# Help, hopping hen!!!!



## choosewisely (May 2, 2013)

One of my hens was limping yesterday as though when she put her foot down it really hurt her. Today she is hopping, and I feel so bad for her! There is nothing visibly wrong with her leg, but I'm sure she's in pain . What can I do outside of harvest her?? How can I make things easier for her? This is my first time with a serious health issue within the flock and I'm kinda at a loss for what to do. 

I would appreciate any help, thanks in advance!


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## kaufranc (Oct 3, 2012)

Seperate her and keep an eye on her. She could have just jumped down wrong or maybe just stepped on a thorn or something.


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## 7chicks (Jun 29, 2012)

kaufranc said:


> Seperate her and keep an eye on her. She could have just jumped down wrong or maybe just stepped on a thorn or something.


I was thinking the same thing when I read the question. I've had my girls do the same thing when they jumped down too hard from their perch. Ended up lowering it disregarding the recommended perch height. My girls were just too clumsy.  Haven't had any troubles since.


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## choosewisely (May 2, 2013)

kaufranc said:


> Seperate her and keep an eye on her. She could have just jumped down wrong or maybe just stepped on a thorn or something.


Yeah, I think I'll put her in their old coop by herself and keep an eye on her. Should I just keep her in there locked up (it has a small run attached) so she won't overwork the leg or should I let her free range with the rest if them as usual?


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## choosewisely (May 2, 2013)

7chicks said:


> I was thinking the same thing when I read the question. I've had my girls do the same thing when they jumped down too hard from their perch. Ended up lowering it disregarding the recommended perch height. My girls were just too clumsy.  Haven't had any troubles since.


They sometimes perch on a fallen tree in the yard that we kept around because my goats eat the ivy off of it and like to play on it too. But, there are some pretty high branches, and the perches in the coop are much higher than what they were used to. My leghorns (the one whose hurt) they use the lower one while the younger RIRs use the higher one so I never thought about it being too high. This is the first time anything like this has ever happened, but would you recommend lowering the perch?


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