My hen has a leg fracture

[Candy11]

I don't know how it happened, but my hen has been limping for several weeks. Then she simply wouldn't walk on it much. We took her to the vet and they found a fracture on her femur by the knee joint. They said it was unusual to have a fracture there. She is on pain meds but I have to keep her in a large dog crate in the house for a month to rest it. The vet said they can't splint it because of where the fracture is. They said if it doesn't heal on it's own she will need surgery. I already shelled out $478 just for the xrays and vet appt. Surgery would be around $800+. I cannot afford that, I am a senior on a limited income. The vet bill practically broke me.
Has anyone dealt with this before? And is the something I can do to possibly help it heal?

 

[azygous]

Extra vitamin D and calcium would help. A chicken chair so she can be upright without putting weight on the leg would help. I suggest calcium citrate for a few weeks to build up her calcium reserves. One of these a day directly into her beak.

There are lots of threads on making a chicken chair, but I designed and build one with wheels using oatmeal cartons for the rollers.

 

[Candy11]

Thank you! You are kind..I will do.

 

[Banana01]

Ive possibly dealt with it before. My perches are 6 and 8 feet off the ground and have had chickens limping. They all have healed, so maybe give it time to heal. For that amount of money, she can limp and use her wings to help her get around.

I like the idea of keeping her isolated in a chair until it heals, but my chickens have all healed their leg injuries with vitamins and rest.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Thank you! You are kind..I will do.

Good luck with her.

 

[Lizzy733]

At birdcare, we use a hand-held cold Laser therapy pointer for joint issues and breaks in birds. It improves the circulation to the joint and reduces inflammation in a non-evasive way. You want one with around 600nm or higher, but a lower nm around 400 may still be effective. They cost under or around $200 and can be used for general joint issues (like arthritis etc) and injuries, so handy for more than just a one-off treatment. You can even use it yourself.

We generally laser over top of the injury, then underneath once to twice a day. They have a timer, so you point them at the injury, look away and push the button. It beeps to start, then beeps again when it turns off.

How bad was the break and did the vet mention if it has started to set yet?

 

[Candy11]

Ive possibly dealt with it before. My perches are 6 and 8 feet off the ground and have had chickens limping. They all have healed, so maybe give it time to heal. For that amount of money, she can limp and use her wings to help her get around.

I like the idea of keeping her isolated in a chair until it heals, but my chickens have all healed their leg injuries with vitamins and rest.

YAY! I am putting a chair together tomorrow. I give her crushed eggshells and oyster shell pellets. Does she still need calcium citrate supplements? Anything else?
Thank you so much. I really like this hen a lot, she's so sweet and only 5 mo. old. A golden sexlink.

At birdcare, we use a hand-held cold Laser therapy pointer for joint issues and breaks in birds. It improves the circulation to the joint and reduces inflammation in a non-evasive way. You want one with around 600nm or higher, but a lower nm around 400 may still be effective. They cost under or around $200 and can be used for general joint issues (like arthritis etc) and injuries, so handy for more than just a one-off treatment. You can even use it yourself.

We generally laser over top of the injury, then underneath once to twice a day. They have a timer, so you point them at the injury, look away and push the button. It beeps to start, then beeps again when it turns off.

How bad was the break and did the vet mention if it has started to set yet?

We have a quality quad wave that near infrared and far infrared from 600nm to 850nm depending on the setting.
We bought it about 6 months ago from Forefront Health for $200. Normally $300. For humans you have to start out 2 feet away for 2 min. and work up for 3-4 weeks how can I do it for a chicken?
The vet report said an incomplete fracture if the right femur near the knee. She said it can heal but she didn't know if it would.

 

[azygous]

The calcium you plan to give her is calcium carbonate, and it's perfectly okay. However, calcium citrate is a form of calcium that is much easier to digest and absorb. I recommend it for this reason.

When you get a chair fixed up for her, limit the time she spends in it at a stretch. Chickens may not take to a chair right away, so fifteen minutes at first is what I suggest. Do not leave her in it alone. She may panic or try to get out of it, and you don't want any further injuries.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I know this doesn't directly address your question, but I thought I'd mention it. My dog has cancer, and there is no way I could have afforded the treatment. I used Care Credit, which covered the $2700 for her initial surgery, and I wasn't required to pay any interest if I paid it off in 12 months. I don't really recommend going into debt, but in a pinch...

 

[Lizzy733]

YAY! I am putting a chair together tomorrow. I give her crushed eggshells and oyster shell pellets. Does she still need calcium citrate supplements? Anything else?
Thank you so much. I really like this hen a lot, she's so sweet and only 5 mo. old. A golden sexlink.View attachment 2899765

We have a quality quad wave that near infrared and far infrared from 600nm to 850nm depending on the setting.
We bought it about 6 months ago from Forefront Health for $200. Normally $300. For humans you have to start out 2 feet away for 2 min. and work up for 3-4 weeks how can I do it for a chicken?
The vet report said an incomplete fracture if the right femur near the knee. She said it can heal but she didn't know if it would.

We put it directly over the injury, so using near waves only and not so long, maybe 30-45 seconds or so each side - as mentioned, it has an automatic shut off. Kereru here are notorious for smashing into windows and come in with all levels of shoulder injury from sprains to dislocations and fractures, so this is where it gets the most use. - they're about bantam size, but we use it the same way regardless of the bird species - from smaller sparrows and tui to massive hawks and gannets. - typically, we follow with a bit of physio when its 'not' a break.

Some can be in for the long-haul, but we generally try to get them ready to transition to outdoor pens within 1-2 months. The ones that take longer than that or stall in their recovery don't tend to make it to release, unfortunately. (But we are talking wild birds here, not pampered pets with accommodating owners)

It would be worth mentioning to your vet in case they have any specific recommendations since you're already working out a treatment plan with them.