Hip or foot?

[Country4ever]

Yes, I'm still trying to figure this out. My 10 and 1/2 year old easter egger hen hurt something. She can't put much weight on her one foot. When I hold her and manipulate her foot, she doesn't flinch. However, when I extend and flex her leg, she's in pain. You'd think this meant she had a hip problem, right?
But her foot looks a bit swollen. it might be because she's stepping on it differently, in order to not put as much weight on her hip.
If she had a broken foot, don't you think she would yell if I moved it around alot?

She's eating and drinking fine and does try to hop around alot. I have her in a dog crate, to minimize her being on it much.
Have you ever seen a broken foot that could be manipulated without pain, but not be able to stand on it?

I'm giving her 1/4 aspirin daily. I may just have to be patient for a long time, if its a nasty sprain.
Slipped Achilles tendon doesn't usually happen in older hens, does it?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Could she have more than one thing going on? Maybe if you posted pictures of her foot? Could she have a mild case of bumblefoot accounting for the swelling?

 

[Country4ever]

Hi Kelsie,

I've looked her foot over well and it just doesn't look like Bumblefoot. The swelling is very soft and there isn't any kind of hard thing.
I'll try to get a picture, but she's a moving target..........even with a bad leg!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Isn't that just like a chicken, think she'd be old enough to know better. Can't early cases of bumble foot be soft, before the core forms, just maybe a tiny scab but swelling there already? Not sure if you call it bumble foot then though I guess. I don't know about the slipped Achilles tendon / perosis, I thought that was just a chick thing also. But I would think any age bird could do something similar via injury. Poultry Pedia has a list of what symptoms/signs.

https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry#chick_crooked_leg
Symptoms:
The back of the hock will look flat (Compare to other legs to double-check).
The bird won't be able to fully straighten its leg by itself.
The bird will likely exhibit pain at least the first few days after injury. Birds may peep or cry repeatedly.
The joint will become swollen after a while.
Hold the joint between your thumb & finger and roll it back and forth. If the tendon has slipped, you will feel it snap back into place (and back out again, if the bone is not sufficiently developed). If you don't feel the tendon pop in, your bird may instead have a rotated femur, which requires surgery.
One leg may rotate out to the side or twist underneath the bird (showing Splayed Leg), depending on whether the tendon has slipped to the outside or inside of the leg.
If the tendons are slipped in both legs, the bird will stand & walk hunched down / squatting on its hocks ("elbows"), and may use its wings for balance.