Tractor dropped on meaties leg while moving it....

[itsy]

ARGH! We should have moved the tractor while it was lighter out so we could see what we were doing and where all the birds were at all times.

My boyfriend was going to pull it by himself, but I went around to the other side to help, so I lifted up and was pushing at the same time. He wasn't expecting the help so he pulled the tractor onto his flip-flopped toe. He yells because he just got injured and drops the tractor. I then heard the poor cockerel peeping his head off. He was stuck under the tractor. My bf immediately lifted it up and the bird hobbled away. He's limping still. I looked at the leg and it's scratched on the side of it - I guess that's called the shank? I believe that's the part that was pinned.

How to I tell if it's broken?

If it's broken - do I splint it? Do I cull him? I don't want him to suffer....but maybe it's able to be fixed?

I was going to post this in a different section - but I felt that it was meant here because it has to do with meat birds and a meat situation. Likewise - you guys would probably know if I should cull now or if the sheer weight of the bird will be a problem for the injured leg later.

 

[Tracydr]

How old is he? Can you take him in the house and put him in a box, maybe with one buddy, give him a few days to recover? There is a website for chicken orthopedics that can be very helpful. It helped me when I needed to tape one that was splay legged.

 

[Denninmi]

Honestly, if this were a "normal" bird with normal physiology and life expectancy, I'd be the first to encourage you to try to doctor it up and save it. But with these birds, they are under such stress already just from genetics that I doubt it will have a positive outcome.

If its ANYWHERE close to big enough to eat, say at least 3 weeks old, I think the better thing to do all around is cull it and eat IF the bone is really broken. If its just a sprain, it might recover enough to be OK.

 

[itsy]

Thanks guys. I'll check him this morning and then make the call. He's a red broiler, so I'm assuming he's smaller than a cornish x at this stage of the game. I'm more irritated that it happened at all.

 

[rainplace]

I did the same thing with our first batch. I removed the bird and one other and put them in a mini tractor until processing day. I never could tell if it was actually broken, but she had no use of it. She ate, drank and pooped just like the rest and other than not being able to use the leg, never appeared distressed. As she got larger, I had to physically move her a few times a day to get her out of her poop as her good leg could not support her weight. If this were to happen again, I would cull and eat as soon as one couldn't move on it's own, because the time spent walking out to the pasture and moving her doesn't seem much worth it in retrospect.

This sort of thing happens, luckily not too often.

 

[itsy]

Thanks for commenting, Rain. It made me feel better to know that we weren't the only ones to have done this.

I checked on him and he seems to be better than yesterday. He does have a limp. I'll continue to monitor him. He's eating and drinking just like the others - it actually took me a little while to figure out which one he was. He's not paying attention to his leg or pecking at it or anything out of the ordinary.

We'll see if his weight will be supported by it in the coming weeks. As soon as it looks like he can't - he'll be the first to go. I'd say that if I process him now - he'd be small cornish game hen size.

 

[Oregon Blues]

If he is walking on it, it isn't broken. He'd be badly bruised and maybe a bruised tendon. Rest is what he needs and a bit if time and he should be OK.

I would not spend vet money on a Cornish X who is going to have a very short life, no mater what. If he gets so he can't walk and seems to be in distress, process him early. If all he is doing is limping, perhaps give him some protection so the other birds don't run into him. Other than that, leave him alone.

 

[itsy]

Thanks, OregonB

 

[MVchickens]

I had a close call like this too. But I actually ran one of my cornish with the back of the tractor. I move my large tractor with my gravely tractor with the push blade. With the engine running I couldn't here him cheapin, I actually only saw him once he was out of the tractor and right under my front tire. Surprisingly he only limped for a few minutes then was back to normal.