Swollen leg, foot to hock blue green colour! Please help!

[Fluffy bums]

I was horrified to discover my hens leg looking like this today! She is a Brahma so I couldn't see through the feathers to have noticed it!(
She is a big heavy girl, she still has her appetite and can even run on it, although I had noticed she'd been slower than usual. I was looking at her wondering why she didn't just run for that grub that I offered her and I've thought that she was quiet as our old rooster just died a week ago On closer observation when standing she was slightly lifting it. Very slight limp.
Her leg from foot to hock feels hot and is swollen and her skin is blue/green only along the side. No obvious wounds or infected feathers. There is that reddish area though. No single clear site of injury. But it is tricky to tell with all the feathering.
I can see no obvious sign of bumble foot, but I'm no expert~ I've just been scouring the internet for hours to find something that looks similar to her leg!
She is around 3 years old. Roosts on a good sized round wood roost~ same one as always, low to the floor of indoor coop.
I need to know if I'm treating an infection or a break or something else!
Could this be to do with her being overweight!? Her sister is a cross beak and so getting the balance right food wise is challenging. I'm making excuses now.
I've treated her best I can for a more comfortable night... I need a plan for tomorrows treatment.
Any advice much appreciated.
The small black dot on her foot is a spec of dirt.
I tried to get her to sleep in the nesting box this evening but she wasn't having it and got on to the perch!

 

[Fluffy bums]

Another photo.

 

[nuthatched]

I think it's a bruise, chickens bruise green.

 

[Fluffy bums]

Even with all the hot swelling? That would be so good if it's just a bruise.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Her leg from foot to hock feels hot and is swollen and her skin is blue/green only along the side. No obvious wounds or infected feathers.

Her sister is a cross beak and so getting the balance right food wise is challenging.

Even with all the hot swelling? That would be so good if it's just a bruise.

Green is usually bruising but I don't think I've ever seen that so extensively. Is it really that bright of a green?
Understandable if vet care is not an option, but if it is, then it's good idea to have her seen.

I'm tagging in @Eggcessive and @coach723 to see what they think as well.

Is her other leg and foot completely "normal"?

I'd consider soaking her leg in a warm epsom salts bath if she's not in a great deal of stress. It may help reduce the swelling a little. I'm also thinking fracture, but possibly is just deep bruising. If she were mine, I'd start an oral antibiotic. Amoxicillin would probably be a good choice. Baytril or Cephalexin may be better if you have one of those.
Sounds like she's limiting her activity, you'll have to decide whether you need to cage her or restrict activity, some birds get really stressed.

Now. Let me ask you something about the food. You mention difficulty getting the balance of right food because her sister is crossbeak. Tell me how and what you are feeding? Can the sister eat on her own or are you having to hand feed/torpedo feed or tube her daily?

 

[Fluffy bums]

Thank you so much Wyorp rock for your response.

Yes it really is that bright blueygreen true to the photo.
Her other leg and foot is completely normal.
Yesterday afternoon I soaked her leg in a warm bath of himalayan salt as I've ran out of Epsom salts, apparently it has similar benefits for swelling and pain. Also in the bath I added a fresh peppermint decoction. After that I coated her leg in a thick plaster of green clay to draw out any potential poisons.
This morning she is limping much more but I am not yet sure if that's due to the stuff dried clay! I am waiting for it to warm up and the sun to reach us (deep in Portuguese mountains, it was a cold frosty night) and I will soak her leg again and wash away the clay. I am keeping her in to restrict her movement.
I'm wondering if I should somehow try to stop her being able to walk at all? I saw for another ailment people taping thier chicken legs together to keep the weight off ~ I can't bare the idea of doing that but if I must!
I have magnesium oil spray so I will treat her topically with that aswell today.
I do have some human amoxicillin.
So if it is a fracture~ (which I am now thinking it is most likely) you would treat with antibiotics? Or is this advice to cover all bases. It is very swollen, but does seem less hot this morning. I will know better once I've washed the clay off.

I've been feeding them all a half chick food and half fermented mix I make up of wheat, oats and bran.
The reason for the chick food is that I found advice that to feed everyone chick food untill the chicks go on to layer feed. A week ago I changed everyone over to just layer feed. The 2 adult hens haven't been laying since the chicks so I felt this was ok. (This not laying was normal for them after late summer moult and then low light) I've changed it in readiness for them all to start laying again soon and the chicks grown now to start. As brahma's start laying at 7 months. I hope I've got this advice right from the research I've done. Here in Portugal they advise people to put 4 week old chicks on to layer feed!! Calcium!! So there is no type of food sold between chick and adult layer!
My cross beak hen does very well, throwing food everywhere! She gets enough as I presoak to make it a mash. But because of her I know I tend to over feed. I give her sneaky extras like cooked chickpeas which she does well on. They are otherwise free ranging and they dig through the compost pile. I give them a couple of big collard cabbage leaves each day too to share.

Thank you for tagging in others who may know something.
If the consensus is a fracture and not some awful disease I feel I can treat this. Vet care is so far away here and in a land where a lame chicken would just go in the pot!

 

[Eggcessive]

I would switch back to chick feed for everyone until the chicks are all laying. Layer feed has 4 times the amount of calcium that chick feed has, and that can cause gout in immature kidneys and in non-layers. But make sure the layers have access to crushed oyster shell for their shells. I would try to limit the activity, and no jumping or running. It is hard to tell a lot about those huge feathered legs and feet.

 

[Fluffy bums]

Hi, thank you. Yes, I was a little unsure if that was right. I was working from the advice I'd found that said switch them to layer feed a month before laying and that also it would promote them to start laying. But I'd rather be safe than sorry so I'll follow your advice.
Oyster shell is available for when they want it.
Exactly! I was horrified when the 3 agricultural stores I visited looking for quality chick food all said to change to layer feed at 4 to 6 weeks!!
I have a friend who lost a bunch of chicks to organ failure due to this

So after washing away the clay it looks like the swelling is receding and the bruising is changing.
I am relieved to say she is actually staying layed down as I put her in her little safe place in the sun. Finally excepting she needs to rest, bless her <3
Oh, and then she got up!

It would seem the degree of the bruising is unusual, as I've still not found another case like hers. But at least I feel mostly certain that it's a fracture or bad sprain.

I can't see how I could splint or wrap her leg with her big feathers, but she is able to bare weight so I guess she knows best.
If anyone thinks I should try to wrap or splint her leg and keep her off her feet please let me know.

Thank you!

 

[coach723]

If you need to restrict movement so she can rest it, then a crate is best. I would not wrap the legs together. If there is a fracture, that could just cause more problems. If it hurts, they tend to limit themselves activity wise, but crating can lessen the risk of hurting it worse. If you need to get the weight off, then a chicken sling for periods during the day can help (I will attach images below). You do need to supervise, some birds tolerate them well, some freak out and you don't want her to injure herself worse trying to get out of it. I wouldn't splint unless you are fairly sure you have a fracture, I will also attach a manual explaining how to splint if needed and how to examine for a fracture. You can splint feathered legs, it just takes more effort. Wrap just tight enough to hold the splint in place and wrap with the feathers going in the direction they naturally grow. One of the sling pictures below has a roo with feathered legs in a splint. Greenstick fractures may not look displaced, but can still be painful. It also may just be a bad sprain. Maybe got a leg or foot hung up somewhere, they can hurt themselves struggling to get loose. With Brahma's even a too far jump can cause injury due to their heavier weight. If swelling is coming down and bruising seems to be improving, then I'd just continue the soaks and watch, restrict activity as needed.

 

[Fluffy bums]

Thank you so much Coach! Those slings look great! I will make one and see how she gets on.

And great! No binding of legs! And very good to know that it is possible to splint a feathered leg chicken if need be.