Leg got stuck, sprained or broken?

[johnsonfarm]

4 month old Wyandotte hen
My son just found her hanging upside down from the edge of a nest box with her leg stuck in a gap we didnt realize was there. It was bent backward but not twisted. There is a cut, not deep, just at an angle under the scales, no blood, and a pinch mark. No swelling. It happened, at most, an hour before we found her. We had checked before and all was well.
She is limping very badly and prefers not to walk. She holds that leg out at an angle a little but can move her toes and I cant feel anything broken or odd.
We put her in the dog kennel to restrict her movement, she's eating and drinking and trying to move around a little.
I'm hoping it's just a painful sprain/strain/bruising that needs rest to heal. We do have Vetricyn and blue kote if needed.
Any advice on how to help her or tell if it's only a sprain?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

4 month old Wyandotte hen
My son just found her hanging upside down from the edge of a nest box with her leg stuck in a gap we didnt realize was there. It was bent backward but not twisted. There is a cut, not deep, just at an angle under the scales, no blood, and a pinch mark. No swelling. It happened, at most, an hour before we found her. We had checked before and all was well.
She is limping very badly and prefers not to walk. She holds that leg out at an angle a little but can move her toes and I cant feel anything broken or odd.
We put her in the dog kennel to restrict her movement, she's eating and drinking and trying to move around a little.
I'm hoping it's just a painful sprain/strain/bruising that needs rest to heal. We do have Vetricyn and blue kote if needed.
Any advice on how to help her or tell if it's only a sprain?

Sorry about your pullet.

It would be hard to know if it's fractured without having an xray.
I, like you, hope it's just sprained and bruised and just needs a few weeks to heal.

If the leg is cut, then I would flush the cut well and apply the Vetericyn or triple antibiotic ointment. Blu Kote is good too and I will use it, it just makes a mess and then the wounds are hard to see because of the color LOL

See how she does over the next couple of days. If you feel it's swelling you can soak her legs/feet in a warm epsom salts bath once a day. Once swelling has gone down a bit and you think she needs wrapped/splinted, the manual below may be helpful to you.


https://theiwrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Duerr_Splinting_Manual_2010.pdf

 

[sylviethecochin]

If she can move her toes, and you don't feel a break, there probably isn't one. At sixteen weeks, I imagine she's not very heavy, and they tend to go limp pretty quickly when hanging upside down, so she probably didn't give herself any significant injuries. It also doesn't sound like she's in shock.

Sounds like you don't need to worry too much. Just continue the supportive care, and hopefully, she'll recover within the next couple days.

 

[johnsonfarm]

Thank you, she is much better today!
When we put her in the coop last night she was putting a little weight on it, but still limping. This morning when I let them out I couldnt tell which one she was! I finally saw her holding that leg up and spotted the cut, but she was walking fine! Just holds it up a little when she's resting. Phew!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you, she is much better today!
When we put her in the coop last night she was putting a little weight on it, but still limping. This morning when I let them out I couldnt tell which one she was! I finally saw her holding that leg up and spotted the cut, but she was walking fine! Just holds it up a little when she's resting. Phew!

That's good news!