Ive been searching on here, and it seems alot of the posts regarding this are pretty old.. so maybe there is some newer advice.
When my chick arrived as a 1 day old hatchling, she had pasty butt. I read a post on here that said just rip it off, she will be fine. I did. She was not fine. It scabbed over, and she never grew tail feathers.
Fast forward 4 months later - I have to manually wash her bottom once a week or so to get the built up poo off. Well, we were in Florida for 2 weeks, and I thought she would be OK, Id just wash it when I got back.
I got back yesterday, washed her off today, and there were maggots under the poo, that had burrowed into her skin. I hosed and washed until I thought I had them all, I put her in a brooder box away from the others, and came back to check on her after we returned from a cookout.
Upon closer examination, there was another spot, the same size ABOVE her vent (the other was below) with MORE maggots. I went to work on that one, peroxiding and plucking with tweezers. Probably thirty total from both spots - they are about the size of a silver dollar? They didn't appear to be deep wounds, but more like galled skin from the poo, maybe the flies laid in the pin feathers around the poo, I don't know. The upper area, I found a small burrow hole where I removed about 10 more maggots with tweezers and peroxide.
She was such a good girl thru all this and didn't squawk or flap. I put some healing ointment from the vet on it, that my neighbor used on her hen that was literally nearly ripped in half from a dog, and recovered... and I saw 2 more maggots come out,. I watched it for a another minute, and it seemed all quiet.
I returned her back tot he brooder box, with food water and clean shavings.. I have SWAT on hand to apply tomorrow if that is recommend?
What else should I do?
I feel so bloody horrible. This is all my fault for ripping the pasty butt off when she was a baby, then going to Florida and not having someone come wash her booty. She is such a good sport. Not acting lethargic or sickly at all..
Please? Anyone?
When my chick arrived as a 1 day old hatchling, she had pasty butt. I read a post on here that said just rip it off, she will be fine. I did. She was not fine. It scabbed over, and she never grew tail feathers.
Fast forward 4 months later - I have to manually wash her bottom once a week or so to get the built up poo off. Well, we were in Florida for 2 weeks, and I thought she would be OK, Id just wash it when I got back.
I got back yesterday, washed her off today, and there were maggots under the poo, that had burrowed into her skin. I hosed and washed until I thought I had them all, I put her in a brooder box away from the others, and came back to check on her after we returned from a cookout.
Upon closer examination, there was another spot, the same size ABOVE her vent (the other was below) with MORE maggots. I went to work on that one, peroxiding and plucking with tweezers. Probably thirty total from both spots - they are about the size of a silver dollar? They didn't appear to be deep wounds, but more like galled skin from the poo, maybe the flies laid in the pin feathers around the poo, I don't know. The upper area, I found a small burrow hole where I removed about 10 more maggots with tweezers and peroxide.
She was such a good girl thru all this and didn't squawk or flap. I put some healing ointment from the vet on it, that my neighbor used on her hen that was literally nearly ripped in half from a dog, and recovered... and I saw 2 more maggots come out,. I watched it for a another minute, and it seemed all quiet.
I returned her back tot he brooder box, with food water and clean shavings.. I have SWAT on hand to apply tomorrow if that is recommend?
What else should I do?
I feel so bloody horrible. This is all my fault for ripping the pasty butt off when she was a baby, then going to Florida and not having someone come wash her booty. She is such a good sport. Not acting lethargic or sickly at all..
Please? Anyone?
