Broken tib/fib (drumstick)

[Hidden Ridge Farms]

Well, shoot! I just joined this forum yesterday and I already have a medical issue that I need some assistance with. I have an 8 week old BO/EE mix that apparently rushed the door to the coop as I was exiting to refill the water and feed. She apparently got her leg stuck in the door as it closed. I heard her chirp/scream and opened the door again to find her hopping away on one leg . After examining her, I realized that her tib/fib (drumstick) bone is broken slightly above the joint. It is literally just dangling. She went into shock almost immediately and allowed me to stabilize it with a home-made brace that I made (I kinda went into Dr. Pol mode). I took cotton and wrapped the leg first to help stabilize and prevent it from being too tight where it would cut off circulation. Then, I cut a couple of pieces of wood from a popsicle stick to brace it and placed one piece on the inside, one on the outside of the leg. I then wrapped with flexible medical tape and taped it down semi-firmly to hold everything in place. I have her isolated from other chickens now in her own little area.

Here is my dilemma-after researching further, I have read NOT to wrap the leg or try to stabilize in any way. Most say that the natural swelling will help stabilize/secure the bone until it has a chance to heal. But, everyone that has experienced a broken leg in a chick that I can find info on has been on the lower leg (metatarsus i.e. shank bone). I can't find anything related to the tib/fib (drumstick). So, at this point, what do I do? Keep it wrapped, or just keep her in a smaller confined space and let mother nature take it's course? Just so you know, I raise chickens for both egg and meat production (I know some don't like that latter part), but I have over 30 chickens with 20 more on the way. I was hoping this one could have been a good egg layer with unusual egg color due to her lineage, but she is about the size of a quail currently (maybe a little bigger).

On a good note, I was able to get her to drink some honey water. And, she was pecking at the food I laid in front of her, so apparently the shock is already wearing off.

 

[PurpleCArTires]

I have never dealt with a broken leg, but maybe give her some electrolytes in her water and def keep her seperated. If it does heal, hopefully she can get around good. Otherwise she might be a sitting duck to predators and it might be more humane to cull her. Also, obviously watch for infection, but if the skin didnt break, she is probably ok there. Just thoughts lol, not a professional by any means. I hope she does heal, she is beautiful.

 

[Hidden Ridge Farms]

I have never dealt with a broken leg, but maybe give her some electrolytes in her water and def keep her seperated. If it does heal, hopefully she can get around good. Otherwise she might be a sitting duck to predators and it might be more humane to cull her. Also, obviously watch for infection, but if the skin didnt break, she is probably ok there. Just thoughts lol, not a professional by any means. I hope she does heal, she is beautiful.

I do have her isolated. She is bedded down in wide bucket that has wire over it to keep her from trying to get out. She is in my basement. She only has enough room to lay down and maybe hake a few steps between her water and feed. She is being an awesome patient though, considering the isolation. I guess time will tell. Oh, and I gave her raw organic honey in some water to bring her out of the initial shock. She now has water with organic ACV for electrolytes.

 

[PurpleCArTires]

I do have her isolated. She is bedded down in wide bucket that has wire over it to keep her from trying to get out. She is in my basement. She only has enough room to lay down and maybe hake a few steps between her water and feed. She is being an awesome patient though, considering the isolation. I guess time will tell. Oh, and I gave her raw organic honey in some water to bring her out of the initial shock. She now has water with organic ACV for electrolytes.

I bet she knows you are trying to help . I love chickens, they are such resilient little creatures. You are doing all you can short of taking her to the vet and spending 1000's. Which (even tho I love my chicks) i would personally never do.

 

[coach723]

If you are able to splint the leg to keep it in a more normal position, then I would do that. Just check often for swelling, that can happen even days later. I will attach a splinting manual below, may be helpful. You may also want to give her periods in a chicken sling, if she will tolerate it, to help take the weight off and let her rest, it will also help her eat and drink better. Do supervise if you use one, you don't want her to freak out and hurt herself trying to get out of it. Rolled up bath towels can also be used to brace her up a bit and keep her comfortable.

 

[ChicNmom]

I am not sure how quickly chicken bones heal. I would likely not leave the whole leg splinted for more than a week with out giving it a rest so the joint doesn't lock up. I would try to use the chicken sling and also wrap just the broken area for support.

I personally would also try to get it in a more normal position to heal instead of letting nature take it's course. I had a friend who had a chicken with a similar break. It healed badly. The bird did live a long life but it couldn't be with the other chickens.

 

[coach723]

For a large bone like the tibia or femur, healing can take weeks to months. I would check it regularly, and resplint as necessary. Even if it doesn't heal perfectly, it may be good enough that she still has very good quality of life. Comfrey is very good for healing and you can use it as a poultice or get oral supplements (do a search for info). As the bone knits you may see a knot or swelling at the site of the break, that will be a bone callus forming and is normal. Since this is a relatively large bone, the callus may also be larger, it also depends on how aligned the bones are. The more out of place the bones are aligned the larger the callus will be. It's formed by the bone forming over the break. Picture of a bone callus below, on the femur of a chicken.

 

[Hidden Ridge Farms]

Thank you everyone. I did splint the leg at first. I did end up removing the splint and just kept her isolated in a bucket with wire on top so she didn't try to jump out and cause further injury. She basically just had room to lie down and stand up to eat and drink. I am in total amazement though because after only a couple of weeks, she is putting full weight on the leg! It isn't perfect yet, and I can definitely feel the callous forming. But, she has good range of motion still in the joint as the break was above that. I think she is going to be just fine. Amazing how resilient they are!