Hurt leg

[Fancypants1]

Checked the chickens this morning and my very large Buff Brahma is limping. Looked and could not see anything wrong with it. Anything I should be looking for or feeling for? How long should I let it go without bringing her to the vet?? Someone suggested putting Arnica Gel on her leg/foot but I am not sure if that should be ingested.

 

[Barred Feather]

If there are not visible signs like bumblefoot, cuts, swelling etc, she may just have stepped wrong or tripped on something and softly sprained her foot. This especially is the case for a hefty hen. You could soak her injured foot in a warm water/Epsom salt bath for a few days. This happened to one of my hens and it took her 2 weeks to stop limping completely. She was slowly showing improvement during this time. I would give it some time to let it heal on its own. However, if it is getting progressively worse where she can't walk or move around, I would not wait the full 1 or 2 weeks. I don't know about the Arnica Gel.

 

[Fancypants1]

Thanks! She is about 10 lbs so she is a pretty big bird to be putting all that pressure on it. I will do a leg soak tonight and keep a close eye on her. I will check it closer tonight and see if she has any cuts, swelling or black spots. I was rushing off to work so I could not spend a ton of time this morning checking her out.