Help! Hen has Injured foot!

[JoeInPA]

Help, my approximately 20 week old hen is limping. I just noticed this this morning. She won't put any weight on her right foot. Here is a picture of her holding it up. She will still come out of the coop but she flies out, she won't walk down the ramp. This is the first I have dealt with an injury, what should I do?

 

[JoeInPA]

I caused quite a bit of chaos in the run, but I was eventually able to pick her up and get some close up pictures of her foot with the help of my sister. She protested at first but was fine once I was holding her.

 

[nchls school]

Examine the foot and leg/thigh for any injury. I'd recommend that the bird be separated from the rest-preferably where she can see them and them her. The pen should be such to eliminate the need to fly; especially no perches. Chickens sometime hurt themselves flying down from the roost/nest boxes.

After you look her over come back and tell us what, if, you find any obvious problem.[/QUOTE]

 

[nchls school]

I see nothing alarming.

Br sure to check her thigh.

 

[JoeInPA]

Examine the foot and leg/thigh for any injury. I'd recommend that the bird be separated from the rest-preferably where she can see them and them her. The pen should be such to eliminate the need to fly; especially no perches. Chickens sometime hurt themselves flying down from the roost/nest boxes.

After you look her over come back and tell us what, if, you find any obvious problem.

[/QUOTE]

I see nothing alarming.

Thank you for the prompt responses. I didn't see anything unusual other than maybe it is a little bit swollen? But I don't really know, nor do I know what I should be looking for. I have read a little bit about bumblefoot and I do not think that is what this is. I don't not see any open sore or redness.

 

[JoeInPA]

I set up a feeder and waterer inside the coop so she doesn't have to come outside to eat or drink. When I openwd the door she limped herself to the back corner of the coop. I feel so terrible!

 

[nchls school]

Then penning her to eliminate any further injury may be all you need to do. Birds in general usually heal pretty fast.

 

[JoeInPA]

Here is a very blurry video of her walking. Then she decided to sit before pecking at the ground.

How can I pen her separately from the other birds? She probably has to stay inside the coop. Maybe just some chicken wire or hardware cloth separating an area in the coop? Also she and the rooster get very frantic when they are separated.

 

[Eggcessive]

How large is your coop? Do the chickens stay inside their run or do they free range in your yard? A lot depends on how active she will be if left with the flock. She may have suffered a sprain, but it could be something worse. Can you remove her from the roost at daylight and place her in the run, then put her back inside the coop in the evening? Or is your coop large enough for a wire dog crate with food and water. Dog crates are good for forcing hurt chickens to rest legs, and they can see the flock as well. If the coop is tiny, it might be better to take her out and put her back every day so that she doesn’t do any jumping. The roost might be a problem if he tries to mate her, and that can be how some hens are injured.

 

[JoeInPA]

Thank you for the reply. My coop is 4'x5' and the run is 8'x8' not including the area under the coop. I have 4 hens and one rooster, all under 6 months, none laying yet.

The coop might be a little small for a dog crate, but I may be able to get one in there. I have two small dogs so I think I have a couple dog crates that may work.

The coop has two roosts inside, one about 2' off the floor and another about 3' off the floor. They all usually sleep on the higher one.

Here is the inside of the coop. The nesting boxes are not currently in place as none of the chickens are laying yet.