Not Horsey - Chicken with a broken leg - what to do!

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I hate to say this everyone, but from personal experience, very few vets have any idea what to do with a chicken!! Again from personal experience, most will say either take it home and give it a chance, maybe a supply of baytrill thrown in for good measure, or just put it down. Also from personal experience, we have had many a chicken we have decided to give a few days and see what happens, and they have pulled through, so we have been very glad we did give it a chance. In this case I really do think that had she taken it to the vet in the first place, they would have told her to take it home and see what happens.

Chickens are not cats or dogs that you can really intervene with, and a hell of a lot of people that we know that keep poultry and waterfowl will quite often DIY it with them I'm afraid.

Rightly or wrongly in the views of HHO'ers....Hermangerman took it to the vet who said it was not in pain, I really dont think there is any more need for the lectures.

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Since when is expressing concern, giving a lecture
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So sorry to hear about your hen:(.

I've kept chickens for quite a number of years now. I could never have culled one in the past, but a couple of years ago I managed to hatch 11 cockerels out of 13 eggs. So I plucked up courage to do the deed (because there was no way I could rehome that many).
The broomstick method really is very simple and even I could manage it while heavily pregnant. You calm the chicken, hold it by it's feet and lay it so it's chin is on the ground. You place a broom handle across back of the neck and stand on each side which breaks the neck. You then pull legs and neck is dislocated. It's awful doing it the first time, but very quick and then next time is not so bad, especially if you have a chicken that needs culling for health reasons.

I know this is probably too late and seeing a vet is probably the best way forward, but I was really posting in case anyone else was in a similar position.

Sue
 
Hi, Thanks for the reply, I'm not sure I could do the broomstick thing, it sounds horrible, I'm far to much of a softy to do it.

Some of our chickens (that were rescued) have died over the years of natural causes and two were taken by a fox. It is always distressing when they go.

I have been speaking to a couple of farmer friends of mine today and I told them of the opinions of some of the replies I had on here and they just laughed at me!! even the vet said he had never had a chicken in the surgery.

It is a farming area here, I suppose the chickens are dealt with 'diy'

I know I did the right thing no matter what anyone says!
Each to their own.
 
I live in a farming area too and I'm sure the farmers round here would laugh at me too but I still wouldn't leave an animal in pain for days with a broken leg...I would take it to the vet or get my neighbour to dispatch it immediately as I have done in the past with any poorly chooks.
Each to thier own I guess
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Hi, my dad has a hen with 1 leg, long story short, he found her in a box at the side if the road with the bad leg all manky and dead. We took her to the vets and when the vet was examining her the leg fell of
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! She needed anti b's because the stump was infected, she was so skinny but with a bit of tlc she's happy as anything now hopping round the place. She has a loo roll to sleep against and he brushes her head with a toothbrush because she can't clean herself. She does live in the house now and goes out in a run in the garden when it's sunny/dry.

So it is possible to have a hen with one leg but I would take her to the vet and have the bad one taken off.
 
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Hi, my dad has a hen with 1 leg, long story short, he found her in a box at the side if the road with the bad leg all manky and dead. We took her to the vets and when the vet was examining her the leg fell of
blush.gif
! She needed anti b's because the stump was infected, she was so skinny but with a bit of tlc she's happy as anything now hopping round the place. She has a loo roll to sleep against and he brushes her head with a toothbrush because she can't clean herself. She does live in the house now and goes out in a run in the garden when it's sunny/dry.

So it is possible to have a hen with one leg but I would take her to the vet and have the bad one taken off.

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Oh no! I was told on here that the chock would have been in pain therefore pts straight away!

I could of kept her as a one legged friend, the vet said she was NOT in pain but didn't think she would have a good life with one leg, mind you she was a big chock, maybe a bit heavy for one leg .... I'm glad your chock is ok, thanks for letting me know.
 
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leg all manky and dead. We took her to the vets and when the vet was examining her the leg fell of
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! .

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I worked in an old peoples home and one of the old ladies got gangrene in the arm from bad circulation.It was wrapped up and one day the same thing happened - the arm dropped off!!

Maybe the chicken not in pain if the circulation has all closed down and the nerves all switch off becase they have died back, but it must go to vet and maybe the leg can come off quick and all with be fine.
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Oh no! poor lady, fancy having your arm drop off - eeewwww!

The chicken was 'dispatched' the next day by the vet, he said she would not have a very good life on one leg she was too big - all sorted now, she is gone.
 
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