My hen hurt her leg!!!! Please Help!!!!

[LindseyM12]

1 of my RIR girls got in a fight with another hen. And now she is limping and can hardly walk. Its really bad. Any idea if she broke it or what happened??? And if you know, what do i do??? Thanks a bunch!!!

 

[LindseyM12]

Anyone?!?!?!?

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

It is too hard to tell if she has broken it by what details you have given.

Where is the hen now, have you isolated her? What does her leg look like - changing color, swelling, twisted - do you see a bone sticking out? What happens when you feel the leg, what does it feel like, does she squirm?


If she was mine, I would catch her, pen her alone and give lots of supportive care - good food (scrambled eggs) veggies, limit movement.


A picture would help.

 

[LindseyM12]

Alright, she is with the other chickens and her leg looks normal but she can hardly stand on it. When I pick her up she doesn't squirm or anything. The others don't mess with her. When I feel her leg it feels more loose than the other. But I'm not sure, so I really don't know.

 

[LindseyM12]

Hello???
She keeps getting worse!
She's been like this 4 a week!

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

I am wondering if she dislocated it? If so and still dislocated, it would need to be popped back in. I have never done anything like that on a chicken - so have no advice on how to.

Might want to find a vet who will take a look at her.


I would restict her movements, so the leg has time to rest. Cage her in the coop so she can see her friends but cannot run around, make sure she has food, water, grit easy to get to.

 

[mypicklebird]

Settle down, this has been going on for a week. People will see your post and offer advice if they can, you do not need to self bump.
Did you see her get in a fight and immediately start limping afterwards? Usually when hens fight, they just cause superficial (small) injuries to the head and comb, or they vent peck. A broken leg would be very unusual.
How old is she?
Is she holding it up (leg that hurts) or is she dragging it (weak leg)?
If she has a broken leg lower than the 'knee'- you should be able to easily see and feel this. If she has a broken femur/pelvis or dislocated femur, you probably can't and only skilled hands or an x-ray will detect this. If she has a soft tissue injury or something broken- she will *probably* get better with time- restricted to a small area, with access to food/water right in front of her.
A weak or paralyzed leg could also be something unrelated to a fight- Marek's disease often shows up like this. Also called 'range paralysis'. Usually shows up in chickens 3-5 months old.
You need to pick her up and inspect her closely for wounds, swellings ect, feel both her legs. Feel the legs of some normal chickens too. Can you take her to a vet to get an opinion?




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[LindseyM12]

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I cant. We dont have the money.

 

[mypicklebird]

Answering the other questions in here would be helpful---

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I cant. We dont have the money.

 

[1/2DozenWings]

Hi,
I've been reading posts RE broken legs vs Marek's....but I still need some help:

One of 16 of my 45-day-old chicks just went lame o/n.
She is a cochin with very feathered feet [that I haven't trimmed, yet.]
All have been vaccinated against Marek's at Meyer Hatchery, or at least I paid to have them vaccinated at 1 day old.
Last night we had a big storm.....maybe she got scared and stepped on herself (silly foot feathers)???

Right leg is affected, no visible bruising, no bones jutting out, no misplacement of bones, feet and toes look fine. Right leg is extended outwards forward, somewhat. She can put a little weight on it, but not much. She doesn't want to move.

No runny eyes/nose, no pasty butt, etc., but somewhat depressed attitude. Eats/drinks ok, not super.

She's normally a very quiet bird, unlike some of the others of her group (16 chicks: 10 different breeds, all stds, 3 roos, 13 hens)
They live in a dog kennel inside an enclosure where there is lots of room and perches in the form of tree branches & a ladder, but today, I put her by herself in the brooder (livestock waterer) that she was raised in for the first 4 weeks.

None of them have been outside on grass yet because they are too small, but I do feed them dandelion, grass and clover as snacks.

No local vets will see poultry.

I have 2 adult EE hens, 2 yrs old, that free range everywhere, but are not kept with the chicks. The adult hens are able to walk by the chicks' pen, however. The chicks were raised in the same coop as the adult hens from day 1, so I don't think that disease should be an issue this far along?

The chicks eat Purina medicated starter crumbles. I was planning to wean them to non-medicated starter crumbles soon.

Does anyone have any thoughts on what her problem might be? Do chickens really break their legs all by themselves? Are the feather-footed breeds prone to this sort of problem?