Hen not putting weight on one leg/foot.

[CourtneySF]

I have a hen who is not using one leg. My girl is almost 3 years old. She’s a Buff Orpington. Healthy. Fluffy. Still laying. Seems happy except she won’t put any weight on her right foot/leg and will only use it for balance. (She’s getting fairly good at hopping around!) My first instinct was bumblefoot but I don’t see any sign of swelling. It’s been a week and I might MAYBE see a tiny scab. But definitely no redness or swelling. I don’t want to cut into her foot if I don’t have to. What should I do? Will it heal on its own?

(The rest of her leg doesn’t appear injured. I don’t see any mites. Her foot can grip my fingers and I can move her leg through it’s full range of motion.)

 

[RoyalChick]

I have a hen who is not using one leg. My girl is almost 3 years old. She’s a Buff Orpington. Healthy. Fluffy. Still laying. Seems happy except she won’t put any weight on her right foot/leg and will only use it for balance. (She’s getting fairly good at hopping around!) My first instinct was bumblefoot but I don’t see any sign of swelling. It’s been a week and I might MAYBE see a tiny scab. But definitely no redness or swelling. I don’t want to cut into her foot if I don’t have to. What should I do? Will it heal on its own?

(The rest of her leg doesn’t appear injured. I don’t see any mites. Her foot can grip my fingers and I can move her leg through it’s full range of motion.)

She is probably a big girl - is it possible she has a sprain from a bad landing?
I had a large girl who flew to escape a fox and landed like a canon ball and her leg hurt. It took about 6 weeks for it to recover but I let her be because she was able to hop around with her flock - she just tended to stand on one leg and sit more than usual.