New here with a problem - any advice welcome

[HudokFarm]

I have been lurking on this forum since we got our hens just over a year ago. I have searched, but can find nothing similar to what we are experiencing with one of our hens and want to ask advice of you knowledgeable folks.

We currently have ten hens. One is a Buff Orpington just over a year old. She appeared back in the coop one night a few weeks ago with a wound hear her tail on the right side. We know some of the other hens were pecking at it at first, but they have since stopped and it looked like it was healing. Now, she is limping and holding her right foot off the ground when she is not using it. It shakes when she holds it raised. She is eating and laying and does not seem to be distressed. We see her with the other hens often and they do not appear to be pecking at her. I dusted her yesterday with a lice / mite powder in hopes that it would deter both parasites and the other hens.

My assumptions are this: 1) Her wound may have been some sort of predator, but we don't know what kind. 2) Her wound may have initially been caused by the others pecking at her, but the wound ended up large enough that I doubt they did it all on their own. The wound was egg-sized (ironically) at its worst. 3) She is OK as long as she is eating and laying with no problems.

I've just been worried about her and want to make sure I am not missing something here. Does she just need more time to heal? Any advice for a relatively new chicken owner?

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
In your opinion, does the wound need treatment? Have you visually checked it up close? Check the bottom of her footpad on her right foot. If you see a dark in color round scab, it is bumblefoot. The area around the scab could be swollen and red looking and minor surgery would be required. If she was attacked by a predator, it might not be bumblefoot, but rather a bad injury to her leg, if she shakes her leg when raised, could be some sort of nerve damage. However, if she is eating, drinking and laying normally and not being picked on...I'd just let her be and monitor her occasionally, it would seem she has adapted to her injury. There's a good possiblity she'll completely heal given time.

 

[HudokFarm]

Thanks for your reply. My husband and I gave her a thorough examination yesterday evening. We saw nothing visibly wrong with her foot and when we carefully probed up her leg she did not seem to be bothered by it. She did seem a little better today. We gave the wound a closer exam as well and it is all but closed and new feathers are already growing in. She looks like she has lost a little bit of weight, but no more than I would find normal for a body healing a major wound like the one she had. My guess is that she is on the mend. I was so worried about her this week, especially when we noticed her limping. The limp could even be completely unrelated to the wound for all we know.

She stayed close to the coop today but did roam out for a little sun and a dust bath under what we have dubbed "the chicken tree", their favorite haunt on the farm. I will keep a close eye on her as she continues to recover. Again, many thanks for your advice and quick response!

Jen

 

[dawg53]

You're welcome. You could buy some vitamin B complex tablets at a pharmacy and crush a couple of them into a powder. Then sprinkle the powder into her feed for her to eat. It might help speed up the healing process in her leg. Continue it for a week and see there's any improvement by just observing her. I'm glad she's on the mend. Take care.