My chicken has a broken leg. How do I splint it at home safely?

Ideally Stella needs a vet visit to asses. She could have a fracture or dislocation or make have a viral infection suck as Marek's disease that can affect the nerves of the leg. In many cases a fracture or dislocation in a hen requires sedation to attempt to fix but because they are two legged animals it requires a lot of TLC and nursing care to help them recover. She needs to be kep inside and have a sling fashioned to help her stand upright. She may need help cleaning herself. And in the case of bone injury she should have pain medication. Many times culling or euthanasia is chosen for chickens with leg injuries because of the difficulty in recovery.

It's possible your hen may have an injury to the leg such as a sprain or break, or even a potential nutrient deficiency causing weakness. If the leg isn't improving on its own, seeking veterinary care to have it looked at by a vet is best. They may be able to figure out the issue or create a brace while the leg heals to make sure it stays in the proper position.

Breaks are usually fixable in birds, either by applying a splint or surgically, it depends how bad it is basically. this will need to be assess and done by an avian vet specialist, if the leg and not the wing is broken then her chances are generally better.

Thanks for reaching out about Chicky and including photos. A physical examination must be made to determine which of these it is, and each will require a different treatment plan. There are some infectious diseases that can cause this also like bacterial infections or Mycoplasma gallinacium. Provide good diet and husbandry, especially heat support. Good luck.

If Sugar hasn't improved with 2 weeks of confinement I would suggest a vet visit to one that sees chickens. Make sure that her foot isn't swollen or any ulcers that may be bumblefoot. Other possibilities include trauma, spinal lesion or mareks There is currently no treatment for mareks. http://articles.extension.org/pages/68259/mareks-disease http://articles.extension.org/pages/68294/causes-of-lameness-in-poultry

The bone appears broken to me but without an x-ray it is impossible for me to know for sure. Your vet should sedate him, try to put the bone back in alignment as best he can and then put on a spoon splint (from the elbow down to the toes) to stabilize the bone. That is the best chance at having the bone heal as straight as possible if x-rays and surgery are not possible. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzSIvv5g83E )

Hello. If you can keep her indoors, that would be best. You could also start her on an antibiotic made for poultry available at your feed coop. Other than that, make sure she eats & drinks, & if the foot gets worse or does not seem to be healing, please consider having her seen by your veterinarian. This can cause your hen quite a bit of pain & she may need medication to help. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.