Possibly injured hen, cant walk

[theawesomechick]

My lovely little red sex link, Penny, seemed to sport a little limp this morning. As the day went on, it got worse, and now she can barely walk. I've brought her in the house, now she's sitting on some rags and eating and drinking from tofu containers. I'm not sure what's happened; she seems reluctant to use her right leg, and when she wants to move forward (to get away from me), she has to support herself with her wings. I didn't see anything obvious (like bumblefoot) on her leg, and I'm trying not to handle her, because she doesn't trust me and I can tell this whole thing has really freaked her out. What should I do now? Can I give her a bath? Could she be sick? Is her leg broken? Any help is appreciated.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

If she is freaked out, I would not give her a bath now. If you don't feel any broken bones, then it could be a sprain or strain. In which case, just resting her leg can help a lot. Chickens sometimes get a sprain and then make it worse when they hop off of their roost. How old is Penny?

 

[theawesomechick]

Thank you so much for replying! I didn't really feel her leg too closely, because it seemed to cause her pain. Right now, she is resting in a makeshift enclosure (hardware cloth, vents, and badminton rackets

). She enjoyed a little bit of watermelon a minute ago, and she seems alert and relaxed. She sometimes moves around a bit in her enclosure. I plan on giving her a bath in the evening before moving her in for the night, since we do get raccoons and mice. Penny just started laying, and she's almost 6 months old.