limping chicken

[myniyer]

I have an otherwise healthy 1 year old "golden sex link" hen who seems to have suddenly developed some sort of invisible foot/leg injury. She was fine when I collected eggs yesterday morning and I found her limping about 1 hour later. I was home the whole time and didn't hear any sort of kerfuffle. Her foot was very dirty, but I palpated both up to the feathered part of the leg (to compare) and couldn't find a break or any sign of injury. I cleaned it and wrapped it in stretchy medical gauze (which she HATED) and took off the wrapping at dusk so she could roost more easily. Today she was better upon waking but started limping badly again almost immediately. She is eating and drinking normally, and will put weight on the affected foot very briefly and hop around a bit when I go into her enclosure, but she spent most of today sitting on the ground. I prefer not to take her to a vet for financial reasons unless it's really necessary. Does anyone have any recommendations on what I can do for her?

 

[JestersEye]

Did you also feel for signs of injury or swelling up into her thigh and hip area? I would be very thorough, just in case it's something further up on that side that's causing her pain. Other than that, I'm not sure what you should do without a visible injury. Maybe she would improve better if you could get her to stay off the affected leg for a day or two, by keeping her caged up someplace warm and cozy.