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UPDATE** SHE'S DEAD.. :( CHICKEN HAS A BROKEN LEG?? HELP PLEASE!!!!

Discussion in 'Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures' started by Half-a-dozen, Oct 22, 2007.

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  1. Oct 22, 2007 #1
    Half-a-dozen

    Half-a-dozen Songster

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    In keeping one of the injured girls caged since Friday. She does not seem to be doing better today. [​IMG] Her leg is not anymore swollen than it was before and it is not red but it is warm. But today I notice her using her wing to compensate for her leg. So sad!!!
    Her leg is just hanging there limp and she does pull away and flinch and want to peck me when I go to touch it.
    Can someone please let me know what I should do.

    I had a post on since last night also about wether I should put her on antibiotics in case it got infected. I have not yet had any replies to it and I am beside myself here. The kids are hysterical because they are afraid we will loose her and I am so upset because if we have to put her down.....How do you even do it???

    She has a wound on the top portion of her foot. (I think she got it caught in the fencing) It is now scabed over and I have been putting blue kote on it.

    What do I do with her. She will only eat it I put the food in front of her. I feel as though she is suffering.

    She is about 24weeks old and laying. She is a sex-linked. She is confined to a small cage. With food and water.

    Please some help would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks in advance. [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 22, 2007
  2. Oct 22, 2007 #2
    hipmarye

    hipmarye Songster

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    I'm by no means knowledgeable in this area, but from what I've read might I suggest you wrap her in a towel to keep her calm and try splinting her leg with popsicle sticks and medical tape. I've also read of people putting aspirin in the water to help with the pain, but I don't know the dosage.
    I'm sure someone else can hep more than I can, just hang in there.
     
  3. Oct 22, 2007 #3
    chickbea

    chickbea Songster

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    Do a search on this site for broken legs, and you should come up with all sorts of info.
    Good luck.
     
  4. Oct 22, 2007 #4
    dlhunicorn

    dlhunicorn Human Encyclopedia

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    your description is not very detailed ... did you feel the leg well to see if you could feel any obvious breaks? Which portion of the leg seems to be affected? Stabilizing it instead of just letting it hang or drag is always best and going to a vet even more advisable.
     
  5. Oct 22, 2007 #5
    Half-a-dozen

    Half-a-dozen Songster

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    If it were a human foot I would sat the injury is at the metatarsal area. I honestly have been posting this particular chicken problem all weekend. Truth is I don't really know what on earth happened. I found the wound on top of her foot (metatarsal area. I did not see it bleeding but there was blood all over the coop by the time I found her. The hatch they walk thru had a piece of fencing that was not secure and looked like she might have been walking in and got it caught up in that.
    The foot swelled. She is holding it limp. Not walking on it. using her wing for weight ofset on that side. Her comb is looking pale today and she is panting.
    I gave her aspirin for pain.
    It's her right leg/ foot.
    What other information are you looking for?
    I am totally new to the chickens these are our first ones and we (for the last 23 weeks) have had no significant health issues.

    I did a search looking for splinting and such and have come up dry. Nothing tells you how to do this. and there is no chicken vet in my parts of the woods here!!!!!
     
  6. Oct 22, 2007 #6
    hencackle

    hencackle Songster

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    One of my hens had a broken leg and I got a vet to set it--DH wouldn't let me attempt it. Call around and look for vets that treat exotics. Most likely they will try to turn you down, saying that they don't treat chickens. BUT, ask them this, "what's the difference between a parrot leg and a chicken leg?!" Its not like they are trying to diagnose an illness in this situation and I can understand their reluctance there because most know next to nothing about chickens.
    Stephanie
     
  7. Oct 22, 2007 #7
    hencackle

    hencackle Songster

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    Mar 25, 2007
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  8. Oct 22, 2007 #8
    snugglepup

    snugglepup Songster

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    I had one hen that broke/injured her leg twice. Both times it was similar to what you described. The first time she got stepped on by a horse, the second my husband shut her in the feed room door. She was our friendliest chicken and kept following us around as we did chores. That was how she kept getting into trouble.

    What I did was clean the wound with betadine. Apply antibiotic ointment (neosporin), covered the wound part with bandaids. Then I wrapped the leg/ankle with vet wrap. I started at the top of her leg, and wrapped down towards her toes. When I got to the top of the foot, I cut the vetwrap lengthwise and wrapped between her toes (kinda like a person might wrap their hand for boxing) while holding her toes in a fairly normal position for walking. By the time I was done, she had a pretty thick, soft cast.

    This technique worked much better for me than trying to splint with popsicle sticks or similar hard material. The end of the "splint" would always work its way down until it dug into the skin and caused a pressure sore.

    This hen healed up in about 2 weeks both times. Of course, the second time I am not sure it was truly broken (the first time there was no doubt), but I figured keeping clean and dry and stable can only help whether its a fracture or bad bruise/sprain.


    Edited to add: Of course, keeping her confined, warm and quiet is crucial.
     
    Last edited: Oct 22, 2007
  9. Oct 22, 2007 #9
    Half-a-dozen

    Half-a-dozen Songster

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    Well thanks everyone for all your help but she is gone, she didn't make it. [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]

    I just wish I knew what to do for her sooner!!! [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
  10. Oct 22, 2007 #10
    Iluvmychickens

    Iluvmychickens Songster

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    I am oh so sorry for you loss
     
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