POSSIBLE BROKEN WING

[melissa792]

CAN ANYONE TELL ME HOW TO DETERMINE IF MY HEN HAS A BROKEN WING AND WHAT SHOULD I DO..THIS IS MY FIRST FLOCK AND I AM CLUELESS..JUST CAME HOME AND NOTICED THAT SHE WAS HOLDING HER RIGHT WING UP VERY HIGH..I DID NOTICE HER EXTEND IT OUT AT A POINT AND WHEN I DID GO TO RETRIEVE HER I TRIED TO LOOK FOR MYSELF BUT SHE SEEMED IN DISTRESS AND I DIDN'T WANT TO HURT HER ANY ESPECIALLY NOT KNOWING WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR..SHE IS WALKING AROUND FINE EATING DRINKING ETC.

 

[chooks4life]

I would suggest you wait till night time if you can't catch her without possibly damaging the wing more, wait till she's on the perch, and go in the coop with a torch and have a look at her. If you're confident you can catch her without making a broken bone injury worse, go for it whenever you're ready.

Gently lift the wing and look at the bone structure underneath. It may help to look at other chickens first and see what's normal; it may also help to hold her feet together at the ankles and lay her on her side on your lap or the nest or a table or something, with the damaged wing uppermost.

A wing that's not broken should have some resistance in it, as in she will resist you pulling it open most likely. If it's broken she won't be able to. Be very gentle, of course. A wing that's not broken should be able to fold back to the body properly, in normal position.

One of my hens was stood on by the horse, shattered the shoulder and we had to put her down. She was eating and drinking normally, just holding one wing out away from her body a bit, but otherwise holding it in the normal position. Over the course of the morning she went into shock though. The pain must have been immense, shards of bone were sticking out.

If your chook's wing is broken but the bone is not exposed and she can hold it in a fairly normal position, leaving it be or gently binding it to her body to heal may help. Depending on what is broken where and how badly.

If you're in doubt a vet might be a good idea.

Best wishes.