Pullet limping

[apryl29]

That's probably it. Our first chickens just did their chicken thing in their coop/ run and I didn't do much w/ them other than feed/ water them. Now my daughter is obsessed w/ them and can't possibly go a whole day w/o letting them out and holding them. We have a few that are less than thrilled about being man-handled, but unfortunately those are the ones who seem to need the most attention.

 

[apryl29]

I tried to do her beak but ended up getting the tea bag stuck to my fingers several times. I ended up filling the space in with some super glue. She didn't seem to appreciate it, I don't know if it was because she could taste it or smell it. I soaked her foot this afternoon and she appeared to be standing a little bit better but by this evening she was the one being again. I cleaned it out and put more antibiotic cream on it. Because of the location on her foot when I put a bandage on it she curls her foot up, so I left it uncovered but put antibiotic ointment on it again. I put some more antibiotic in her water, but I'm not sure how much she's drinking. At what point do I consider injecting the antibiotic?

 

[azygous]

I'm not sure you need the Tylan unless you know you're dealing with a bacterial infection. I may have missed it if you said what that might be.

The beak looks good. That should keep it from splitting worse, and it will help it heal.

 

[apryl29]

Oh good. It was hard to get her to keep her head still. The glue stuck to me better than it did her beak. I'm not sure if she has an infection or not. The only thing I've been able to see On her foot is the small hole in the skin. It doesn't look red & it's not bleeding. I'll drop the antibiotics then unless things get worse. Thanks!

 

[peckpeckpeck]

Wow injured foot & beak!
Glad to see she's starting to heal. Good to know about the superglue & tea bag.
Sending her healing thoughts

 

[micstrachan]

Your girl is looking good! Nice job with her care.

 

[apryl29]

Wow injured foot & beak!
Glad to see she's starting to heal. Good to know about the superglue & tea bag.
Sending her healing thoughts

Just be careful not to glue your fingers together like I did.

Your girl is looking good! Nice job with her care.

Thanks, I'm starting to wonder if she may have cracked a bone, landed funny and sprained it or something. It doesn't seem like that little spot on her foot should be causing her so much pain that she can't put her weight on it. She is a pretty hefty bird though so that might make it hurt more. I took a few pics of her standing this morning and she looks like she's doing slightly better while standing, but still has a pretty big limp if she tries to walk (her left foot). I think I'm going to keep her in the tote until she can stand on it again. I feel bad b/c she's pretty confined, but this way she doesn't have too walk much. I gave her some watermelon and mash w/ scrambled eggs this morning. Holy wow, do they love scrambled eggs. She's eating and I did see her drinking this morning too, so she's doing well in that regard. She's also been pooping, but hasn't laid an egg - I'm not surprised about that though. I can't think of much more I can do for her at this point. I feel bad that she can't be outside w/ everyone else, but I know if I take her out then I'm going to have difficulty catching her.

 

[azygous]

Do you see any light green or grey bruises on the leg she favors? If there's swelling, is it worse?

You can give her a baby aspirin in the mornings and at night and that will help with the pain.

Take this time she's in the tote to train her to respond to treats. It will make it easier to handle her. Use something like dry cat food or Cheerios or meal worms, the last one being the very best treat, for the lessons. Use a verbal cue as you offer her a single treat in your hand.

Then follow that with offering the treat in a closed hand, opening it to reveal the treat. This will be useful when you need her to come to you but you haven't had time to find any treats. Keep using the verbal cue.

Soon she will come to you when she sees a closed fist and hears the verbal cue. I teach my baby chicks using this method and they are coming to me willingly by age two weeks. As they grow, they always stand perfectly still and permit me to pick them up when they hear the verbal cue. A bit of training sure makes life easier.

 

[apryl29]

I don't see any green or gray bruising, but that doesn't mean it's not there. I did think her left leg looked darker than the other one this morning, but it may have been the angle or the light b/c when I used the flashlight to look they looked similar. There was some swelling on her hock, but it's not much. More like the skin on the left hock is more rounded and the skin on the right seems to be molded to the joint.
I'll try the asprin tonight, thanks!
That's a great idea. I do get the flock to run into the coop in the evenings if I shake the feed scoop, but it'd be nice if I could get her to come to me w/o a chase. I always worry I'll hurt one of them. Thank you so much for the great ideas!

 

[chickens really]

Possibly jumped off a Roost and landed wrong...Chickens heal quickly.....