Injured leg/recovery question

[thisolddog]

Hi all,

Long time lurker, first time poster.

One of my chickens, around 20 weeks now, decided to fly too close to the sun and injured her right leg upon landing, we believe.
She was limping badly and panting. We checked several posts here and have done our best with diagnoses and treatment.
No fractures we can find by sight or feel.
No bleeding.
Not much swelling by what we can see or feel.
I've checked for a slipped tendon and have straightened the leg carefully and didn't feel any pop.
Legs feel and look very identical.

-For the first week I had her in a homemade chair. She would pant when we picked her up or moved her. So there was obvious pain, which we gave her some medication to help (from a previous bird we had taken to the vet).
-Second week I took her out of the chair which she seemed to enjoy more. Was eating and drinking much more and on her own. Still a big limp and didn't walk much.
-Third week (now), and my real question, she is starting to walk on it and doesn't pant anymore. However her walk is strange and her leg is severely twisted inward, for the most part perpendicular facing the other leg. She can definitely put weight on it, but it's still quite the limp and she steps on her toes a lot with the other foot. Sorry I don't have a video of that currently.

We aren't sure now if we are possibly dealing with a dislocated hip, something else, or if she is just walking strangely because of pain. I put her back in the chair, out of fear it was healing improperly by her possibly laying on it during the night.

Any advice would be much appreciated. I feel as if I have exhausted the Internet with results that actually help.

Thanks!

 

[Eggcessive]

Would it be possible to get a picture of her out of the sling showing both legs side by side. She possibly could have a leg bone deformity (varus deformity) that has gotten worse with growing. Or she could have a sprain or dislocation. A vet familiar with chickens might be able to tell which. Here are some pictures to see what varus deformity looks like, see figures E and F:
https://www.researchgate.net/figure...ith-mild-flexion-of-the-hock-C_fig1_332949715

 

[thisolddog]

It’s hard for me to agree with deformity, because her legs were normal before the incident. Unless the injury has now caused deformity.

She was able to wiggle out of the chair shortly after I put her in it. She really isn’t too fond of being bound to a chair… I wouldn’t be either.

I took a few pictures this morning without the chair. Let me know your thoughts and thanks a bunch for responding. When she walks she lifts her right leg up extremely high before stepping every time, then somewhat leaves it behind after. The one pictures shows her just standing, and the other is after a step and leaving the foot behind.

I took a video but I can’t seem to upload it directly to the post. Will find a way to upload a link.

 

[thisolddog]

Here's her taking a step. Hard for me to tell if the leg is twisted in as just a part of her recovery (to ease pain). Or if it's a new deformity or dislocation, etc...

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18F7Z1zH7UlUgoz_N-XsrtkF8QdF9dJvI/view

 

[Eggcessive]

I really can’t say if that is an injury or possibly a dislocation. She might have a tendon injury, but I think you are right that it is an injury more likely. Is there a vet in your area who could see her, and get an X-ray? She is a pretty Ancona. I had a couple of them a decade ago. Or is she an exchequer leghorn?

 

[thisolddog]

Exchequer leghorn!

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Is she doing ok? Your girl is gorgeous!

I just had a young cockerel inside the coop, decide to jump up on my shoulder, then high up on the top of the open door & then land hard outside...what a silly dingbat. He has been gimpy since he did that, so I have set him up in a sling in a cage, which he can eat & drink & is forced to relax for once in his crazy young life. I only wrapped legs as it was the only way to get him to stop constantly kicking up the wood chips in his cage & water. Nothing seems broken, tendons are not slipped, he is eating & drinking well, poo looks normal. Yours may need a sling/hammock set up & hang in it a bit longer. Sometimes they are still fidgety, in a cage, so you may need to set up inside a carrier, like a large cat carrier. I'm pretty sure my boy just sprained his legs. The reason I need to hammock is because laying on a sore leg long enough, it may start to sort of twist, like yours does in the photo. I've tended to slipped tendons & broken legs before, but the simple splay leg or twisty leg can sometimes occur just because of Laying On It in an odd position so much, after the fact. Sometimes, with rest the sprain or stain will heal & not twist, but when this happens at a young age while they're still growing, the twist could possibly stay twisted. Can you try a hammock sling again? Or is she OK now?

My poor sweet cockerel Pluto...too active for his own good. He sure enjoys not having to share fresh picked chickweed, though.

 

[thisolddog]

That setup is really nice. I kept trying to put my Exchequer in a sling but she would not have it. She would kick and flap her wings until she was out. So I decided best to leave her out to avoid more injury. However, her legs have definitely twisted and she is now pigeon toed.

It doesn't seem to affect her too much. It was difficult for her to walk for a bit because she would keep stepping on her toes, but she has now learned to walk quite well! Still waiting for her to completely recover but everything is looking positive. Thanks for your reply!