Possible broken foot/leg; Update: maybe it's Marek's

[NHchicks]

Just an update, in case anyone else encounters this situation sometime with their chicken.

The hen is on day #7 of hopping on one leg. She's still hopping. She seems okay except that instinct is probably telling her to hide under bushes during the day, to keep away from predators. The rooster tries to jump her, I can't imagine how painful that must be with a hurt leg, so I have her enclosed in a fence under a bush with food and water, and I just want her to keep quiet. Yesterday I let her hop wherever she wanted, and she hopped into the woods under brush and stayed there all day, then hopped towards the coop again in the evening before we picked her up and helped her along. I don't want her to make her leg worse. She's still sleeping by herself in a nest on the floor of the coop.

I don't know if she'll recuperate or not, whether she'll be functional without that leg. Her feathers are looking a little ratty, she hasn't been able to dust bathe either. I don't think she's laying, unless she laid yesterday in the woods and I didn't know about it.

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

I find it good in these kind of not sure situations to think about the situation very objectivly and sort out exactly what the criteria are for recovery, how much recovery must be seen to considder there to be quality of life, how how soon, how much extra effort is required, can this be done long term and without the rest of the flock being compromised or placed at risk (weak birds can get sick much easier and spread problems to an otherwise healthy flock). What is the real value of the bird and does such care make sense, is it affordable without shorting the rest of the flock or more importaintly family obligations.

Make a plan and stick to it, if the hen does not hit the recovery criteria then it is easier to deal with without the matter being clouded by emotion as the decision was already made.

 

[msviolaceous]

Any updates on your hen?

 

[seminolewind]

Quote:
It does not sound like Marek's at this point. If her stool is bright green, it usually means starvation. You might want to splint her leg and put her in a sling, for 4-6 weeks. But if she continues to waste away, I would euthanize. BTW, when my hen did this, she did stink as well. Very strong. Unless she gets more Marek's symptoms, like more paralysis, or, another hen starts the same way, then I would be considering Marek's.