Injured chicken not walking after 2 weeks

[Soldbyalyssa]

I have been raising chickens for about a year and sadly experienced my first injured bird due to a dog attack recently. She was bit on the back and had about a 4 inch skin tear that has since been healing nicely. About 5 days ago she finally started showing signs of movement and I started to think we were out of the woods. However, she uses her wings to push her around the enclosure (I have her set up in an extra large dog crate in the garage) and seems unable to move her legs. I have felt movement in them before so I didn’t think she was paralyzed, but today they are cold to the touch and they’re just sticking out behind her. She keeps falling flat on her face every time she tries moving. Any suggestions? I can’t imagine this is normal. Is it time to call it or should I keep trying? I hate to see her struggle so much!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi @Soldbyalyssa Welcome To BYC

I'm sorry to hear about your hen. If you have photos you would like to share, those are always welcome.
Without vet care, it's hard to know, but from your description, it sounds like she suffered nerve or spinal injury from the attack. Whether she will be able to regain the use of her legs, I don't think anyone would be able to say.

Can she "grip" your fingers at all? The legs being behind her, to me that is concerning, but I'm not a vet nor expert so I really don't know.
Can she eat/drink well on her own? Is she pooping?

Quality of life does need to be considered every step of the way, only you can really make the call whether she's had enough or you think you want to give her more time to see if she can recover.

You can try a sling to keep her more upright and comfortable. That may allow her to work/move the legs without such a struggle. Some birds won't tolerate being in a sling, so she would need to be monitored. Switch her from the sling to the cage like you have been doing to give her a break from both.

Here's a couple of ideas of a chicken sling - if you google "chicken sling" look at the images and videos you will find inspiration. If you do make one, we would love to see what you come up with.