How much Epsom salt should be used for a foot soak

[Zoom Zoom]

I have an almost 3 yr old RIR who has sprained or bruised a leg.She is the bottom of the pecking order and goes to great lengths to avoid being near the others including flying over them to get where she wants to go, unfortunately her landings are less than graceful. I've seen her favor one leg or the other many times after one of her flights but is fine in a day or two. She has really done it this time. She can stand on both legs for a few seconds then is back on one leg. I had a vet look at her for breaks and there are none so he gave her a steroid injection and gave me Loxicom for pain because she had stopped eating. There is no swelling. She is eating and drinking now and wants out badly but I can't put her back with the rest of the flock. I noticed some have used Epson salt soaks for sore legs but can't find how much to put in the water. Could someone tell me the measurement please and, if there is anything else I can do, I would appreciate any advice out there. Thanks

 

[Eggcessive]

I think that 1/2 cup of Epsom salts in a gallon of warm water dissolved well would be a good amount. A shallow plastic dish tub is good to use for that. Was her leg xrayed? It might help to keep her in a large crate with her own food and water, still in view of the other chickens to force her to rest her leg for a week or two. I also would use a BComplex tablet crushed up in her food or water every day.

 

[Zoom Zoom]

No, the vet did not xray her leg, he just moved her leg around a lot and felt for breaks and swelling. I planned to use one of those small wash tubs that come from the hospital for her soak, seems about the right size. I'm keeping her in a medium dog crate so she can move a bit. A cat carrier seems too small and the large, wire crate too large. Should I be using the cat carrier so she can't move at all? I wish I'd thought to leave her beside the run, I carried her around outside yesterday and we stood by the run for quite a while. The others were interested in her but she didn't show any interest in them, which is understandable. They really are terrible to her. I had to keep her inside last summer for four days for a respiratory infection. After that, she stayed in the coop for a week and when she finally went out, she hid beside the container I keep their pellets in for several more weeks. Should I get people B complex, do they come in different strengths? Thanks

 

[Eggcessive]

Human B Complex is fine, and inexpensive. Poultry vitamins are good as well. I think a dog crate would be more comfortable, and it will hold food and water. I use large coffee cans (plastic) for food and water so they won't knock them over, but you will want to keep them full. It's okay to have room if you use the larger dog crate, but that will limit her running around and jumping. She only needs room to walk a bit, and lie down without having her food in her face.

 

[Zoom Zoom]

I found a closeout on hamster food and water containers at a local aquarium for $1.25. Perfect. Hard plastic that hangs from clips on the wire or plastic cages at any height needed and impossible for the hen to move. Easy to fill and easy to remove to clean. Chloe seems a bit better this evening. I've seen her standing on both feet several times this evening. Will get the B Complex tomorrow. Thanks

 

[Zoom Zoom]

Well, it's been almost three weeks and Chloe is still in the house. Her leg is improving very, very slowly. I thought she developed bumblefoot on the other foot and, since my sight is too poor to try to remove it, I took her to the vet. Turns out she had a callus which he popped out, put in a baggie and sent home with me. Since she was already at the vets I asked him to x-ray her leg to make sure no bones are broken. Nothing broken, the vet said she badly bruised her leg in some way. I have started letting her out of the cage for a couple hours a day after her epsom salt soak. She limps around a bit but mostly sits and goes into the cage when it's her bedtime. I started letting her out because she was having temper tantrums, I think from being caged for so long. We have all hardwood floors so I have to keep an eye on her, afraid she will get into something, slip on the floor and make her injury worse. I am wondering if there is something I can put in the cage with her for entertainment. I tried a mirror but she paid no attention to it. I feel so sorry for her being cooped up for so long. Thanks

 

[Eggcessive]

Hopefully, she will continue to get better. Do you have any place that you could put her with another more gentle hen for companionship? If not, I think I would place her cage with food and water inside the coop or run where she could be with the others to see each other.

 

[Zoom Zoom]

Chloe update. Finally, she was able to walk normally and I had been moving her and the large wire dog crate to the run during the day. Everything seemed fine so I put her in the coop, on the roost, late Saturday night. Sunday went fine until something happened in the afternoon, she was limping badly again,undoubtedly another crash flight. Brought her inside and noticed her laying and standing holding the same leg out to the side with her wing covering it. Took her to the vet today- this time she broke her hip and there is nothing that can be done. We talked options and I've decided to make her a house pet. She seems much happier and calmer in the house than she did outside with the others, she is so afraid of them all. I've seen wheelchairs on BYC that folks have made for their chickens and wonder if anyone has come up with a way to stabilize her bad leg so she doesn't try to use it when moving about in the wheelchair. I hope someone has some suggestions so we can make her comfortable and be able to move about without hurting her leg. Thanks so much for the help.