Injured leg 10 week pullet

[sawilliams]

Back story, hubby forgot to inform me his friend was coming today to pick up 4 aged pullets. So I had to do an afternoon chicken round up with my kids and obviously i must have grabbed this girl wrong at some point. She was one of the younger ones and not necessarily part of the 4 but the where 7 in all close in age and similar color that i needed to collect so i could see who was who. As I was grabbing and checking the girls to give our friend the ones he wanted, my husband asked what was wrong with "that one". I picked her up and her one leg was limp and hanging. I stated she was injured and set her aside, as it around be unreasonable to send an injured chicken to a new home. I finished collecting his 4 pulleys picked her back up and let the remaining 2 back out to free range. I brought her inside checked her over and put her in the brooder tote in the kitchen. She seems to have some strength in her foot and leg as when in initial inspection she was trying to pull it up and grab with her foot, just not very well with it falling limp between attempts. In the brooder she immediately decided to perch on the mini roost which she struggled at first but got up and seems to be doing ok. She won't stand on it right now, prefers to stay laying down but she is keeping her leg under her. When I checked her just now (about 4 hours after noticing) the leg is at least not limp though her toes seem a bit weak. She has food send I put save a chick in her water as that's all I have. Is there anything else I can do for her right now? I do not have aspirin (we don't keep it in the house hubby is allergic) I do have ibuprofen (though hubby is also allergic) and tylenol, I have not given her anything. Again she is separated and safe. I figure my best bet for recovery is to just give her a few days and see how she does. I have not seen her eat or drink yet since she had been inside. I'm trying to just let her rest right now.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I agree. Best bet is to keep her quiet and isolated with TLC.

Don't give ibuprofen or tylenol, pretty sure both are toxic to chickens.

Check periodically on the foot to make sure it seems to still have good circulation. Also, after a day or two, make sure the hock seems to "track" and that it hasn't been disjointed.

Hopefully it is just a sprain. Chickens seem to heal well after sprains with just time and TLC. I had a hen jump over the coop run fence and land into a rat trap. She limped on that swollen foot for about a week, poor thing. (And come to think of it, she didn't jump over the fence ever again, LOL).

LofMc

 

[sawilliams]

Thank you yes I haven't given her anything. I have only ever seen aspirin suggested so i wanted to be sure before even considering meds.

This morning she is standing on both legs ants walking decently well, no limp but you can tell she is having some trouble controlling the injured leg. She walked off the towel I heard her on ants did ok in the wood floors door a minute but started to slip and had a hard time keeping the hurt leg in front/under her. It would slip back into an over extended rear position. Otherwise she is eating and drinking and got a single strawberry when i pout her back in the brooder tote.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Glad to hear she is doing better.

Keep watching that hock. It may be overstretched. Sometimes using the stretchy, slightly sticky tape stuff the vet gives you...no idea what its called....can help.

You can wrap it for a couple of days with that (being sure not to cut circulation) to give it support to heal.

 

[sawilliams]

Vet wrap, yes I have some I haven't used it yet as the broody tote is pretty confined already. We did some physical therapy this evening more testing like but a chance to stretch and walk around for a few minutes. She is doing really well but her injured leg seems to get confused once in a while. I really don't know how to explain it but she'll cross it oddly in front of herself or it lands so close that she is stepping on her other foot. She's a little wobbly still but mostly only if she's just on the injured leg. She doesn't seem to be favoring it at all though. I'm hoping a few more days and I can move her to the outside pen. The chicks are about 7 weeks so I think I'm going to let them start integrating with the flock tomorrow to see how they do.

 

[sawilliams]

So I did move her to the outside pen, but this has only shown me what I don't want. Though her leg seems fine in appearance it just isn't working properly. And I'm afraid as she grows it will only stress the issue more. She is moving about from the coop to the run and she is eating and drinking. But she spends most of the time sitting with the injured leg sometimes laying flat out in front off her. If she stands to long the joint bends in the wrong direction which she is over compensating for with the good leg, causing it to occasionally shift forward also. It was difficult to watch but she literally had to throw herself to the ground to unlock both hocks before getting back into a sitting(ish) postion. I know the felling unfortunately but mine is nerve damage. Her tendon feels to be in place but I'm thinking the muscle above it is torn. I have some cockerels planned for freezer camp, a few were suppose to go today but the smoke impeded the job. If the weather is clear enough tomorrow she (for her sake and mine) will be included in the process.

I hate to lose a chicken to my own mistake, but i can't see letting her suffer and risk more serious issues for it either.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Sorry to hear of her condition.

You have done all you could. Don't beat yourself up. She may have simply had weak hocks with shallow grooves that made it easy to injure the tendons.

I've had to cull because of slipped hocks or some other tendon malformation. It does only get worse as they get heavier.

 

[sawilliams]

Sorry to hear of her condition.

You have done all you could. Don't beat yourself up. She may have simply had weak hocks with shallow grooves that made it easy to injure the tendons.

I've had to cull because of slipped hocks or some other tendon malformation. It does only get worse as they get heavier.

Thank you