Old hen with black toe - not frostbite - amputate?

[lmlamp3]

A little history: This hen is very old (at least seven and probably older). She got very limpy suddenly in the fall of 2018 and has not walked normally since. She can hobble along when she wants to get somewhere, but it seems hard on her and the foot is always kind of "curled." I lift her onto the roost in the evening and put her down on the ground in the morning right next to the feed and water. Other than that she gets along fine.

Obviously it's not frostbite here in the middle of August. So what does that leave - just a sore that got badly infected? Should I cut it off or just wait for it to fall off on its own?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Oh my. Okay... I had something similar happen with a male I used to have last year (he was culled for other issues besides the toes). It started with one or two, and he ended up losing all of them, and had a knuckle at most on each front toe.

They did fall off on their own eventually, but I wouldn't let that happen again because it was obvious they were not doing anything but causing pain and trouble.

I would amputate. I'm not certain how thpugh. I had considered banding (Like for wethering lambs) but wasn't sure if it would stop the issue.