How do I check for a broken leg?

[petep]

Our Cocker Spaniel and one of the hens had a collision this evening - totally innocent clash as the dog ran after a stick and the hen ran in front of her from behind a plant.

The hen is now limping, her claws are tucking under her foot sometimes and she is trying to prop herself up with her wing, but she isn't making any different sounds and when I picked her up she was calm - very odd as it's the first time we've managed to pick her up.

I've felt the upper leg and lower leg, and both seem stable & rigid, and she didn't object or struggle as I applied light pressure to the bones. Her claws were quite floppy but not disfigured and she didn't object to them being touched.

Can anybody offer me any advice on inspecting her and what sort of behaviour/pain response would be normal for a hen? If she's still limping in the morning she'll be making a visit to the vet but I'd rather have an idea if it's a sprain or something less serious than a break.

Thanks.


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[Bigmallly]

I think you have done all you can for the time being Pete. I think she would have struggled & screamed if it was broken. Lets hope she is just shocked & see what she's like in the morning.

[bearded bloke]

As above ^^^^

[petep]

Thanks. We went out to check on here and she is still struggling to walk on it so it wasn't just a knock or shock. The leg felt good to me and her toes seemed ok, but watching her just now she seems to be resisting putting all four toes down. The outside one looks like it's bent back a bit whereas the other three are lying flat(tish) on the ground when she isn't trying to walk.

We're very new to hens and they've become loved pets more than egg suppliers so we're a bit upset at the events. Tomorrow morning, if she isn't walking better, we'll take her to the vet. That one visit will cost us more than her and a year of food, but that's what you do for a family pet, isn't it?


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[Bigmallly]

Good luck Pete, hope she's ok in the morning.

[Nicos]

Might be a sprain or a badly bruised muscle..both will take a few days to sort themselves out.

Might be that the one toe is dislocated perhaps????

Glad she survived the collision at least!

Let us know how you get on with her.

[Scarlet]

I think you would feel a break? I'd isolate her, possibly put her in a box to stop her moving around to rest it up?

[Nicos]

Yep- a clear break would be obvious- but a hairline one might not be..I'd still go for a dislocation...

Good idea about isolating her Scarlet...other chooks can be so viscous!

[Bill HH]

I think you have done all you can for the time being Pete. I think she would have struggled & screamed if it was broken. Lets hope she is just shocked & see what she's like in the morning.

I have never heard a chicken scream, you learn something every day.

That's the trouble with getting too friendly with chickens, In the real world she would be Sunday lunch. But I really would try to avoid the vet if it involves an xray you will be into £150. Callous maybe but you probably started out with the intention of saving money. Give her a day to see if it improves before spending big money or do the dirty deed its part of keeping livestock.

[petep]

She's totally my wife's pet and it'll take more than a vet bill to see her gone. Besides, she's the smallest of the three birds and wouldn't make much of a Sunday dinner.


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[Bill HH]

She's totally my wife's pet and it'll take more than a vet bill to see her gone. Besides, she's the smallest of the three birds and wouldn't make much of a Sunday dinner.


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Well of course I knew you would say that, but let it be a warning to people who invest in poultry to save money on meat and eggs only to find that the reality is a little different. I would however wait a short while before sinking a fortune into a£5 chicken she may well recover on her own.

[Nicos]

I think you just have to go with your gut instinct.
I understand what Bill is saying though.
Living in France I would get laughed at by our vet taking her in for that....but I think you need todo what you feel is right.

Experience is a fine thing.....but it's easy to get things wrong, so go with your instincts

Let us know how you get on...fingers crossed it's not serious.

[marchogaeth]

Can I just say don't keep feeling it to see what it is doing! (I'm not saying you are but it's what people do "Look he's lame when I make him run" - making the poor flinching animal run!) You wouldn't want somebody giving a bad bruise a squeeze to see how much it hurt you or what your reaction was. Leave that to the vet if you take her.

[petep]

UPDATE: vet says she can't find an obvious break and agreed with us that the third toe (outermost) seemed a little hyperextended and might well be a dislocation. She said to keep her in the run during the day when the others are out free ranging and gave us some anti-inflammatories.


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[veggiechicken]

Good news Pete. Hope it sorts itself out soon.