I volunteer at a local history park with their chicken coop and just got an e-mail that they are thinking of euthanizing my favorite hen. She's an old Barred Cochin that I call Macy Gray. 
She has a bad foot and no one is quite sure what happened. I asked the director and she said the hen was not born that way, but that some time ago they noticed she was limping and her foot appears to not work. It isn't particularly swollen that I can see (except for maybe the middle toe?), it just seems unevenly calloused because she walks on the side of it, though sometimes she stands with it in a more natural-looking position. I've seen her toes move sometimes, but not much. She can't really support weight on it and kind of hop limps around. She's been like this for at least a year if not longer.
What I want to know is what do you think happened and do you think she should be put down? I don't see any signs of her being in pain. She makes a lot of noise in the morning, kind of like a series of long, drawn out bawks, but she also does that when she wants food. Her eyes are not dilated or squinting and she isn't being picked on. She has a very sweet temperament and will let you pet her. She sleeps on the ground at night while the others roost up in the rafters. She has trouble getting in and out of the coop because the door is about 6 inches off the ground, but she flaps up onto it, stands there a minute or two bawking, then flaps down. She usually eats and drinks sitting down.
I'll be going to put away the chickens tonight so I'll try to get more pictures if I can, maybe a video. I've attached the one image I do have for now.
Here is a video of her walking/getting in the coop to see the limp. The first 30 seconds or so you can see it clearly, as well as the height of the coop entrance she has to get into. She stands up around 2:54 , then at 3:36 you can see her hobble around to her bed. You can also hear her making a long bawking sound, she does this first thing in the morning (or when she's wanting me to feed her, haha) so I dunno if it's pain or a normal chicken noise or just her being weird.
She has a bad foot and no one is quite sure what happened. I asked the director and she said the hen was not born that way, but that some time ago they noticed she was limping and her foot appears to not work. It isn't particularly swollen that I can see (except for maybe the middle toe?), it just seems unevenly calloused because she walks on the side of it, though sometimes she stands with it in a more natural-looking position. I've seen her toes move sometimes, but not much. She can't really support weight on it and kind of hop limps around. She's been like this for at least a year if not longer.
What I want to know is what do you think happened and do you think she should be put down? I don't see any signs of her being in pain. She makes a lot of noise in the morning, kind of like a series of long, drawn out bawks, but she also does that when she wants food. Her eyes are not dilated or squinting and she isn't being picked on. She has a very sweet temperament and will let you pet her. She sleeps on the ground at night while the others roost up in the rafters. She has trouble getting in and out of the coop because the door is about 6 inches off the ground, but she flaps up onto it, stands there a minute or two bawking, then flaps down. She usually eats and drinks sitting down.
I'll be going to put away the chickens tonight so I'll try to get more pictures if I can, maybe a video. I've attached the one image I do have for now.
Here is a video of her walking/getting in the coop to see the limp. The first 30 seconds or so you can see it clearly, as well as the height of the coop entrance she has to get into. She stands up around 2:54 , then at 3:36 you can see her hobble around to her bed. You can also hear her making a long bawking sound, she does this first thing in the morning (or when she's wanting me to feed her, haha) so I dunno if it's pain or a normal chicken noise or just her being weird.
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