Injuries can be difficult to deal with, not just in humans but in chickens as well.
There are a variety of products and equipment that can be used to help heal a human injury, like a cast and a sling, but you’ll likely need to DIY some recovery equipment for your bird.
This article goes over what you need to know about using a sling for your chicken with a broken leg
Table of Contents
Sling for chicken with a broken leg:
You likely have to make a sling for your bird yourself but don’t worry, this isn’t too difficult of a task to do. And it will be of help to your bird.
Chickens, broken legs, and healing:
Broken legs need to be set in place, and pressure needs to be kept off of them, to ensure that they heal properly.
Keeping the leg immobile will keep further damage from happening to the leg. In addition, keeping pressure off of the leg will help keep the bird from feeling the pain of the injury.
Keeping pressure off the leg and keeping the leg immobile also accelerates healing and protects the bird’s soft tissue.
How to make a sling for a chicken:
Bones need to be immobilized and aligned properly to heal well, a sling will help with this. Thankfully bird bones heal faster than mammal bones so the birds won’t need the sling for too long. Here is how to make one:
Cage sling:
Setting up a sling in the bird’s cage will enable you to move the bird and the cage if need be.
To do this measure a piece of canvas according to the bottom of the cage and cut out holes for the bird’s legs and tail to fit through.
Attach the canvas to the sides of the cage using straps or use whatever you have. Attach the canvas at a height where the bird’s legs are able to touch the floor but not too low to where the bird can stand on its legs.
Doing this will enable the bird to use its legs to some degree without putting too much pressure on them. But be warned, the bird will try to push herself out of the sling.
Place her food and water containers in front of her so she can eat and drink when she wants to
Other sling options:
You can alternatively make a sling out of a bowling ball bag. Cut holes out of the bag to fit the bird’s legs and tail and then place the bird in the sling. Attach this bowling bowl bag to a low beam in the coop
You can also alternatively wrap the bird in a long piece of fabric and then attach this fabric, and the bird, to a low beam in the coop or attach it to the top of your bird’s cage
Some companies also make chicken recovery chairs, these can be used as well
Tips on chicken slings:
The bird may not tolerate the sling when you first put her in it, she may move around and try to get out, this is normal.
Give your bird a break while it’s in the sling, don’t keep the bird in there for 24 hours a day.
Make sure to keep an eye on your bird while it’s in the sling.
Bandaging the leg:
Bandaging the bird’s leg will also be helpful, this will keep the bird’s bones in place while the bird is in the sling.
Put the bird’s leg in its correct position and then pad the leg with something soft like a wool sock. This will keep the splint from creating pressure sores on the bird’s leg and will keep the splint from chafing against the bird’s leg.
After this, place the splints on top of the padding on the bird’s leg. Splits can be made using popsicle sticks cut to size, filed at each end, and wrapped in tape to keep the splint from digging into the bird’s leg.
Attach the splints on top of the padding and then wrap a layer of vet wrap around this. Bandage around the splints to secure them
Note: If the bird’s injury is a compound fracture, where the bird’s broken bone protrudes through the bird’s skin, then you’d be better off taking the bird to the vet to have the bird’s injury set by a vet.
Recovery:
The bird will need to be isolated for a few weeks after the injury to recover. Keep the bird in the sling during this time to give the leg the opportunity to heal.
Keeping the bird isolated will also keep the other birds from picking up that she is injured which would make her a target for pecking.
Isolating the bird will also keep her from trying to keep up with the other birds despite her broken leg, and killing herself as a result.
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: Hard Lump In Chickens Throat, Chicken Cremation, Chicken Not Moving But Breathing, Wobbly Chicken, Chicken Having A Seizure,