Use of sling for broken leg

[notherearenttoomany]

I have a chicken with either a broken or severely sprained leg. I have her contained in a small crate with food and water to limit her movement. I’ve read on here that a sling is the best option to take the weight off, but I haven’t found the answers to a few clarifying questions. I can make a sling for her, but...
1. Does she need to be in this sling 24/7 for a few weeks?
2. Does she need any time free of it to prevent weakness in her other leg or wings (with a human, we rotate, do PT, etc).
3. the sling is to be high enough thatneither foot touch the ground, or should they rest lightly without bearing weight?
4. What else can I do for her?

Thanks so much for the help and support this sight provides. I’m new to this and have learned a lot here.

 

[BeakyBlinders]

Hi...we are currently going through the same thing with one of our Bantams. Vet thinks its either a soft tissue injury or arthritis nodules that has broken the hock joint. We did have a swelling, so after that had gone, we splinted it with a velcro'd finger splint. We moulded it to the shape of the 'good' leg and popped it on the bad...its easy to remove and clean when needed and easily adjust the tightness or shape....The sling is better if she can touch the floor with the feet otherwise they 'hang' and don't use them, albeit be warned she will try and push herself out! We have her in this some of the day, on the grass outside some of the day and she sleeps on the coop floor next to her sisters at night. 24/7 in the sling would be too much I think. We are 3 weeks in and we know the good leg is sadly getting weaker, so we are trying to exercise it as much as possible and have made a chicken stroller out of some old plastic tubes. Its hard going and a lot of work, but while she is eating and pooping well and not in pain, we will keep trying. Good luck with your girl....

 

[notherearenttoomany]

Follow up: there are no visible problems on her feet and legs (no bumblefoot). The issue seems to be in her thigh region, rather than on a visible portion of her leg—and I don’t feel confident splinting it bc I don’t have steady hands for such a delicate job. She is otherwise healthy, eating and drinking and “grooming” herself.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have a chicken with either a broken or severely sprained leg. I have her contained in a small crate with food and water to limit her movement. I’ve read on here that a sling is the best option to take the weight off, but I haven’t found the answers to a few clarifying questions. I can make a sling for her, but...
1. Does she need to be in this sling 24/7 for a few weeks?
2. Does she need any time free of it to prevent weakness in her other leg or wings (with a human, we rotate, do PT, etc).
3. the sling is to be high enough thatneither foot touch the ground, or should they rest lightly without bearing weight?
4. What else can I do for her?

Thanks so much for the help and support this sight provides. I’m new to this and have learned a lot here.

Follow up: there are no visible problems on her feet and legs (no bumblefoot). The issue seems to be in her thigh region, rather than on a visible portion of her leg—and I don’t feel confident splinting it bc I don’t have steady hands for such a delicate job. She is otherwise healthy, eating and drinking and “grooming” herself.

Can you get a video of her movement? Upload to youtube or similar platform and provide a link.

If you have her caged and limiting her activity, I would see if she will improve on her own since you see no obvious breaks or injury.

As for your sling questions - sometimes they can be helpful, but they are normally used when a bird is not mobile. If she's still moving around, then she may not tolerate being placed in a sling, she may move around and get hung up in it, etc. Birds need to be monitored while in a sling and I would not put one in a sling 24/7, they need a break.

 

[notherearenttoomany]

Hi...we are currently going through the same thing with one of our Bantams. Vet thinks its either a soft tissue injury or arthritis nodules that has broken the hock joint. We did have a swelling, so after that had gone, we splinted it with a velcro'd finger splint. We moulded it to the shape of the 'good' leg and popped it on the bad...its easy to remove and clean when needed and easily adjust the tightness or shape....The sling is better if she can touch the floor with the feet otherwise they 'hang' and don't use them, albeit be warned she will try and push herself out! We have her in this some of the day, on the grass outside some of the day and she sleeps on the coop floor next to her sisters at night. 24/7 in the sling would be too much I think. We are 3 weeks in and we know the good leg is sadly getting weaker, so we are trying to exercise it as much as possible and have made a chicken stroller out of some old plastic tubes. Its hard going and a lot of work, but while she is eating and pooping well and not in pain, we will keep trying. Good luck with your girl....View attachment 2332268View attachment 2332271View attachment 2332272

What a beauty and I’m so sorry she’s having such a hard go of it. I love the chicken stroller and hope it helps. Maybe I’ll make one of those too. Your pics are helpful to give me an idea of how to make a sling for her.

 

[notherearenttoomany]

Can you get a video of her movement? Upload to youtube or similar platform and provide a link.

If you have her caged and limiting her activity, I would see if she will improve on her own since you see no obvious breaks or injury.

As for your sling questions - sometimes they can be helpful, but they are normally used when a bird is not mobile. If she's still moving around, then she may not tolerate being placed in a sling, she may move around and get hung up in it, etc. Birds need to be monitored while in a sling and I would not put one in a sling 24/7, they need a break.

I’m working on uploading a video but it’s taking a while. Thanks for answering my questions. She’s been in minimal space for 4 days now and the leg seems to be getting worse rather than better. She use to move around the yard with the flock, although slowly and carefully. Now she can’t use the leg at all—I wonder if it’s from all the laying down on it or if it’s further injured. I’ll post a link to the video as soon as it’s uploaded.

 

[notherearenttoomany]

The link is to the video of my girl. I hope this helps--if I need a different angle or better video, I can try again tomorrow.

 

[Eggcessive]

Is there any way you could see a vet tomorrow for an xray to rule out a fracture? How old is she? Was she vaccinated for Mareks? Did you witness her injury, and lastly do you have a rooster? This is a pretty serious injury, but there could be some nerve damage, and I worry a little about Mareks diseases or curled toe paralysis. If it is an upper leg injury, those apparently are hard to splint, since splinting should be done both above and below the injury.

I would say if you used a sling, she should be suspended off the floor with neither leg touching the floor. Slings are usually meant for periods throughout the day, then letting them sleep at night lying down, but I really am not sure if that would be best for your chicken. Here is a video of a type of sling:

 

[notherearenttoomany]

I am not an expert or vet, not a bone guru either, but when she turns in the video, her joint twists. I do wonder if there's a break or possible slipped tendon there.
I agree getting xray is best, but a lot of times that's not an option.
Your initial instinct was to splint the leg and place her in a sling. If the leg is getting worse, then you may want to revisit that instinct and see if it makes a difference.

Thank you for this. Is there a way that I can fix a slipped tendon...like slip it back, perhaps? I’ll look into a splint tomorrow and will certainly rig up a sling for her. I guess she can hang out in the kitchen with us while we do school—my kids will LOVE it!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If the tendon is slipped, you may not be able to fix it. Let's hope she's twisting around funny due to some other injury.
Here's a good manual showing different splints.
https://theiwrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Duerr_Splinting_Manual_2010.pdf

I hope she starts to improve.
Marek's as suggested is also something to consider, unfortunately if that's the cause, then there's no treatment/cure, just supportive care like you are doing.