Hen with sore leg, will not put weight on it

[HenStack22]

Our hen (Jan) has had a sore leg for at least 2 weeks. She began by favoring it, but still putting some weight on it and moving around the yard as usual. We looked at the leg and foot for evidence of bumblefoot, but found no sores or swelling on the foot. What we did see, though, was some swelling of the shank. The shank was also warm to the touch and had a couple of light yellow lines on it, like shallow scratches. There was no blood or sores on the shank.

This week, Jan's leg has not gotten better. We have restricted her movement to the run (not free ranging in the yard) and lifted her down from the coop in the morning. She has taken to sitting down in the straw in the run. She holds her leg up all the time now and gets around by hopping on the other leg.

We cleaned her leg with Theracyn and wrapped it with Coflex bandage for the last two days in hopes of giving her some support, but it has not improved the function or look of her leg. The shank is still warm and swollen. I'm attaching a photo of the afflicted leg.

We are quite willing to consult a vet if need be, but we wanted to consult you all too.

We are relatively new to chicken raising, so your expertise and advice is most welcome!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Probably a fracture, an xray from the vet would confirm this.

You can try splinting at home if you wish, but if vet care is an option for you, then consulting one would be best.

 

[HenStack22]

Probably a fracture, an xray from the vet would confirm this.

You can try splinting at home if you wish, but if vet care is an option for you, then consulting one would be best.

Thanks for your advice! We'll consider those two options to help her heal.