-check and re-wrap a little lighter as the weekend goes on so she doesn’t get too stagnant or weak. Just would love to see any improvement for sure! Also have baby chicks coming Sunday so I need to get over this hump because they will need me too. 3 kids (2 littles), 5 dogs, 1 cat, 6 chickens, and bees has me bussssyyyyy haha

I’m wrapped though they are so sweet and funny!

 

[WhiteCollarWeezy]

Thank you this made me feel a lot better. No she didn’t mention it at all at the appointment so I’m probably just over analyzing everything. Tomorrow im just going to hold her a lot because I’ve tried to leave the room to let her rest and that does help but she also I think just needs to keep the pressure off and that sling I ordered for her is a little big so she can move her wings too much and won’t enjoy the hang for lack of a better term haha. She did have a little bit of a loose poop at one point last night but I think it could be due to the meds. Again google and the internet are a helpful but also a dangerous place for the mind to wander when you read about symptoms for anything haha

Thank you I am feeling so good about posting the details now because I feel like I have a little sigh of relief. She’s so pretty although holding her at the vet she pecked the corner of my eye she was mad about being there and pecked the nurse repeatedly crazy how she knew it wasn’t me or my kids and didn’t want that lady holding her and I’m hoping after another day of being wrapped I can re-check and re-wrap a little lighter as the weekend goes on so she doesn’t get too stagnant or weak. Just would love to see any improvement for sure! Also have baby chicks coming Sunday so I need to get over this hump because they will need me too. 3 kids (2 littles), 5 dogs, 1 cat, 6 chickens, and bees has me bussssyyyyy haha

I’m wrapped though they are so sweet and funny!

Hey no problem. Don't overthink It. See what happens. Whatever makes both of you comfortable. and content. Just keep a close eye on it.

 

[Mark1234]

We had a chicken injury - at first I thought it was just the toes, then it turned into the leg and it got worse. Went for X-ray (8 weeks in and wasn't ready to go through that trauma but here we are), no breaks, a little swollen. Seems like she is mostly using the bend of the leg to hobble around on when she does move around the isolation cage. Extending the front foot trying to get her balance, I am thinking because of the broken toes and not being able to put pressure. Ordered all the amazon things, a chicken sling, wax application wooden sticks to splint the toes, pet wrap and then flattened the foot on a thin disk we cut down from some material in the shop, wrapped it all up with pet wrap. The next day I left the wrap off to give her a break and she went to town pecking her leg raw when I left her in her cage for a bit to rest. Started reading got freaked out about Mareks the breeder said they are vaccinated (I realize that doesn't mean that they wont get it and it's stress induced as well but I don't think it's that after thinking about it and losing sleep because I know for a fact she injured the toes but possibly the stress of it all induced it and that's why it doesn't seem any better? Switched all of the others to a new pen realizing if it is that it's too late and have had her isolated for several days, she is trying to put weight on it and succeeds every so often When I take the wrap off she does stretch her toes out. Vet said the toes looked straight no breaks but they definitely were going to the side before I wrapped it (I guess that was a good wrap). Regrouped and treated the open wound she pecked that wasn't there before and applied cleansing spray and bag balm wrapped the leg and the toes again individually with splints and then did the disk with the foot wrap to keep it all flat. She flailed around a bit in the cage and wasn't happy on the front porch I am guessing from the new noises so I moved her to our shop and when I checked she was resting. The wrap goes on the upper part of the leg towards the hip (not sure I am using correct anatomy here) then has a slight open area to allow a little movement by the "knee" but not much and the bottom part of the leg it wrapped. Almost looks like a little fun leg cast. Doc said to leave it on and change every two days but how can I truly rule out Mareks. If she has scaly leg mites and that is why she is pecking at the leg then it's just the start applied some coconut oil amidst the wrap and have been giving her chicken drench in her water to keep her energy up. She is eating and drinking. She has rather long toes and kind of steps on her toes as she walks sometimes. I hope I don't lose her would love to see a turnaround just trying to gauge how long it could take this to heal (guessing it's a tissue injury possibly in addition to some sort of skin issue now if it's not the Mareks. She is only 8 weeks and a Silver Death Layer and I just love her so much when I held her in my lap she just passed out and slept from being exhausted I almost cuddled up to take a nap with her but then thought am I going to get scaly leg mites or marks haha (need to research that) quite frankly I am feeling like I just came home from the hospital and am watching a newborn breathe again. Hoping it's not all drama with the chickens and I get to have some fun with them soon. This has pulled me away from the others so much I feel like my attention can only spread so much. Will post pics tomorrow or the next day when I remove the wrap I did tonight she is finally sleeping. Could be that I didn't pull her fast enough and she injured her knee trying to get around or it could be something totally different. The knee joint is certainly inflamed Doc gave anti inflammatory meds. When I had the wrap off she was reaching for the side of the cage with her little toes to support them on the wire while she leaned in to drink. What can I do except all that I am doing now? Giving pain relief, chicken drench and the anti-inflammatory meds and she pooped not long after I shot the dose in her mouth which also made me refer back to what I read about Mareks. Send help I was not emotionally prepared for this yet. Sorry this is so long.

They say "If you have livestock, you will have deadstock" . You have to accept that some injuries, infestations and illnesses will happen. When they do, it will generally be something very common which you should learn to treat. . Taking a chicken to a vet is not a good idea. Vets are best at taking money. They will say and doing anything to take your money. In my opinion they are more unethical than lawyers, used car dealers, and home improvement contractors. They are best avoided.

Also, treating this chicken, with splints and bandages is traumatic for it. It doesn't know you are trying to help it, in the same way as say a dog would know. Chickens are dumber than even horses by many orders of magnitude.

They are also bullies and will peck to death any chicken they see with a medical issue. This is probably a form of "antibiotic" -- getting rid of a sick flockmate limits the spread of disease.

It seems very likely that your chicken has injured itself. It may have gone lame because of the shape of its night perch and you should make sure it is roundish and a couple of inches or so on diameter as injuries can occur if the perches are wrong. It could have injured itself because it is too heavy for her legs

The best thing to do next time (yes, there will be many next times) is to seperate the injured bird in a secure enclosure to prevent pecking, and try and figure out if there is some obvious cause. Beyond that you should make her comfortable and wait for her to heal. If it is getting worse and she is in pain, you should put her out of her misery. You can't spend thiusands of dollars on each chicken -- They have a short life and all of them will ultimately die.

 

[countylineacre]

They say "If you have livestock, you will have deadstock" . You have to accept that some injuries, infestations and illnesses will happen. When they do, it will generally be something very common which you should learn to treat. . Taking a chicken to a vet is not a good idea. Vets are best at taking money. They will say and doing anything to take your money. In my opinion they are more unethical than lawyers, used car dealers, and home improvement contractors. They are best avoided.

Also, treating this chicken, with splints and bandages is traumatic for it. It doesn't know you are trying to help it, in the same way as say a dog would know. Chickens are dumber than even horses by many orders of magnitude.

They are also bullies and will peck to death any chicken they see with a medical issue. This is probably a form of "antibiotic" -- getting rid of a sick flockmate limits the spread of disease.

It seems very likely that your chicken has injured itself. It may have gone lame because of the shape of its night perch and you should make sure it is roundish and a couple of inches or so on diameter as injuries can occur if the perches are wrong. It could have injured itself because it is too heavy for her legs

The best thing to do next time (yes, there will be many next times) is to seperate the injured bird in a secure enclosure to prevent pecking, and try and figure out if there is some obvious cause. Beyond that you should make her comfortable and wait for her to heal. If it is getting worse and she is in pain, you should put her out of her misery. You can't spend thiusands of dollars on each chicken -- They have a short life and all of them will ultimately die.

Thank you for your advice. I feel like I am having a rough time over here. I just ordered Fowl Pox Vaccine from Valley Vet. I definitely felt a little "had" after I left. I am pretty savvy after having three kids and monitoring health conditions over the 22 years I've been a Mom. The vet's reaction when I mentioned I had a chicken sling to suspend her in was almost surprised? Like she had never thought of that before. I also didn't want to be irresponsible and was ready to euthanize there if there was something seriously wrong. BUT I remember the vet looking at her cheek where there was a little bald spot and she asked if the other chickens had pecked at her and I said no I haven't seen them do that at all. Now that I am really looking the Black Copper Maran has a bald spot in the same spot. Of course with my super research skills I'm thinking they quite possibly could have Fowl Pox? Two of them at least have this marking on the cheek area and it's the same round circle. The mosquitos are bad but they have been inside my studio while building the coop. So alas in only 8 weeks I've had an injury and what looks like now Fowl Pox. I feel a little defeated but also empowered that I am I guess figuring this out some. Not a good weekend waiting for that to ship Monday. One chicken has the spot and the other one has a black tiny dot or two on the comb and one dot on the leg. And the Death Layer is still isolated and not looking any better. Some sketchy movement on her activity too so still wondering if I know I sound crazy she could have Fowl Pox, Mareks and the Injury all at once? Dang. The vet didn't mention either one of those things but from looking at photos and comparing the spots how could it be otherwise that two of them have that circle on the cheek area. Wow we are a mess over here.