Hen taking high steps when walking, should I be concerned?

[lalalynn]

Hi there, this is my first post here, let me know if this isn't the right place! I'm new to chickens and hoping to get some advice about a hen who has been taking high steps when walking, but is otherwise normal.

• Breed: Rhode Island Red (I believe)
• Age: About 4 years old
• Weight: Similar weight as the 3 other hens
• Behavior: When walking, she lifts her legs very high up, sometimes walks normally, and then starts lifting her legs high again. I've noticed this behavior for about 2 months. No other hens are doing this.
• Other notes:
  • No other signs of trauma, although I'm not exactly sure what to look for. I attached a photo of her feet, which look like the other hen's feet. There's a small red scab (?) on one leg.
  • She's currently molting and all hens have stopped laying since beginning of winter.
• Food: She's eating and drinking well. We feed her organic layer feed, optional oyster shells, and a small amount of mealworms a few times a week.
• Environment: The chicken run is soil and has been damp lately due to rain. Coop is dry and we use wood shavings (I'm not sure what kind).

Any ideas on what this could be and whether we should be concerned? Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[azygous]

How high are your roosting perches? The one leg with the red lesion appears to have other signs of leg trauma. My guess is the leg is painful at times and she's trying to "shake" the pain off.

Check your roosts. Watch at roosting time to see if she or any others are flying up and missing, hitting the perch and sliding off. Over time, a perch that's too high can cause serious injuries.

If she's being injured, she will be hesitant at roosting time, perhaps appearing to be trying to muster courage to jump. She may be holding off longer than the others to roost if my guess is correct.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I agree, the right foot looks a bit puffy.

Also, just curious - is her crop emptying overnight? Can you get a photo of your hen, side profile?

 

[lalalynn]

Thank you both for chiming in!

@azygous - Ah thank you, I hadn't thought of that. The roosts aren't very high up, the higher one is no more than 2 ft from the coop floor, but I'll watch them tomorrow at roosting time to see how she does. Is there anything I can do to help reduce puffiness and encourage her foot to heal?

@Wyorp Rock - I'm not sure about her crop, I'll check in the morning and send a picture. Thank you!

 

[azygous]

Try Epsom salt soaks and cortisone cream