Rooster with a broken leg

[holisticliving]

Hi, I'm new to posting here, though I've been reading this forum for a while now, and it's always so helpful! Now I'm looking for a bit of guidance/support, as our beautiful Buckeye rooster broke his leg somehow this past weekend. We were away when it happened, and our neighbor was tending the chickens and notified me a few days ago that our rooster was favoring his left leg. He said he was getting around okay and eating fine, but kept holding his foot up. I wasn't too worried, as he sprained his ankle or foot back in the fall and it just took a couple of weeks to heal, so I figured it was something similar.

However, I was horrified when we got back and I saw him for the first time... He couldn't seem to move the foot at all, and was trying to get around by hopping on the other leg, which is difficult as he's rather large and heavy. I picked him up and moved the leg around and it almost felt detached - it is just hanging there loosely. We took him to the vet, and they did an x-ray and said he has a fractured tibia - maybe more than one fracture. (There is no outside indication - i.e. skin is not broken, thank goodness.) He gave us 3 options: 1.) Surgery to implant a metal pin, at the cost of $1,000 - $1,500(!!!!), 2.) Amputation, at a cost of $750-$1,000(!!!), or 3.) Euthanization.

We opted for none of those options - at least not yet, and took him home, where I attempted to apply a makeshift splint (with Vetwrap and a piece of wood). However, since the break is so high up on his leg (above the knee), it's kind of hard to wrap it, and there's not really any way to "set" it or make sure the bones are lined up right... We also got a dog crate so that he can still see the hens (he freaks out if he can't), but won't be able to move around too much.

I'm so sad for our sweet roo! He's such an awesome rooster who takes great care of his hens and he's only 8 months old... He is eating fine so far and seems okay otherwise. I don't know what else to do for him, except give him pain meds and try to keep him off the leg as much as possible? Just wondering if anyone has any other suggestions or if anyone has similar experiences to share that might help?

Rose.

 

[Eggcessive]

The tibia is above the hock and below the knee, so splinting should be possible. It can take 3-5 weeks for a fracture to form a calus and heal. Here is a good splinting link on pages 20-21:
https://theiwrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Duerr_Splinting_Manual_2010.pdf

 

[azygous]

What you can do is splint it a bit better than you have. You may have already done this but the leg must be generously padded, then a handy thing to use to splint with is a toilet paper roll split lengthwise and fit that snugly around the padding and then wrap with the Vetrap. The point of splinting isn't so much to "set" the bone, but to line the bones up well enough so they can grow new bone tissue and be immobilized.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is a video of splinting the lower leg:

 

[Eggcessive]

 

[holisticliving]

The tibia is above the hock and below the knee, so splinting should be possible. It can take 3-5 weeks for a fracture to form a calus and heal. Here is a good splinting link on pages 20-21:
https://theiwrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Duerr_Splinting_Manual_2010.pdf

Thanks! Yes, I had the names confused - I meant above the hock, not the knee! Wrapping was challenging due to all the feathers, but we managed... Thanks for the helpful manual! He seems to be doing much better today - color and temperature of the foot have returned to normal (it was very pale and cold yesterday), and he's lifting the leg up and down now - he didn't seem able to move it at all yesterday. So fingers crossed!!!

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Have you considered a chicken sling to help him "stand" more?

 

[holisticliving]

What you can do is splint it a bit better than you have. You may have already done this but the leg must be generously padded, then a handy thing to use to splint with is a toilet paper roll split lengthwise and fit that snugly around the padding and then wrap with the Vetrap. The point of splinting isn't so much to "set" the bone, but to line the bones up well enough so they can grow new bone tissue and be immobilized.

Thanks! We used a little strip of wood for the splint, wrapped/padded well with bandage before securing it to his leg with more Vetwrap. I will check daily to make sure it's not digging into him, but so far today he seems better and the leg looks a lot better than yesterday. He's eating and drinking well and hopping around and lifting the leg up and down a bit. His foot has returned to normal color and temperature and the toes aren't all bunched up anymore but look more normal and relaxed though he's not resting weight on it yet. We have him in a dog crate with lots of hay and he seems comfortable enough and happy to be near/able to see his hens!

 

[azygous]

Immobilizing his leg has reduced the pain he's experiencing. Also, it's keeping the broken parts lined up so that reduces friction on the bones and tissue. Keep checking the leg under the bandages regularly. He will require at least a month for his leg to heal. Limiting his activity will help him heal faster.

 

[Sally PB]

Sending positive waves for you and your boy! Thank you for taking care of him.

Let us know how he does.