How to make epsom salt mix for chickens to drink for constipation

[cuteychickens15]

Hi,
I have a rooster who seems perfectly happy, acting like normal but for the past week or so seems to be having very little in his crop, just a little more than a grape size amount of food. I have been feeding him mashed feed and apple but nothing seems to be getting better. Last Wednesday, he was straining to poop. I saw the back end of his back going down (the position they go in when they poop, you know what i mean) and nothing was coming out. He tried multiple times.

What do I do?

Going on holiday in about a week. I have bought Epsom Salts from Amazon but want to know the concentration/amount to dissolve in water. There's loads of sites saying "epsom salt is great for constipated chickens" but none of them give me any guidance on how much to dissolve in to water.

Thanks in advance.
I really appreciate it and will be really grateful if he gets back to normal <3

 

[aart]

How old is bird?

 

[cuteychickens15]

How old is bird?

He became 3 years old in May

 

[aart]

He hasn't pooped at all in a week?
Have you had him confined to be sure?

I'd isolate bird in a wire cage within the coop for a day or two....so you can closely monitor their intake of food and water, crop function(checking at night and in morning before providing more feed), and their poops. Feel their abdomen, from below vent to between legs, for squishy or hard swelling.

Best to put crate right in coop or run so bird is still 'with' the flock.
I like to use a fold-able wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller mesh(1x2) on bottom of crate under tray.
Then you can put tray underneath crate to better observe droppings without it being stepped in. If smaller mesh is carefully installed, tray can still be used inside crate.


Sorry, I have no idea of the epsom dose.
@azygous uses coconut oil for constipation in chicks.

 

[azygous]

For the Epsom salt flush, mix one teaspoon of salt to one ounce of water. Either give with a syringe or by tube directly into his crop.

But I would give him a teaspoon of coconut oil. Massage the tiny lump in his crop. If it doesn't dissolve and go out of his crop, give one gel cap of a non-stimulant stool softener along with one more teaspoon of oil. Wait about 30 minutes and massage the crop until you feel the hard lump go down.

It may take a few more hours for him to poop. I would keep him in a crate or restricted to a small pen by himself so you can see if he poops okay.