Poultry Fly Strike...a cautionary tale with GRAPHIC photo progression.

How did you kill the maggots inside?

Pharm Girl said:

All healed! We moved her back with her sisters a week ago, so I haven't taken a picture, but the wound is all covered in pink skin and her fluff has come back and covered the hole. She's one tough bird!

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wow! I know this is over 10 years old but what a great informative post! thanks for doing this, not sure if you still get notified of replies. I have had 2 hens with similar. The first one died, and the one I have now is about a week out, living in a bin in my spare shower. Exact same location. Funny thing is I never noticed that bad of diarrhea on her bum, then one day bam. butt explosion. healing is slow going, I was told she would need sutures but no vets available.

smoochie5555 said:

wow! I know this is over 10 years old but what a great informative post! thanks for doing this, not sure if you still get notified of replies. I have had 2 hens with similar. The first one died, and the one I have now is about a week out, living in a bin in my spare shower. Exact same location. Funny thing is I never noticed that bad of diarrhea on her bum, then one day bam. butt explosion. healing is slow going, I was told she would need sutures but no vets available.

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@smoochie555 Welcome To BYC

Do you have photos of your hen's wounds? Need help with her care?

Often sutures are not necessary and can actually trap bacteria and cause further infection.

Main thing is to get all the maggots off, which likely you have done since you've been tending to her for a week. Keep the wound cleaned and apply triple antibiotic ointment to the tissue.

MontanaChickDoc said:

I always thought that most maggots only feed on dead tissue but she had a big sore and there were maggots in it so...did the maggots cause the ulcer? No idea. But I will put in my plug for Aluspray, which is like the miracle chicken medicine. It's like liquid tin foil in a can. It's antimicrobial, drying agent anti flies and anti picking. I use it on all chicken wounds. I had a hen go broody and set on a ton of rotten eggs for weeks before I found her, she was more maggots than chicken and half her skin sloughed off, down to the muscle. BUT we hosed them off, chlorhex stokes and flushes, Aluspray and she grew all new skin and feathers in a few weeks. Chickens have AMaZING healing powers.

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I know this is an old comment on an old thread, but since this got resurrected and people still have questions about flystrike, here are some tips:
Flystrike can happen in a matter of hours. If you have a wound on any outside animal, check it, flush it super super well (hydrogen peroxide, betadine solution, saline solution, Vetericyn, salt bath), and cover it with some kind of ointment to prevent flies from getting in. If you have access to a product like BioGel, DermaGel, or anything like that which is herbal and has a scent that the flies hate I would advise that as well. It doesn't take long for flystrike to get really bad. Maggots will eat dead flesh, healthy flesh, and everything in between. Some flies even prefer healthy flesh over rotting. Continuous flushing of the wound is the best, (use hydrogen peroxide only on the initial flush if you do use it, since it will also kill healthy tissue with the maggots) and keep the site clean until the skin heals back over.
Alupsray: If you catch flystrike when it's bad, and you have a deep wound, Aluspray is not recommended, only as a topical for shallow wounds. Even then the manufacturer says not for open wounds. Some chickens have been known to peck at the shiny silver. It can also prevent other ointments from being able to do their jobs, so if you are trying to layer other stuff over top I don't recommend.
Red-kote: is a antibacterial softening agent, good if you have a wound that needs to be kept moist in order to heal properly. Not great if you have a super wet wound that is refusing to heal. Chickens can be attracted to the red color as well.
Blue-kote: is a antibacterial drying agent, banned in Canada for being carcinogenic, still available in America. The blue color is something most chickens are not attracted to, but you can also use blue food coloring and a zinc oxide cream/raw unpasturized honey to create a blue ointment to deter picking rather than using Blue-kote if the carcinogenic status is something concerning.