# Broken leg



## Jeff (Apr 6, 2013)

We have a 3 month old hen that hurt/broke her leg as a chic. She can walk (bad limp) but the leg is getting worse so that her foot sticks out at a ninety degree angle. She hasn't gained a lot of weight and can't get into or out of her roost. It doesn't seem to hurt but it looks terrible. Should we put her down? Watching her walk makes our hearts hurt and we want to do right by our sweet Fluffy. Thoughts?


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## newenglander6 (Jul 7, 2013)

Have you tried to splint it? It should help. One of ours had a hurt foot and we kept her confined to the coop and run to limit her mobility and it helped a lot. Within a week she was much better and you'd never know it now.


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

Yes. You should. In a chicken's world, her infirmity can make her at risk for predators, the isolation and pecking from the flock, for food competition~hence her loss of weight, for illness because of malnourishment and stress, etc. Why make her suffer because of your own sorrow for her condition? Help her by ending this bad quality of life...mercy is a good quality too. 

It may sound lovely to "give her a chance" and baby her along and it sure makes a person feel better about it all....but does it really help the chicken? You are correct in asking about if you should do so...everyone needs to ask themselves this question in these situations.

The question is not "Can you?" or "Would you?"...it is always "Should you?".


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## GratefulGirl (Sep 10, 2012)

Jeff said:


> We have a 3 month old hen that hurt/broke her leg as a chic. She can walk (bad limp) but the leg is getting worse so that her foot sticks out at a ninety degree angle. She hasn't gained a lot of weight and can't get into or out of her roost. It doesn't seem to hurt but it looks terrible. Should we put her down? Watching her walk makes our hearts hurt and we want to do right by our sweet Fluffy. Thoughts?


This is a very personal decision. If you believe you have done everything possible or that you have the time & resources to devote to her & she is still not living a quality chickens life then yes sadly end her suffering. If there are remedies you have not tried, she is a pet & you have the time & energy to devote to her then keep trying. For me, my chickens are my pets not my dinner so I take this type of decision very seriously. I had a very sick two week old chick. It took both me & my husband nursing her back to health very time consuming & cost of the meds. We have no children at home so time & money were not an issue for us. So at the end of the day there is no one "pat" answer that applies to all instances. Pray about it seek opinions and then decide for you & your family what is the correct decision for Fluffy. Best wishes.


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