pullet with 1 leg-coon attack

[paris_r]

I have a light brahma pullet that is about 2 months old. last night a coon reached in a 2 " gap near the wheels under the tractor she was in and pulled out (through 1' wire mesh bottom) her leg - completely! there is no stump, just an empty socket. I have seen posts here about chickens with broke legs or PARTS of the leg destroyed by frostbite. but what I want to know is if anyone has real info on a chicken-especially a heavy breed-doing well with only 1 leg.

i can post a photo later.

 

[lightchick]

That's horrible! Maybe you could make her a wooden leg?
What I've just read about it is most chickens with one leg end up being house pets or spoiled.
I hope you can save her!
I didn't write this.

Hi, I have been reading a lot about chickens with injured legs the past few days, since we found one with a badly damaged foot. The vet just amputated yesterday, and said chickens will learn to get along well on one leg, and will learn to use their wings as props. I was very encouraged to read dozens of inspiring stories on this website about chickens that had good quality of life with just one foot. The bird may be a bit slower and a little more vulnerable to predators, or might in some cases require significant extra care or living indoors, depending on the injury. But I do think there's hope! Some people have written about using a prosthetic for chickens, and we may try to rig a replacement foot/support for our hen to give her better mobility. We're going to try to give our Rocky a chance to live a good life, after her suffering.

Here is a post about successful splinting of a broken leg: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=412750&p=1

You can search 'amputation' to find more posts about one-legged chickens, but here are a few with encouraging stories:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=382743&p=1
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=106942&p=1
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=282509&p=1
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=302406&p=1

Good luck to you and your bird!

 

[Eggcessive]

I'm sorry about your pullet, but I'm not sure she can survive with such injuries if any internal organs were damaged. The bleeding alone must have made her shocky. I would clean the wound with water sprayed fro a faucet and some Hibiclens or betadine. Dry and and keep a cloth on it to stop bleeding. Then I would apply neosporin or other plain antibiotic ointment. Flies will be a problem, so keep her inside away from them so there aren't maggots in the wound. If she is in a great deal of pain and not looking strong, I would probably put her down. But only you can judge that, and chickens can be amazing at what they can survive. Antibiotics probably should be given, and injectable Procaine Penicillin G from the feed store with 20 gauge needles and syringes would probably be a good idea. Dosage is 1/4 ml or cc daily into the breast muscle for 4 days. Feeding high protein snacks like eggs and adding water and a bit of buttermilk or yogurt to her feed would be good.