Molting hen limping

[sphinxface]

My 3ish year old barred Rock has been limping for a few days.. She is always last on the pecking order, so if the other chickens somehow caused it I wouldn't be surprised, but I'm not really finding anything that could be causing her to limp? She seems alert, eating, drinking, pooping normal, but I can tell it hurts her... she isn't super active and sometimes fluffs up and squints like they do when they are sick or eggbound. She isn't laying right now since it's winter and she's also molting... I kinda feel bad harrassing her because I know those pin feathers aren't pleasant.... But doing simple palpating of her leg reveals nothing to a novice like me. Does anyone have any suggestions? Would molting cause limping? She puts some weight on the leg but her walk is obviously hobbled and she lifts the leg up often...

 

[MagpieDucks]

Pics?

 

[Eggcessive]

Holding her leg up sounds like she has a bad sprain or a broken bone. I would confine her to a cage or dog crate with food and water for a week or two. She might also benefit from being in a chicken sling (see pics below) to rest her leg, but some chickens may fight one.

 

[sphinxface]

Sorry my day got really busy, I'll try to get a video or something tomorrow, they are all sleepin now ;0
Thanks for the idea, i thought the cold probably wasn't helping her and kinda wanted to bring her inside, so I might do that... I dunno if the husband will be ok with her inside the house even in the crate but I don't want her to suffer in the cold ;-;

 

[sphinxface]

here (hopefully) is the video, coaxed her away from the warm sulking spot with mealworms. Poor baby doesn't look any better ;(

 

[MagpieDucks]

here (hopefully) is the video, coaxed her away from the warm sulking spot with mealworms. Poor baby doesn't look any better ;(

Do you have pictures of her foot pad?

 

[sphinxface]

This was really hard to do by myself lol so sorry if it's not showing you what you need to know?
First foot which I'm just now seeing is blurry, is good foot/leg, second foot which is blinded by sunshine is owwie foot/leg.

 

[sphinxface]

So the husband send me this, she's able to get up there ok, and to jump into the coop at night, I wonder if it's just a combo of the cold and pain that's really making her sluggish.. I haven't moved her to the cat carrier yet, I know she's happier out there... None of them really like being held or manipulated, so I dunno... Does it really help to keep her cooped up in a tiny carrier for a week or 2? How long do sprains usually cause them trouble?

 

[Eggcessive]

In your first picture, it looks like there could be a cut or a bumblefoot on the foot pad in the middle. In your second picture the foot and ankle closer looks swollen--does it look bigger than the other foot in person?

 

[sphinxface]

I think I see where it might be swollen, like right on top of the foot? At least looking at the pics and video, I'll have to look tomorrow.. If I can see where the broken/swollen/sprain is, what should/could I do about it? Ice/heat/splint/soak/other?