Leg Band Injury

[MilesFluffybutt]

Hello BYC Community,

Yesterday a friend of mine rescued two young hen friends that each have leg band injuries. The farm she rescued them from obviously neglected to resize/remove the bands and as a result, these two hens have swollen, injured feet. While one is worse off than the other, both are struggling to stand and are limping when they do move. They cannot grip with or move their toes. They're in obvious pain, but they are eating and drinking well and are friendly/okay being handled.

Neither myself or my friend have dealt with this type of injury before so we are wondering what the best course of treatment would be. A vet would be wonderful, but sadly, not an option. We were thinking epsom salt soaks and a splint. Maybe a sling to take some pressure off.

Edited to include photos of both hens. First three are of the worse of hen. The second set of three are of the other hen.

Hen #1


Hen #2


Video of Hen #2:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Gh7GM2rDVT8xZxyQ6

Video of both hens:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Gh7GM2rDVT8xZxyQ6

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I think I would just give them in soak in a warm epsom salts bath once a day.
If there's any skin that is broken, apply triple antibiotic ointment.
See if the swelling goes down over the course of a couple of days with the bands off and with them moving about.
If they camp out near food/water, then move the food/water around in their housing to make them move/walk just a little.

I would also give each one a direct oral dose of poultry vitamins that contain B2 (Riboflavin) Like Poultry Cell (1cc per 3 pounds of weight) OR give each one 1/4 tablet B-Complex daily for a few days.

Hopefully they will recover with no issues.

 

[NatJ]

my friend was able to get the bands off yesterday.

The farmer just responded to my friend and said the chicks are about 4 weeks.

I don't even know where to begin with getting the blood flow back, if at all possible.

Since the bands are off and the chicks are so young, I would definitely start with general good care-- a clean place to live, and as much water and chick starter as they want.

I would try to put the food and water where the chicks do not have to move much to eat, but allow plenty of space so they can move around if they want to.

Movement is often good for helping blood flow, but I don't know what amount is right, which is why I suggest letting the chicks choose how much.

I'm also wondering if there is an infection and/or a break. There has to be infection, at least.

From the pictures, I am not sure about either of those. It doesn't look broken to me, and I can't see why a leg band would cause a break. And I see swelling, but that does not always mean infection. Sometimes it just means tissue damage, or that blood got into the foot and couldn't get out again. (Think of a person with a sprained ankle: it swells and hurts, but has no break and no infection.)

So it might not be as bad as you fear.

I'm not good with serious injuries, but I've seen quite a few things (human and animal) that looked scary but healed well on their own. So until someone more knowledgeable chimes in, I would go with clean housing, food & water, and a calm environment so the chicks can rest as much as they want.

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree with the advice given by Wyorp Rock. Daily warm soaks in a dish pan or sink, and Epsom salts can be healing. Time will tell if the swelling goes down and the feet recover. I wish people would not use leg bands on young birds. This such a preventable injury. Good for you to try and help them.

 

[MilesFluffybutt]

@NatJ You're probably right about the injuries not as bad I feel they are because I haven't been able to assess in person. I appreciate the sprain analogy; it settled my worried brain.

@LaFleche Good idea about the Arnica gel. I'll mention it to her. Maybe she is it on hand or can run out and grab some.

@Wyorp Rock I think she is planning to do daily foot soaks to help with the swelling and draw out any infection that might be in there. I do believe she did put Nutradrench in the water, but I'll suggest a direct dose. Currently, they're in a dog crate so space is limited, but I think the food is at the front and they're hanging out in the back. I'll see if she can give them a little more space.

I really appreciate all the good advice you have given.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

We're on day three of Baytril and day eight of rescue. For both chicks there has been no significant reduction in swelling, areas on either side of the injuries are hard and hot to the touch. My friend's vet finally relented and prescribed Metacam, which my friend will start today. They are getting once daily foots soaks. Both are eating and drinking fine. Poops seem all right - a little stinky and some times runny - but could be medication so not stressing about that yet.


Photo 1: This is the larger chick. She's more active and willing to put weight on the foot. She will stand, walk, roost, and she's more stable, but it's still painful. I don't believe she has any strength or movement in her toes.

View attachment 2754214

Photo 2: This is the smaller chick. She's less active and unwilling to put any weight on the foot. She will stand on her good foot when eating/drinking and she hobbles around when she does move, but she much prefers to lay down. Her toes look discolored. I suspect she might lose them.

View attachment 2754215

It looks like you are doing all you can.
I agree, the toes on the less active one look a bit suspect and she may indeed lose them.

Poor little things. Please do keep us updated.

 

[MilesFluffybutt]

So a quick update for you and I don't think any of it is good news. I apologize in advance for the photo quality and weirdness. I'll try to have my friend send better ones tomorrow.

Big Chick Update: Photos labeled #1
Her toes on the injured leg have started curling. I don't know if that's a step toward them falling off or not, but it definitely isn't good. On top of that, her wound has opened up. It wasn't too bad, and it was mostly blood, but there was some clear fluid.



Small Chick Update: Photo labeled #2
Her toes have not curled, but her wound also exploded, but it was bad - lots of blood, lots of clear fluid.


I don't know if it's good that the wounds burst open, but at least the injuries drained and they'll be easier to flush with saline and pack with antibiotic. The vet fell thru - again. No surprise there. We're going to try to get them to my end of the state and get them into one of my two vets that will happily see chickens.

This a photo of them standing together. I couldn't tell you which is which.


Oh, and the farmer had the audacity to ask for them back once they're healed, which will only happen over my dead body.

 

[MilesFluffybutt]

Oh dear, what a neglect!

Did you get the cutting legbands off already or are they still on?

Yes, my friend was able to get the bands off yesterday.

The farmer apparently has several dozen more young birds crammed into a horse stall. We can only imagine how many others are suffering from similar injuries.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

They look about right for that age. I would definately treat as if the wound is infected. Blood flow will either improve and the leg will heal, or it won't and the foot may die off

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You can use Procaine Penicillin if that's all you have.

Amoxicillin may be better since it's not injected, you can order it online.


https://fishmoxfishflex.com/collect...-equivalent-aqua-amoxicillin-250-mg-100-count