Injured Pullet

[CrazyCluckingChick]

I've a beautiful OE five month old pet pullet named Olive (Ollie for short) who overextended her leg a few (maybe 2?) weeks ago. Her left lower leg slowly stopped working and now is limp and curled but still warm. No pain reaction on pinch test. Since two days after the initial injury, she's had more Epson salt baths than I've ever had myself, lol. I've been doing OT on her and I was massaging Hypericum and Calendula cream on her leg.

I took her to an avian vet yesterday. Blood tests, x-rays, workup, etc. All tests negative. She was previously vaccinated. (*Not Marek's, not bumble foot or any other avian disease or vitamin deficiency. This is *definitely* an injury.) She's now on an anti-inflammatory, (as needed) pain meds and a vet prescribed muscle balm.

She's been staying inside with me, and I've been limiting her movement. She's happy & healthy, eating & drinking well, chatty and trilling. I've been putting her outside to socialize and she goes to quietly sit down after saying hello to everyone. She hop runs and compensates for her bum leg/foot when she hears me coming with treats.

Last night, I felt a knobby round-ish hard piece which semi-freely moves around on her inner upper thigh. I don't want to try and move the knobby piece without knowing where it needs to go or stay. Short of going to the store and buying a whole chicken to dissect for curiosity's sake, I'm wondering if she could have dislocated her cartilage or her anterior cruciate ligament by her knee.

I attached two videos for reference. The first one was a few days after she overextended her leg.
Olive A Few Days After Injury

The second one was this morning. (I started videoing and my dog Duke got her to move so you could see what I've been writing about. I called him off and her sister Muffin started grooming her after Olive laid down.)
Olive This Morning

Aside from rest, Vitamin B Complex supplements and the medicine I have for her from the vet, has anyone else dealt with this? If so, was anything successful? I'm not looking to cull her or put her to sleep since she doesn't appear to be in any pain and is right now very contently trilling outside in the sun. Any positive help is appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Eggcessive]

Vets cannot check for Mareks. That has to be done either during a necropsy, when tumor tissue or feather shafts are tested, and a blood test can can be done by a few labs around the country, but not in one day. I hope it is just a leg injury, but she is at an age when Mareks symptoms may show up. If you should lose her one day, I would have the state vet do a necropsy. They are used to looking for it.

 

[LaFleche]

In your second video just after the dog chased her and she got up from under the boat, her leg looks as if broken as from the joint downwards it looks totally loose/flapping.

In your first video it appears to be just a sprain or similar.

 

[Kiki]

I've a beautiful OE five month old pet pullet named Olive (Ollie for short) who overextended her leg a few (maybe 2?) weeks ago. Her left lower leg slowly stopped working and now is limp and curled but still warm. No pain reaction on pinch test. Since two days after the initial injury, she's had more Epson salt baths than I've ever had myself, lol. I've been doing OT on her and I was massaging Hypericum and Calendula cream on her leg.

I took her to an avian vet yesterday. Blood tests, x-rays, workup, etc. All tests negative. She was previously vaccinated. (*Not Marek's, not bumble foot or any other avian disease or vitamin deficiency. This is *definitely* an injury.) She's now on an anti-inflammatory, (as needed) pain meds and a vet prescribed muscle balm.

She's been staying inside with me, and I've been limiting her movement. She's happy & healthy, eating & drinking well, chatty and trilling. I've been putting her outside to socialize and she goes to quietly sit down after saying hello to everyone. She hop runs and compensates for her bum leg/foot when she hears me coming with treats.

Last night, I felt a knobby round-ish hard piece which semi-freely moves around on her inner upper thigh. I don't want to try and move the knobby piece without knowing where it needs to go or stay. Short of going to the store and buying a whole chicken to dissect for curiosity's sake, I'm wondering if she could have dislocated her cartilage or her anterior cruciate ligament by her knee.

I attached two videos for reference. The first one was a few days after she overextended her leg.
Olive A Few Days After Injury

The second one was this morning. (I started videoing and my dog Duke got her to move so you could see what I've been writing about. I called him off and her sister Muffin started grooming her after Olive laid down.)
Olive This Morning

Aside from rest, Vitamin B Complex supplements and the medicine I have for her from the vet, has anyone else dealt with this? If so, was anything successful? I'm not looking to cull her or put her to sleep since she doesn't appear to be in any pain and is right now very contently trilling outside in the sun. Any positive help is appreciated. Thank you!

Poor thing...you should cage her so she can rest and not get chased by the dog.

 

[CrazyCluckingChick]

In your second video just after the dog chased her and she got up from under the boat, her leg looks as if broken as from the joint downwards it looks totally loose/flapping.

In your first video it appears to be just a sprain or similar.

I posted an update on a separate thread before I saw your response. I believe it's a dislocated patella. Tonight

@Eggcessive You're absolutely correct. I was attempting to clarify my post by meaning I believe Olive's leg problem is definitely related to an injury, not a disease. I remember her flying out of my hands when I was holding her and she was very lightly limping afterwards. Her injury's gradually gotten worse. (She was perfectly healthy prior to that moment in time and isn't showing any other symptoms.) Thank you for the insight and information. I'm going to file the info about a state necropsy for a (hopefully much) later date. I don't even want to consider a necropsy because I've become so attached to her in the past few weeks.

I'm going to call the avian vet tomorrow and see what she says. Thank you @Eggcessive and @LaFleche for responding. It's very much appreciated.

 

[CrazyCluckingChick]

Poor thing...you should cage her so she can rest and not get chased by the dog.

Duke and my other two dogs generally leave all of my girls alone but he got jealous when I started talking to and videoing her. He wandered off to chase lizards and she went back to sunning and chatting once I stopped recording. Typical kid-like behavior; I create needy every-beings apparently, lol.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

After my hen was grabbed in her leg by a fox I didnt think she would ever recover. Shes not 100% after about 6 weeks, but, shes trying her best and doing all things chicken like except she cant run really fast and she cant roost. In 6 weeks time she has healed SO much. I didnt do anything except make sure she was safe and keep a close watch on her. I realized i cant control everything and that; and long as shes eating, dust bathing, and trying her best, I will too. Good luck and God bless

 

[CrazyCluckingChick]

Update: Olive's been getting spoiled by us. Her condition is the same - no use of her leg but she's otherwise happy and healthy. She was getting picked on a few weeks ago (after the injury) but I stopped that quick enough by protecting her from the head hen (Princess). Princess is currently moulting so now Olive's able to chill out, eat and drink without the others bothering her. Olive prefers to be inside now, chilling with me, but we still put her outside to socialize and get sun. She hop/walks small distances if she wants or needs to. I don't think her leg will recover (there's been no improvement) but we're keeping her regardless. I'm curious what will happen if and when she starts to lay. I wanted to say thank you all for your help.

 

[LaFleche]

Thank you for the update.

Her condition is the same - no use of her leg

I'm curious what will happen if and when she starts to lay

I expect her to have serious trouble as she will not be able to stand on both legs while pushing the egg outside her vent.

She might even get eggbound, so be prepared.

 

[CrazyCluckingChick]

Olive's able to stand. She uses her wing for balance when she does. Would her balancing trick prevent her from getting egg bound? And would she get egg bound every time?
I had one chicken who was egg bound from a huge egg (Princess). I gave her Epsom salt baths, manipulated her tush and let her rest inside our house. She ended up laying a soft shelled egg an hour later (on my son's bed lol) and is currently going through her first molt, so no eggs since.
Just wondering what I need to look out for. Olive's a little older than 6 months right now. She's supposed to be an OE but looks more like a Welsummer so I'm not sure when she should try to lay her first egg.

Thank you for the update.




I expect her to have serious trouble as she will not be able to stand on both legs while pushing the egg outside her vent.

She might even get eggbound, so be prepared.

My kids made her a chicken wheelchair. I'm going to make a better sling for it so it can have a changeable poop/egg slot with a wash cloth liner so it's easier to change. Hopefully she'll try to lay her egg when she's ready. Her combs are still pale. I'll try to post pictures of the wheelchair with the liner when it's done.