Topic: Help Advice needed Gingerbread has a bad leg!

[Old bird]

Help Please.  Having only had them 3 days one looks very poorly.

They were all fine on the except one who was limpy on the Monday and was fine on Tueseday. Now on  Tuesday another one, Gingerbread, has gone down - yesterday she could hardly move so stayed lying down.  I picked her up and put her out fed and watered her.  But she still is down.  The leg works and the claws work so I don't think anything is broken - but she may have jumped down from the house 2 1/2 feet and jarred a shoulder or something.  She looks very sad but I put her out this morning and then decided to put her back in the house with food and water in case she was bullied by the others.

Advice please - do you take chickens to vets?  Should I just let her rest - feed and water her and keep her slightly adrift of the others?

Advice needed - I am very concerned as she is in pain.

Old Bird

 :-\

[betula]

Hi Old Bird,

bad news.I have googled to try to see if I could find any info.Mostly it is about things like paracites or broody hens.Not really relevant to you.

You have done the right thing so far,according to info.

Do you know any body with chickens you could call for advice.?

I think if she was mine I would give the vet a call,but then again  I always panicccccccccc.

I do hope she will be OK ,what a shame after such a good start. :)

[Old bird]

Hi Betula

It is a shame - I panic too!!  I am trying not to call the vet as - (a) she may get better on her own and (b) expense!!  I think it is £20 before you start here and if it is something that will heal on its own then that is money down t'drain so to speak!

The other one got better on her own so hopefully I am going up there at lunchtime she may have picked up a bit!

Let you know how things go!

Old Bird
 ::)

[Patrick King]

Time will tell.
She should be ok, after a little rest. she might of just fell wrong as you said.

[peasmad]

when you say 'jump down from the house' do you mean they don't have a ramp to walk down from the poop hole?

[littlebabybird]

hi oldbird

i dont know but, your girls are bat hens arent they?
they wont have done much walking around,
her legs could ache something rotten

[Old bird]

Peasmad

Yes there is a 2ft wide ramp but they haven't got the hang of that - some are now working it out - so they jumped with wings beating etc!!

Last night I had a huge drama with her and went up after work - carried her out into the run to have some fresh air and scratch around (which she isn't doing at the moment) did a bit of gardening and heard a commotion - a couple of the others were "having a go" and as she can't run away - I put her back in the house with food and water.  At bedtime I still have to lift the girls up to persuade them it is bedtime and they are so not keen that they keep popping out of the pop hole whilst I am pushing the next one in - well anyway I heard a commotion and Gingerbread was squashed into a corner as far as possible and two others were attacking her.

I decided, rightly or probably wrongly, to take her home with me and kept her in the shed last night.  I have rigged up a small pen in the garden and have decided to let her fully recover before returning her - when she will again have to match up in the "pecking order"  ghastly but nature.  I felt that if I left her in the house last night she would have been killed, so hopefully with TLC she will be able to stand her ground to a degree!

The only other alternative is to find her another home - but that may be a lonely place for a single hen!

Still no decisions until she is better and then I will have to worry. 

Littlebabybird yes they are ex bats so I do understand that they have no muscles to speak of and that is probably where she has got hurt either by jumping down or just pulling a muscle.  She seems, as I say, to be a little less sore today.

Thanks for your help and advice.

Old Bird
 :-\

[betula]

Morning Old Bird,

hope she continues to improve.Keep us posted. :)

[teresa]

You may find this usefull,

http://backyardchickens.yuku.com/topic/6695/t/Items-for-Chicken-First-Aide-Box.html

If you give her 1/4 asprin ,in her food it may ease the pain for her, good luck.

[peasmad]

Peasmad

Yes there is a 2ft wide ramp but they haven't got the hang of that - some are now working it out - so they jumped with wings beating etc!!

Old Bird
 :-\

The way i taught my chicks to go down a ramp, was to sprinkle a few bits of corn or pellets down the ramp, they soon get the hang of it.
Sorry to hear that gingerbread being picked on. Glad to hear you were able to seperate her.

[Old bird]

Update on Gingerbread!

She seemed happy enough this morning, although she is not apparently much better.  I gave her 8 slugs that slipped down really quickly! Euch!  Have left her again in the garden at home and hope it doesn't tip down with rain as it is looking gloomy enough today.  She has a plastic newspaper recycling box to get into but which won't stop her getting splashed.

Thanks Theresa for that tip I will try the 1/4 aspirin! 

Thanks also Peasmad for the advice - I think I may have to adapt the runway a bit as there aren't the raised strips to slow them down or help them get a grip!

Weekend work sorted then!

Old Bird!

 ;)