Rooster limping and his foot is swelling

[SuziRae1999]

My rooster (Earl is the name) got into a scrap with an other rooster that he'd been raised with since he was a few weeks old. They'd always gotten along, but last week or so he decided he didn't like my other roo (Froggy). They were fighting through 2 inch spaced metal bars cause Froggy is seperate from the hens so that Earl has a chance to have some offspring. I've been treating Froggy (because when I examined and cleaned them up after their fight I only found very 2 scratches on Earl so I cleaned them but they are already good) but until yesterday it looked like both roosters were getting better. Now Earl is limping pretty bad and his foot is swelling and his pad is hard to the touch

.
Any ideas what is wrong?

 

[microchick]

OUCH! Aren't roosters hysterical. They are always thinking of new ways to abuse and injure one another.

That pad is definitely swollen. I'm also seeing swelling around the 'ankle' joint. Is there any sign of bumble foot? You will be looking for signs of an injury to the pad itself. Usually it's a splinter or another foreign body that gets into the pad and infects. What you will see is a black scab. Might be large, or small.

With or without a bumble, you can soak his foot in warm Epsom salt water. I keep a gallon ice cream container around for them to stand in when I need to soak a foot. They really seem to enjoy it.

Also, is there any sign of bruising around the joints,signifying a broken bone?

 

[SuziRae1999]

Yeah they are quite something

Yeah I noticed that but I could not see any foreign objects but I will try giving him a foot soak. How warm water would you use?

Upon inspecting his foot again I noticed one toe is crooked. Maybe he's sprained his ankle and broken a toe? Or I dunno. There's so many ways a chicken can hurt themselves! It is truly incredible.

Would you look for discolouration to detect a broken bone? Or what does bruising usually look like?

Thanks so much for trying to help

 

[microchick]

Their bruising looks very much like our own 'black and blue' spots. And yes, bruising is indicative of a fracture. Did he break a toe fighting through the fence with another rooster? Could have.

What to do about it? The warm soak shouldn't be too hot. If you can put your hand in it and tolerate it generally so can they. You want to make sure and test it first so you don't burn him.

I'm going to tag @casportpony , @Eggcessive , and @Wyorp Rock for some help on how to splint if there is a broken toe to deal with. I got an A in people bandaging in nursing school but my chicken dressings are functionally ugly, LOL.

 

[coach723]

Below is attached a splinting manual, which may help. Often it's easier to get a toe splinted by using a shoe type splint, it stays on better and keeps things positioned. Make sure not to wrap anything too tight to allow for swelling, and check often. Using an athletic tape rather than something super sticky will make removal easier. Also, bruising often will appear greenish, so don't mistake it for infection.
Splinting feet/toes is on page 23, but lots of good info. It's mostly song birds as examples, but the anatomy is all the same.

 

[SuziRae1999]

Thanks guys. I'll try soaking his foot and may give him a splint