Help! Chicken limping.

[Summerbirds]

I have a about 1 year old hen who started to limp today. I looked at the leg, there weren't any injuries. She tries really hard to not step on the leg, she is hopping around on one leg. Right now she is in her coop with one of her really calm sister.

How can I help her?

 

[micstrachan]

If she’s suddenly not wanting to put pressure on it, I would suspect injury. She may self-limit her own activity. If not, you might want to confine her to a crate within the pen so she can rest and you can observe.

 

[Summerbirds]

Okay, I have picked her up and felt all over her leg, but nothing?

 

[Shadrach]

I have a about 1 year old hen who started to limp today. I looked at the leg, there weren't any injuries. She tries really hard to not step on the leg, she is hopping around on one leg. Right now she is in her coop with one of her really calm sister.

How can I help her?

Check the bottoms of her feet carefully for things as small as splinters.
It's possible she has strained a tendon or muscle in which case rest is the answer.
When I get chickens with limps here and it does happen quite a lot, I bring them into the house and confine them in a pet carrier with a couple of folded towels on the bottom.
Sometimes you can feel a swelling in the leg, most often high up on the thigh.
An anti inflammatory such as Metacam is useful. You can also give half a junior aspirin with food once a day. Two quarters every 12 hours is fine.
I give a tonic like Nutridrench once a day.

 

[Summerbirds]

Thanks everyone! She's doing better but hasn't stopped yet, we let her out for a bit today to forage.