Hen has a paralyzed/frostbitten leg?!

Jan 9, 2025
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My almost 4 year old hen is unable to put weight on one of her legs. To me it looks like her foot is paralyzed from the hock down. Several weeks ago I noticed her limping, and brought her inside as the limp got worse. After 4 days inside a dog crate and no treatment besides forced rest she stopped limping, so we put her with the other hens. Then gradually the past week she's started limping again and yesterday she could hardly walk, refusing to put weight on her leg. I took her inside and gave her feet an epsom salt bath for what I presumed was bumblefoot. She loved the bath but after I took her out she acted really anxious and was lifting up her injured foot out in front of her. As I live in a place with relatively harsh winters I'm now wondering whether she got her foot frostbitten somehow which would explain the pain after a warm water bath. Which is really weird because their coop is well ventilated, not humid, and has an insulated door. After the bath she kept shifting and fluffing her feathers which I thought could be a pain response to something frostbitten warming up. Is there something I can give her to help with the pain? I think that it is bumblefoot and something else. Maybe a broken bone or frostbite? She also has very loose toenails and a crooked toe that looks like it's broken?? She didn't lay any eggs within the 4 day span of when she was first quarantined.

She lives with one Plymouth Rock rooster and 14 other hens.
Unfortunately, we don't have any avian vets in the area and I'm pretty sure they would have no idea what to do with a chicken.
It definitely can't be Mareks because she was vaccinated as a baby.

I'll post a picture tomorrow when I give her an epsom salt bath.
 
Frostbite is very common in January. If they accidentally get a leg wet, it can affect one or both feet or toes. Pictures help a lot to determine how much tissue is damaged. After a week or so, you can usually predict the area where the limb will fall off.
 
Our rooster is a bit bigger but he never bothers her or the other Wyandottes.

After looking at it more I think it is most likely an early stage of bumblefoot. There are a few brown patches of skin that I think are scabs on both of her feet. I soaked her feet 2 times today and she didn't have any obvious issues with her leg, but she still seems to have trouble controlling it.

I am having some issues with getting pictures of her. But her injured foot looks like this
 

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