Injured chicken leg

[Stephjerry]

Hi All I have a 6 month girl who started limping on Wednesday . From what we could tell maybe when she jumped off perch hurt herself. She can’t seem to get herself up . When we stand her she takes a few steps and will go back down . We don’t feel any breaks in her leg . Her foot has no signs of bumble foot . Seems like it must be up high in leg . We have her isolated and are giving her electrolytes and food .
some say take her to Vet ? Some say rest her ?
Should I give her baby asa ?

 

[ChicNmom]

Does she otherwise seem ok? Eating and drinking and pooping? Did you feel around her hip joint on each side? It's been just a few days. Does she seem like she's in pain?
I'd be tempted to give her a little aspirin and wait a few more days to see if it gets better.

I had one jump out of my arms last week, fall into a 5 gal bucket and then the bucket dumped her onto the ground. She mostly sat for about a week in a cage and is now moving around. I also couldn't find an injury so assumed it must have been a muscle or tendon issue.

Hope that helps.

 

[Stephjerry]

Does she otherwise seem ok? Eating and drinking and pooping? Did you feel around her hip joint on each side? It's been just a few days. Does she seem like she's in pain?
I'd be tempted to give her a little aspirin and wait a few more days to see if it gets better.

I had one jump out of my arms last week, fall into a 5 gal bucket and then the bucket dumped her onto the ground. She mostly sat for about a week in a cage and is now moving around. I also couldn't find an injury so assumed it must have been a muscle or tendon issue.

Hope that helps.

She wasn’t for a day eating or drinking much but we have been using a syringe with electrolytes and she drinks out of it like it’s a bottle and I hold food in my hand and she is eating meal worms dry and Alive ones and sunflower seeds .

 

[Stephjerry]

She wasn’t for a day eating or drinking much but we have been using a syringe with electrolytes and she drinks out of it like it’s a bottle and I hold food in my hand and she is eating meal worms dry and Alive ones and sunflower seeds .

And yes too pooping we actually clean her few times a day because she lays down

 

[EggSighted4Life]

We have her isolated and are giving her electrolytes and food .
some say take her to Vet ? Some say rest her ?
Should I give her baby asa ?

Hi there and welcome to BYC!

Sorry your girl is having trouble.

You gave a good description so far, but I'm gonna ask some more things.. Can you feel any heat or swelling coming from the area, is there any pain response when you feel around or press on it? What is her normal feed routine including treats and supplements? Has she started laying yet and if so when was her last egg? How is her appetite? Is she passing droppings? Where did she come from, how long have you had her, do you know if she was vaccinated against Marek's or ever face severe coccidiosis as a chick? Ever check or treat for internal parasite load? How about external parasites.. how does her skin look below her vent and on her abdomen.. light flesh colored or angry red? How many birds, in how much space?

Do you have resources to see a vet.. the funds and the vet themselves in your area? It's $65 for an avian vet visit here. Not including tests or treatments suggested.

I would NOT administer aspirin without confirmation of actual pain.. it is okay for short term use ONCE deemed helpful. Pain is NOT thye evil we think but rather a good thing when it limits our movement and keeps us from injuring ourselves further! It lets us know there is a problem but we still need to identify the source before trying to mask it, in MY experience.

Rest is a good thing but the body is clearly making that happen. I would probably keep her in sight of the flock if possible to reduce stress on her and make reintegration easier IF it is to happen.

Are you able to post any photos of her? How high is your perch, and what is the landing surface under neath? What breed is this gal we're speaking of? Adding your general location to your profile might help folks know what resources you have at a glance since we are gathered here from many countries.

Hope she recovers quickly and you get some answers!

 

[Stephjerry]

Hi there and welcome to BYC!

Sorry your girl is having trouble.

You gave a good description so far, but I'm gonna ask some more things.. Can you feel any heat or swelling coming from the area, is there any pain response when you feel around or press on it? What is her normal feed routine including treats and supplements? Has she started laying yet and if so when was her last egg? How is her appetite? Is she passing droppings? Where did she come from, how long have you had her, do you know if she was vaccinated against Marek's or ever face severe coccidiosis as a chick? Ever check or treat for internal parasite load? How about external parasites.. how does her skin look below her vent and on her abdomen.. light flesh colored or angry red? How many birds, in how much space?

Do you have resources to see a vet.. the funds and the vet themselves in your area? It's $65 for an avian vet visit here. Not including tests or treatments suggested.

I would NOT administer aspirin without confirmation of actual pain.. it is okay for short term use ONCE deemed helpful. Pain is NOT thye evil we think but rather a good thing when it limits our movement and keeps us from injuring ourselves further! It lets us know there is a problem but we still need to identify the source before trying to mask it, in MY experience.

Rest is a good thing but the body is clearly making that happen. I would probably keep her in sight of the flock if possible to reduce stress on her and make reintegration easier IF it is to happen.

Are you able to post any photos of her? How high is your perch, and what is the landing surface under neath? What breed is this gal we're speaking of? Adding your general location to your profile might help folks know what resources you have at a glance since we are gathered here from many countries.

Hope she recovers quickly and you get some answers!

Hi . Our location is Massachusetts. My sweet girl is a Silver Wyandotte . It seemed to happen after she jumped down from a 3 1/2 foot roost in the outside run . The landing is dirt based . It is her left leg . We didn’t feel any heat or swelling . It’s as if she can’t lift herself but if we put her up on it she can take a few steps than goes down . She has been laying for little over a month . Her last egg was in the 14th . She was not an every day layer . Lays sometimes every day then nothing for a day or two etc .
Her vent is clean and looks ok . She is pooping fine . We have to literally pick her up few times a day and we clean the poop off her . She didn’t want to eat or drink on Thursday I think it was so I got electrolytes and a syringe and she has been drinking the electrolytes out of the syringe and she will eat meal worms and sunflower seeds little bit of scratch but we had been hand feeding her . We initially had been putting her in small cage in run during day with her sisters but snow came and I didn’t want it to blow in and she couldn’t move so past two days had only been on our porch isolated to rest . She did drink by herself this am when I put water in front of her . Her legs look equal size and color . No scaliness . Nothing on bottom of foot that looks like bumble foot . I don’t know if where we got her from vaccines her . We have never treated for mareks or parasites . Her poop remains looking normal chicken poop nothing unusual . We have vets around here last time I brought a chicken to them they seemed clueless on chickens .

 

[EggSighted4Life]

She didn’t want to eat or drink on Thursday I think it was so I got electrolytes and a syringe and she has been drinking the electrolytes out of the syringe and she will eat meal worms and sunflower seeds little bit of scratch but we had been hand feeding her . We initially had been putting her in small cage in run during day

You will want to check her for crop function.. if her appetite is down.. it may be slow or sour perhaps.. Usually accompanied by thirst, but things can always vary.

https://the-chicken-chick.com/chicken-anatomy-crop-impacted-crop-sour/

Sometimes there can be an egg pressing that leg nerve. Or there could be a deep bruising not detectable by us. To TEST the pain relief theory.. you could TRY the aspirin and see if increases mobility. Short term it should not hurt anything. There could be little pebbles that get landed on or even just landing the wrong way on a hard surface, makes me nuts when my birds get on the patio and jump down, I can hear the hard landing on concrete.

Avian pain relief

Also including egg withdrawal information since she has been laying..

Egg residue FARAD

To be sure.. you normally use a regular chicken feed and those treats are just to try and create extra interest, correct? Is there any reason we should be looking at nutrient deficit that you know of? Or have you considered it before now?

I don't personally think the vet will tell you anything that you cannot find on here.. but it is nice to have professional confirmation/assistance at times if drastic measures (like euthanasia) are being considered.

Is your electrolyte a mix or homemade? Does is have B vitamins or others? Electrolytes are useful during dehydration like constant diarrhea.. but a vitamin and or amino acid supplement MIGHT be be more helpful.

Poultry Nutri Drench is good quick boost for lots of things as it does have some amino acids included. Direct to the beak or mixed in water.

Rooster Booster (brand) Poultry CELL (product), doesn't mix well in water, use a little wet feed or scrambled egg. Scrambled egg can be a nutritious, highly palatable, easily digestible.. quick pick me up on occasion.. Eggs are 34% protein and 64% fat so should not be used often.

Rooster Booster brand Poultry Booster also has a wide array of nutrients though a little high in calcium for my liking and I have NOT yet used it personally.

Maybe @Wyorp Rock or @Eggcessive is around and have something more or even different to offer? TIA!

Also please verify.. she IS perfectly capable of walking and following the other birds around and getting to roost.. she is JUST sitting down often? No one is pecking on her or mounting her relentlessly? She isn't experiencing any ataxia or "drunkenness". She WAS staying with the rest of the flock and NOT self isolating.

If the statements I just made are true.. I would build up my run with some deeper/softer bedding than dirt.. leaves, hay, shavings, grass clippings, etc.. to make a softer landing and return her to her crew, I THINK!

 

[MeowthLover_ThatsRight]

Hi All I have a 6 month girl who started limping on Wednesday . From what we could tell maybe when she jumped off perch hurt herself. She can’t seem to get herself up . When we stand her she takes a few steps and will go back down . We don’t feel any breaks in her leg . Her foot has no signs of bumble foot . Seems like it must be up high in leg . We have her isolated and are giving her electrolytes and food .
some say take her to Vet ? Some say rest her ?
Should I give her baby asa ?

i had a hen who was my best friend who had a dislocated leg. i let her rest and got her back to health, and she still limped a teeny bit her whole life, but she was still a happy hen. im sure if you let her leg rest and give her lots of love, she'll be OK.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your pullet. We always ask about Mareks vaccination if one is about her age, since that can be a common age for signs to show up. Hopefully it is not that, but an injury. Injuries can take days or weeks to heal. A video of her taking steps showing the injured leg could be helpful. A chicken sling might be helpful to get her upright and in front of food and water. They should have periods out of the sling for sleeping and rest. The legs can touch the floor or be off the floor in case she tries to escape it. Here are some examples:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

 

[MeowthLover_ThatsRight]

Hi All I have a 6 month girl who started limping on Wednesday . From what we could tell maybe when she jumped off perch hurt herself. She can’t seem to get herself up . When we stand her she takes a few steps and will go back down . We don’t feel any breaks in her leg . Her foot has no signs of bumble foot . Seems like it must be up high in leg . We have her isolated and are giving her electrolytes and food .
some say take her to Vet ? Some say rest her ?
Should I give her baby asa ?

another tip is to let her swim in a small pool with warmish water on a nice warm day to get the pressure off of her leg. that will really give her some relief, ok?