Is this leg dead??

[For the love of buffs]

This is my sweet 3-month-old roo. We incubated him and hand raised him but a few weeks ago we moved them(him and his 6 other siblings plus their nanny) outside in a nice big pen with a house that has an automatic door and this roo had such a hard time figuring out when to go up to avoid being locked out, luckily we always go and check and make sure they all went in their house before it closed at 7:45pm. Well, last night was odd, my mom and brother went out to make sure they went out very late last night around 12am and there he was sitting at the door but his leg was stuck inside held by the door. He wasn’t fighting or struggling, just sitting there looking unfazed but my brother opened the door and he fell forward, My brother had to put him inside the chicken house for the night but they said they saw a little bit of blood on his leg as they moved him, not much though. This morning we went out to check on him and he was in the pen lying down when we fed them he hopped as quickly as he could across the pen dragging his other leg with him and starting eating with the rest of them but I saw the way his leg looked and took him inside, i’ve been looking at his leg and it has a wound which I assume is from struggling. As for the leg itself, it dangles and lies in odd and unnatural positions, he won’t put weight on it nor move it much at all but he does somewhat recognize when you touch it. The craziest part about this is that we tested the automatic door when we got it on are fingers and they went straight back up without pressing down hard. Is this leg dead or broken or something else maybe? And if it is dead what do I do? I can’t afford to take it to a vet and I’d hate to have to put it down. Also: he is eating and drinking plenty! I can and will take more photos if needed.

 

[Debbie292d]

I doubt the door could break a leg, but he may have in his struggles. It may have also "fallen asleep" from being pinched so long. I'd not try physical therapy yet but try see if you can feel a broken bone.

It's possibly just VERY sprained though. I'd keep him off of it for a few days. At best, make a chicken chair for him.

I'd get him on vitamins. He could have half of an adult B-Complex. At least if you have some Poultry Cell or Nutri-Drench, give him some of that in his water.

To make a chicken chair, you'd need something sturdy like a small laundry basket. Stretch some fabric across it like an old sheet. Use clips or clamps, or even a rope around the outside to try get it tight. Cut two holes in for his legs and one for his poop. This should keep him off that leg.

If you felt it and think it's broken, there's simple ways to splint it by using thin cardboard like from a cereal box or toilet paper/paper towel core. Cut it to go around his leg and tape it. Hopefully, this isn't the case though.

 

[For the love of buffs]

Thank you so much for the reply! I’ll definitely give him vitamins and see if I can make him his own chicken chair!

I doubt the door could break a leg, but he may have in his struggles. It may have also "fallen asleep" from being pinched so long. I'd not try physical therapy yet but try see if you can feel a broken bone.

It's possibly just VERY sprained though. I'd keep him off of it for a few days. At best, make a chicken chair for him.

I'd get him on vitamins. He could have half of an adult B-Complex. At least if you have some Poultry Cell or Nutri-Drench, give him some of that in his water.

To make a chicken chair, you'd need something sturdy like a small laundry basket. Stretch some fabric across it like an old sheet. Use clips or clamps, or even a rope around the outside to try get it tight. Cut two holes in for his legs and one for his poop. This should keep him off that leg.

If you felt it and think it's broken, there's simple ways to splint it by using thin cardboard like from a cereal box or toilet paper/paper towel core. Cut it to go around his leg and tape it. Hopefully, this isn't the case though.

 

[coach723]

I agree, a sling will let him rest it. Do supervise while he's in it, so he doesn't struggle to get out and injure himself more. Examples below. I've had chickens get hung up before, and in addition to sprains/strains, it can sometimes take their brains awhile to understand that it's ok now. I had a hen get hung up in a hen saddle, no obvious injuries, it took her almost 48 hours to realize that she could actually use the leg again. Let him rest, give vitamins, and give him some time.

 

[Debbie292d]

Thank you so much for the reply! I’ll definitely give him vitamins and see if I can make him his own chicken chair!

There are tons of ways to make one. We cut a plastic kitty litter bucket like Tidy Cat or whatever it was to make it shorter.

 

[For the love of buffs]

UPDATE: bad news we were holding him checking for the break, we found it, somehow his leg is broken up where the leg meets the hip which explains why his leg moves so little but I’m not sure how to help him, do ya’ll have any ideas for what to do?

 

[Debbie292d]

UPDATE: bad news we were holding him checking for the break, we found it, somehow his leg is broken up where the leg meets the hip which explains why his leg moves so little but I’m not sure how to help him, do ya’ll have any ideas for what to do?

No chance for a vet I imagine.

Since he's been eating and drinking he's doing great but chickens hide their pain very well. Before you do any more with him, I'd give him some aspirin.

Baby Aspirin is 81 mg. and a chicken can safely have 120 mg of aspirin per day divided into 3 or 4 times a day. Don't continue this for more than a couple of days as it can start harming their kidneys and liver.

Meloxicam is another popular pain reliever you can get online if you choose to see if he'll heal up.

I have heard of chickens recovering from worse. It's up to you as this could be a six-eight-week thing now with you having to care for him in your home. Same thing, chick chair, B-complex, Poultry Cell. I think @coach723's hammock type chair is better for this.