Aggie

[HayleyB]

Our Cream Legbar pullet that lost the use of a leg over a month ago has (with time, effort, physio and splinting) now started putting weight on the leg and is walking a few steps. All very good as she was a lost hope a while back practically losing the use of the second leg in the process cause she was so weak - we think it was caused by Atilla

Anyway we still have a problem Houston...

Her foot has clawed so she walks on the top of her "ankle". I'm getting some pipe cleaners tomorrow hoping to splint and force the foot into a normal position to ease her walking for now and hoping that the tendons and ligaments reset themselves even if it takes a few weeks to do so.

I'm gonna do it whatever anyone says cause she has fought so hard to get here and is not in pain and deserves a chance, she has earned it over the last few weeks alone. But I just wondered if anyone has had this happen and whether it sorted for them in the end or not.

Or is there some other idea that might improve matters sooner.

Thanks everyone...

[Suechooks]

Not had any exerience of anything like this in chooks Hayley but just wanted to say GO FOR IT! I can understand just how you feel and would do exactly the same in those circumstances (or any circumstances!). I firmly believe that all pets deserve an equal chance and if it was a dog cat or guinea pig we'd give them a chance so why not a chook. I'll get the retired physio brain into gear and try and come up with some ideas to help Aggie.
Good luck

[Eco-Chic]

Well she seems to have made good progress thus far with your help, so good luck with the splinting.

What did the physio consist of?

[Glutton4...]

Good luck with it - I did read about someone doing it, but can't for the life of me remember where I read it - I seem to remember it being successful though!

[Bephlam]

Good for you Hayley...! You're totally right, she's obviously fighting for her little life, so you should help her along. Of course, if she's suffering no...but she sounds fine!

Let us know how you go...and pics if you make a pipe cleaner splint!

[RedThorn]

Hmm got me thinking, I'd probably bend a fork and splay the tines and tie those to the toes and use that as a splint until she got used to using the foot normally again.... well something along those lines

[Snadger]

Hmm got me thinking, I'd probably bend a fork and splay the tines and tie those to the toes and use that as a splint until she got used to using the foot normally again.... well something along those lines

It's called doing a 'Yuri Geller'!

[RedThorn]

*throws bent spoon at Snadger!*

[Bramble-Poultry]

have you tried duct tape? sounds daft but seriously, we use it on chicks thath have slightly splayed out claws when they first hatch. Except we use selotape but i figure an older bird muight need something stronger.

Lay a piece of tape, sticky side up on a table. then spread out the birds foot into the correct shape and stick down to the tape. now lay a second layer of tape over the top of the foot so the two sticky sides are together. Then CAREFULLY , cut a small "v" between the toes so she can still flex them and not go from a claw to a flipper!

keep on for "ideally" a couple of weeks - you will need to constantly replace it if she paddles in water etc - and hopefully after which her toes should all be pointing in the right directions. As for being bent at the ankle, if you apply the pipe cleaners etc as you say and tape them into the "flipper" contraption it may all just pull it back together.

Remember, dont let her walk too much of it off. when we had a hen with a dislocated leg we kept her in "pin down" in a small rabbit house so that it restricted her movement so he tendons could relax and allow her leg to go back to normal.

[Bramble-Poultry]

forgot to say - you are doing the right thing giving her a chance - as long as shes not suffering keep persevering. It will pay off and you will have a happy if slightly disabled chicken - we have several here and they all do fine if anything they do better than the rest cos they get spoiled!!

Good luck hun.

Snadger and RT - children please play nicely

[RedThorn]

okies mum

[HayleyB]

I tried a version of duct tape it's vet wrap bandage (I use for horse injuries) that sticks to itself. I made a boot style foot splint and splinted her whole leg. She is now putting weight on the leg and the bandage has loosened so I can see she is putting weight now on the 'knee' and straightening the leg herself. Unfortunately after taking off her 'boot' discovered what was going wrong...

Steve believe it or not I thought of a fork but it's not wide enough.

I've now got pipe cleaners and I'll probably do it tomorrow arvo as CB is around. I aim to bend the cleaners two per toe and wrap in vet wrap to make them more solid, with a bend up her leg forcing the ankle the right way, attach to leg, split ankle, attach each pipe to each toe then vetwrap a boot forcing toes apart. I'll leave the leg bandage on until she bears weight on foot as it'll give a bit more support for the moment.

Photos when I've recovered......

[CoraxAurata]

Thin plastic tubing used in a splint of tape or even plaster makes for easier removal either with thin scissors or cheesewire type cutting... don't know if that will adapt to help you but is fantastic for removal without putting pressure on legs/joints....

[CoraxAurata]

Bramble -anychance of a diagram of finished product? I was initially picturing the tape along the toes, but I think thats wrong so the tape would be crosswise? When you cut the v doesn't that undo it? Sorry to ask silly questions but this is something I have been asked about, and struggled to help with(in chicks).....