Specifically, how long before she stops pecking at it? My first attempt used a too-wide piece of vetrap, so I trimmed it down with scissors. She's still not happy about it. (Better than hobbling around on a broken leg bone, Missy!) Her brooder mates don't think much of it either. Would color be an issue (we already had pink so that's what I used). I can change it if that would help.
How long do I leave it on? 2-3 weeks minimum and as much as 5 or 6 based on reading other posts. But I guess my question really is "how do I know she's healed (as much as she will)?"
And I thought I'd share what I did for splinting in the absence of popsicle/craft stick, straws of sufficient size, etc. I cut a 3" long piece of thin cardboard (like the cardboard of a tissue box) and then cut it to width so that it wouldn't irritate her foot or interfere with bending the hock joint. I then wrapped it around a very thin pencil several times to "train" it to curl. Then I wrapped it on itself one more time to tighten the curl. When it came time to splint, I was in a quandry because I had to do this all by myself. I had made a hammock for her but it wasn't sized quite right and she managed to flap herself out of it. (That's when I decided I'd splint and just let her be. Que sera sera, no?) I made the hammock by draping a towel across a plain plywood nest box I purchased at TSC. I had attached two vertical 1x boards on the low front sides to give it four corners for the towel attachment points. I stapled the towel to the nesting box after measuring for the location of the leg holes. I positioned the towel so that I had half the length extra. This was incidental on my part but worked out beautifully.
Okay. So I put her in my hospital hammock and settled her down. Then I gently lifted the extra length of towel over her head and kept my hand on her until she calmed down because I remember reading that a chicken (and, well, most animals) are much calmer when their heads/eyes are shielded. Her legs were now accessible and she was calm. I wrapped her broken leg with a thin layer of vetrap to protect it from the cardboard irritation. Then I carefully wrapped the cardboard around her leg. The pre-curling meant all I had to do was cinch it to fit the leg; no fighting to have it actually curl the way I wanted it to. The overlapping layers give the cardboard rigidity it doesn't have in a single layer. I should have taped the cardboard in place just to make things easier, but I didn't plan this very well, so holding the cardboard snugly closed, I used a second strip of vetrap to hold it all together. Voila! She was splinted.
When I lifted the towel, she was fully relaxed and had her eyes closed, almost as if she were roosting. I gently scooped her out of the hospital hammock and put her back with her brooder mates. She hustled to the feeder and eagerly consumed what I offered.
I know I benefited from reading lots of posts, so hopefully this one will help someone else seeking BTDT experience.
How long do I leave it on? 2-3 weeks minimum and as much as 5 or 6 based on reading other posts. But I guess my question really is "how do I know she's healed (as much as she will)?"
And I thought I'd share what I did for splinting in the absence of popsicle/craft stick, straws of sufficient size, etc. I cut a 3" long piece of thin cardboard (like the cardboard of a tissue box) and then cut it to width so that it wouldn't irritate her foot or interfere with bending the hock joint. I then wrapped it around a very thin pencil several times to "train" it to curl. Then I wrapped it on itself one more time to tighten the curl. When it came time to splint, I was in a quandry because I had to do this all by myself. I had made a hammock for her but it wasn't sized quite right and she managed to flap herself out of it. (That's when I decided I'd splint and just let her be. Que sera sera, no?) I made the hammock by draping a towel across a plain plywood nest box I purchased at TSC. I had attached two vertical 1x boards on the low front sides to give it four corners for the towel attachment points. I stapled the towel to the nesting box after measuring for the location of the leg holes. I positioned the towel so that I had half the length extra. This was incidental on my part but worked out beautifully.
Okay. So I put her in my hospital hammock and settled her down. Then I gently lifted the extra length of towel over her head and kept my hand on her until she calmed down because I remember reading that a chicken (and, well, most animals) are much calmer when their heads/eyes are shielded. Her legs were now accessible and she was calm. I wrapped her broken leg with a thin layer of vetrap to protect it from the cardboard irritation. Then I carefully wrapped the cardboard around her leg. The pre-curling meant all I had to do was cinch it to fit the leg; no fighting to have it actually curl the way I wanted it to. The overlapping layers give the cardboard rigidity it doesn't have in a single layer. I should have taped the cardboard in place just to make things easier, but I didn't plan this very well, so holding the cardboard snugly closed, I used a second strip of vetrap to hold it all together. Voila! She was splinted.
When I lifted the towel, she was fully relaxed and had her eyes closed, almost as if she were roosting. I gently scooped her out of the hospital hammock and put her back with her brooder mates. She hustled to the feeder and eagerly consumed what I offered.
I know I benefited from reading lots of posts, so hopefully this one will help someone else seeking BTDT experience.
