Inspecting a possible injury during hard molt?

[bhawk-23]

I have a Maren hen (18 months maybe?) who is in a hard molt. She was acting a bit off but figured it was the molt but noticed she was not eating well. Then I found her hunched over in a nest box that night. I picked her up and brought her inside. I could feel bare skin all under her belly and chest. She has now been inside for 3 nights (temps are dropping to the teens) and eating/drinking well. She has yet to really move or lay down. I am noticing something different about one toe. I feel it should be inspected further but I am scared to handle her. I did some research after bringing her in and realize her screeching that night as I carried her was probably due to extreme pain from me handling her and I feel absolutely awful about it!

So how do I handle her to get a better look at her toe? Should I if it may not be an "emergency"? We plan to finish winterizing the coop today and the weather should be out of the teens overnight, is it safe to put her back out after being inside and acclimated to our 67 degree house? The roosts will be draft free but temps still dropping to the 20-30 degree range.

Side note: I would not usually bring girls in for molting, I was unsure of her state when I found her in the nest box just standing hunched over and worried about the serious drop in weather that night.

Any insight on how I should proceed is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[SmiYa0126]

Can you post a picture of her toe?

 

[micstrachan]

I once had a chicken with a very hard molt, but I absolutely had to handle because I had to tube feed her. If you have a plush towel, you can very gently wrap her in it. But, then, if the toe is not that bad, you might want to let her be.

 

[bhawk-23]

Can you post a picture of her toe?

Thank you. I've just been observing, hands off so far. I will look closer and take some pics before sending her outside this afternoon.

I once had a chicken with a very hard molt, but I absolutely had to handle because I had to tip feed her. If you have a plush towel, you can very gently wrap her in it. But, then, if the toe is not that bad, you might want to let her be.

Thank you, good suggestion. I was thinking about covering the litter box she has been choosing to stand in with a soft towel and carrying her out that way so I don't have to touch her. We had also thought to guide her out allowing for her to walk on her own.

We will be done winterizing the coop today and I can set a panel heater near the nest box if she goes in it again. The 2nd chicken in molt has seemed to do ok with the panel near by the last 2 nights. Temps got down to below 10 degrees, and a "feels like" 1 degree at 8 am, so I'm glad she was still inside. Overnight temps are forecasted to go up from here. I am seeing new down and pin feathers covering where bare skin once was. She is going back out this afternoon after I get a closer look at her toe.