Need your help once again...."OJ" may have a broken wing. The long feathers that should be tucked in against her body are dragging down by her feet. She will let me feel around, and doesn't mind it, but I don't know what I'm feeling for. Could it just be a pulled muscle? Otherwise she is eating and doing fine. I'll post photos later today.
Thanks for any input!
LisaLu
What does a broken wing look like?
I do not know much about Chickens but with other birds I believe a broken wing is painful. And if you have movement where you should not or feel a grating then it is probable broken and if you do not than there is something else going on.
Sounds more like it may be out of joint to me. Will it fold back properly against OJ's body? Or is there a sore spot, wound etc underneath?
Grownut:
The wing will go right back into place, but when I let go, it goes limp and drags down by her feet. Here is a photo.... what do you think?
Looks like it could be out of joint. Try to gently manipulate the wing in a rotating fashion if she will let you, putting your fingers up by the joint where the ball on the end of the wing bone fits into the socket. You should be able to feel if it is out of place while rotating and with any luck it may pop back in. She should let you if it is not broken without too much fuss. Keep us filled in on your progress.
It does look out of joint. I would try manipulating it back in, as InnB said. It's a bit worrisome that it's hanging that low and you are getting no pain reaction. If there are no signs of wounds in her wing-pits (sts) it may be that a ligament detached. Is there any resistance when you manipulate it? Can she still exert any force at all?
It is possible that it is broken at the shoulder joint. Chickens have a very low response to pain. Even if it is a ligament or dislocation, it still needs to be bound up. I use vet wrap (it's and elastic bandage similar to an Ace, but used to wrap horses legs, but the sticky ace would work too). I bring the wing up into normal position and wrap the bandage around the body, going in front of the legs and behind. Be careful not to block the vent. Use tape or glue to reinforce the end so it stays. You can also use a couple of pieces of duct tape in an X pattern over the wing, back and belly. It sticks well enough that you don't have to wrap it around as much. Duct tape is a bit harder to get off afterwards as it really sticks. The whole point is to imobilize the wing in the normal position for at least three weeks, but them a callus will have formed on the bone and it will stay. She will probably never have full use of that wing and it may not match the other exactly, but it will keep it from dragging or getting caught on anything and injured worse.
Wonderful info there Jyl. Really glad to know. 3 weeks'll actually do something?
I mended a chicken's broken leg with Popsicle sticks and medical tape.. In two weeks she was walking on it good.. in 3 or 4 weeks.. I took the sticks off.. she was a little gimpy.. but totally could run and everything!
Good Luck LisaLu!
We have a gimpy hen. Named Gimpy. The babies coop flooded and she, as an older hatchling had her wings stretched out over the youngsters protecting them. They survived because of her, I'm certain, but her leg got out of joint. Perfectly functioning, points sideways. I've been hunting for fixes for her for a while. Game little thing, trundles around the yard steadily. But what I wouldn't give to be able to put it back in joint and keep it there...
Grownut, once it has been out of place for more than a few days, there isn't much to be done without surgery.
The younger a bird or animal is, the faster it will heal. I would go with three weeks minimum for a mature bird.
I was pretty sure it was late for Gimpy, but I would dearly love hearing how to get it back in if there's a secret. I tried numerous times and got nowhere. (I probably won't need it for another bird but...)
Jyl:
Thank you for the help, I'll wrap it in the morning. I'll keep you posted.
LisaLu
Wheather or not you can restore a joint depends on the degree of injury. It the supporting ligaments hare still intact, only streached, the joint can be put back in place and supported untill it heals. If the ligaments are torn away, the only way to restore them is with surgery. Often supporting the joint with torn ligaments in the normal position for a time will result in a "frozen, but serviceable limb. The most important thing with any limb injury in any species of animal or bird is to determine if there is circulation below the injury. If there is none and the limb below the injury is cool to the touch or dusky colored due to lack of blood flow. This unfortunately leads to the death of the tissue and the only option is amputation or putting down the animal.
As far as restoring a joint to it's proper position as soon as possible after a dislocation, pull gently and realign, then reduce pressure and allow the joint to position itself. If it is a simple dislocation, it should stay in place, but you need to support the joint with tape or splints for a few days. Remember when you are pulling the limb, only go just far enough to reposition in the socket. move slowly and listen and feel for any popping noises as you pull. This will be ligaments tearing if they have not already done so.Only support or imobilise a dislocation for about three days as longer than this can impair function later on.
The first step with any injury is determination whether the limb is a dislocation or a break.
A break is handled much the same, but you are realigning the ends of the broken bone. After setting, it will need to be splinted and supported in a sturdy manner.
I hope this helps.
Very much, thanks. I tried doing that for my gimpy girl, but I think I was just too careful with the joint. As they were mostly (it was nighttime so I assume) sleeping at the time I'm sure it was a dislocation. Still functions, just pointing the wrong direction to do any good. I was so afraid of exerting too much pressure (she was about 12 wks old at the time so...) I didn't do nearly enough. Rrrgggh.
Oh wow LisaLu!!! How is your chicken??? That looks aweful. There is a lot of good info on here everyone. I sure hope I never need it though. Best wishes LisaLu. Hope all gets better.
sewincircle:
Thanks for your concern, I tried to wrap the wing, but she just freaked out. The other hens were pecking at her, so I took it off. OJ seems not to be in pain, so I'm hoping she'll get better. She eats and lets me pet her, but didn't like the wrap. I hope she'll be ok....I'm so soft when it comes to these tough decisions.
As long as the wing does not get in her way, she will be fine. The wing will never move back up to the normal position and will drag. If you need to you can always trim some of the primary feathers so it does not drag so much. But be aware if it is in a position that it will trip her or get caught on things it may twist and cause more problems. Probably nothing that can't be dealt with though.
I had a hen get a broke wing and i did what jylgaskin advised and i clipped her feathers on her wing and she did just fine.
Thanks for that suggestion, I was just thinking about trimming the feathers but wasn't sure if that would make things worse or not. OJ does alot of hidding behind the feed bins....I wish I knew someone locally that could take a look at him, I'm sure he'll be fine. Thanks again for all the help!
LisaLu
What we need are chicken suspenders....
That's funny, I was even thinking about getting an old pair of nylons and cutting up a leg and putting that over her whole body....they would be black of coarse....
LisaLu
Would one of those stretchy head bands work or maybe a ace bandage?
At this point nothing will help. The bone starts to heal within days and would have to be rebroken. I've tried the stocking thing, but you have to use the toe part and cut a hole for the head, legs and the good wing, then tie it with a string or ribbon at the back to keep it in place. It's too slippery to stay otherwise. Over all it just didn't work to well and I was worried about interfearing with the rest of her feathers which might cause overheating or ingrown feathers. In 30 years, I've never found anything that works as well as vet wrap or tape.