Broken/dislocated ankle?

[kmpcfp]

I noticed one of my 4.5 month old pullets has what seems to be a dislocated/swollen foot. There does not seem to be any external injuries, with the exception of a missing scale or two on the top of her foot/ankle. I cleaned her feet off after the photo and confirmed no underlying bumblefoot. She is eating, drinking, and able to get in and out of the coop. She tries to use it and has some motion in that foot, but it does not seem comfortable at all.

It must have happened sometime within the last week while a sitter was checking in on them. It almost looks like she got caught on something.

 

[Rose the Legbar]

Ouch! For now I’d say take her inside and put her in a crate. @Eggcessive and @Wyorp Rock can possibly help

 

[coach723]

Are you able to move the foot into a normal position? If you can do that then a splint might be needed. If it's broken then that would be best, to hold it in as normal a position as possible. Some breaks, even if they don't heal absolutely perfect, will heal close enough that it doesn't impact their quality of life. I will attach a splinting manual, might help. You will probably need a shoe type splint that also keeps the ankle joint stable. Make sure it's padded so nothing rubs and irritates, make sure it's not too tight, you don't want to cut of circulation, and check for swelling often, and change or adjust as needed. You can also use a chicken sling to help take the weight off for periods of time, you do need to supervise that so she doesn't freak out and hurt herself trying to get out of it. Pictures of examples of slings below.