My Roo hurt his leg?

[minna]

Yesterday afternoon I was out at the coop all afternoon. I was working on some things, putting in new nest boxes etc. I was in the coop right beside my NH roo and his girls. He was fine, running around chasing the girls, he even tried to slip by me and get out the door when I collected my egg from the nest. He was fine. I watched him hop up on the nest boxes. Dh pulled in the driveway so I packed my tools up and went up to the house to start supper. Dh goes out to the barn and calls me. He wanted to know if our 2 yr old stepped on Big Daddys leg. I thought he was just being a

. I said of course not. He says his leg is broke. I ran out there and it doesn't look or feel broken, but he sure doesn't want to put much pressure on it. He will walk around on it slowly and then curl his toes under and sit back down. He is my fav roo. Any ideas? I thought maybe he sprained it or something jumping off the nest boxes, but the roost pole is higher than the nest boxes and he gets on and off of it daily with no problems. I moved him into another coop by himself, to avoid further injury and give him time to heal. This morning he is still sitting around.

 

[minna]

 

[verthandi]

Possible soft tissue injury if you are not finding any bones that feel out of place. Does he have any swelling or heat in the leg?

I would put him is a separate small area, make sure he is warm enough. Aspirin and vitamins and plenty of good food to eat. Check his droppings, food intake, and look for any other symptoms out of the ordinary.

I'm sure others will be along with more thoughts soon. I have had a hen with something similar, but I am not sure if it is the same as your rooster. She suddenly couldn't use one leg and the toes were curled under. I never found any injury or heat to indicate anything wrong. But after watching her for a while I could see that her hock joint wasn't supporting her weight. I vet wrapped the entire leg and followed the above treatment plan. It took 6 weeks before she was walking normal again.

 

[minna]

No heat, no swelling.

I will watch his poop. He is eating fine. He has a really great appetite. How much Asprin? Anyone know? I will start him on some vitamins tomorrow. I think dh is going to call the vet on Monday.

 

[FarmerDenise]

I usually just scrape a little bit of aspirin on some especially yummy food and dose about every 4 hours.
Here is the recommended dose per: Mississippi State Extension Service: Dissolve five (5 grain) aspirin tablets in one gallon of water. Offer this solution freechoice to the bird for the duration of an illness.

 

[verthandi]

Quote:
5 aspirin to a gallon, or I use one baby aspirin to a pint waterer. The dosage is slightly off that way but has worked okay with my birds.

 

[FarmerDenise]

verthandi
Considering I just scrape a bit of aspirin onto some food, I think your method is much better than mine and certainly way more accurate. I'll make a note of it in my "1st aid for chickens" folder. I was not into mixing a gallon of aspirin solution for one chicken. Although I must say, all my injured birds recovered nicely.