Chicken with broken wing

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by Stacey
(Bulgaria)

Question

What do I do I have a chicken with broken wing. Just over 2 weeks ago, one of my chickens looked like she had broken or sprained her left wing one evening.

It was hanging from the shoulder and she was tripping on the feathers. Following advice, I had a good look and could see no external damage.

I strapped the wing up into its normal position. I thought she had damaged it clambering about on the vine trellising! Next morning, she had it off.

I re-strapped it; she got it off, etc, etc. So, I trimmed the end feathers to stop her from being able to trip on it and making it worse.

I taped it up into place using duct tape. The duct tape did the job however and stayed on :-)

She was running around quite happily, a bit wobbly as she didn't have the use of that wing to aid her balance, but very lively.

However, the wing still hasn't set back into place, and 2 days ago she started losing her co-ordination.

She cannot stand or walk properly. I thought I had probably missed some external damage and that she had possibly gotten an infection. I started her on a 5 day course of antibiotics.

It seems to be making no difference. Is this some kind of disease, or genetic problem? I can't get to a vet at the moment as I have no transport.

I live in a small village in Bulgaria and my husband is back in the UK until this weekend. I can't phone a vet as I am not fluent in Bulgarian and get by with mostly sign language.

Please can someone advise? I do have a reasonable medicine chest :-)

Answer
Unfortunately, most chickens do not thrive if they have a broken wing. Broken bones really need to be evaluated and set by a veterinarian.

Honestly, some injuries are irreparable even for the most skilled vet.

Injuries do not always have external evidence such as blood or bruises. The chicken simply could have fallen and broken her wing.

There is really nothing that can be done without proper X-rays and veterinary treatment. Please contact a vet when your husband gets home this weekend.