Chickens can suffer injuries just as humans can, these birds can also suffer from dislocated joints just as humans can. If you think that your chicken has a dislocated hock joint then this article will be of help to you
Dislocated hock joint chicken:
Chickens will not scream and shout when injured, they have evolved to keep quiet about their injuries because showing weakness would attract attention from predators and get them killed.
If you do notice that your bird has a dislocated hock joint it would be wise to treat the bird as soon as you can.
Chickens, especially younger chickens, are quite active. The bird was likely injured while out and about and dislocated its hock joint
What to do:
Check that the joint is dislocated:
If you think that your bird’s hock joint is dislocated you’d need to examine the leg to make sure that this is the case. Symptoms of a dislocated hock joint include bruising, pain, and swelling at the hock.
Check for swelling by comparing the bird’s affected leg to the bird’s other leg checking for a difference in size and checking if there is any heat present on the leg.
Extend the bird’s affected leg to see if the bird reacts. Listen for peeping or crying from the bird as you extend the leg. If the bird peeps or cries then the bird may have a dislocated hock joint.
Another sign of a hock joint dislocation in the bird is that the joint can’t move as normal and the joint seems deformed or out of place. Compare the affected leg with the unaffected leg to figure this out.
How to treat the bird:
A vet visit:
Taking your bird to the vet is recommended. The vet will be able to examine the bird physically as well as use an x-ray machine on the bird to figure out for certain whether the bird does indeed have a dislocated hock joint.
The vet will also be able to put the hock joint back in place and make sure that it is in place by looking at it with an x-ray.
Home care:
You can alternatively treat the bird at home yourself, this has to be done with great care. This is how to get the hock joint back in place:
- Start off by pulling the bird’s leg backward, pull it so it’s slightly behind how the leg would normally sit
- After this, straighten the bird’s leg very gently
- Push on the side of the bird’s tendon while simultaneously rolling the tendon back and forth with the joint between your finger and thumb
Be sure not to snap the bird’s tendon as you do this, if you snap the tendon then you won’t be able to fix it.
The joint should snap back in place when you do this, you’ll be able to feel this happen when it happens. The bird should be back to normal after this
Once the bird’s leg is back in position let the bird rest and keep her isolated making sure that she can’t injure herself again. Wrap some Vetrap on your bird’s leg to keep the leg in place and keep the joint in the correct position.
You may have to splint the area to keep it in place.
A birds hock joint needs to be addressed as soon as you realize that it is dislocated, if the bones are not quickly realigned they can cause nerve damage and can cause damage to blood vessels
If you aren’t able to pop the bird’s hock joint back in place then you’d need to take the bird to the vet as soon as you can. Brace the bird’s leg until you can get it to the vet.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other chicken related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Chicken Attacked By A Dog And Is In Shock, Open Wound On Chickens Neck, Chickens Wound Smells, Vetrx For Scaly Leg Mites, Baby Chick Is Limping, Black Spots On Chicken Legs