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I'm sorry, but I have to respectfully disagree with this. Maggots absolutely WILL do damage to a living animals flesh, and it is a pretty horrific (& painful) situation. When working as a Vet Tech in an emergency clinic, I have actually seen several cases (in dogs & cats, not chickens!). Flies wont lay eggs on clean/healthy tissue, but dirty/damaged tissue is an absolute haven for them. We saw an Old English Sheepdog that was filthy & had developed urine scald from laying in it's own waste with very matted fur, the owners brought it in because it had begun to act obviously painful, when we shaved it down there were maggots burrowing into large sections of the poor thing's hindquarters. Horrible.
Anyway, my best guess is that because the hen's rear end is crusted/dirty, the skin underneath is irritated/raw and provided a perfect breeding ground for maggots. Don't know for sure because I can't see them/her, but it is HIGHLY likely.
Kerri, Clean her up thoroughly so you can get rid of the maggots and assess whats going on back there. Make sure she does not have a wound or prolapsed vent, see if maggots are superficial or are actually INTO the vent, etc.
Even if they ARE worms, not maggots, she needs cleaned up/treated, you can't leave her like this.
Also, if she is acting sick/painful, birds can go downhill quickly, and she may need some supportive care from you until she has recovered. Is she eating/drinking? Do you think she has been able to pass stool at all or was she completely blocked?
Good luck, hopefully the stress of relocation, diet change, whatever, just gave her some messy diarrhea (& maggots) that can be easily dealt with & that she will bounce back quickly!
I'm sorry, but I have to respectfully disagree with this. Maggots absolutely WILL do damage to a living animals flesh, and it is a pretty horrific (& painful) situation. When working as a Vet Tech in an emergency clinic, I have actually seen several cases (in dogs & cats, not chickens!). Flies wont lay eggs on clean/healthy tissue, but dirty/damaged tissue is an absolute haven for them. We saw an Old English Sheepdog that was filthy & had developed urine scald from laying in it's own waste with very matted fur, the owners brought it in because it had begun to act obviously painful, when we shaved it down there were maggots burrowing into large sections of the poor thing's hindquarters. Horrible.
Anyway, my best guess is that because the hen's rear end is crusted/dirty, the skin underneath is irritated/raw and provided a perfect breeding ground for maggots. Don't know for sure because I can't see them/her, but it is HIGHLY likely.
Kerri, Clean her up thoroughly so you can get rid of the maggots and assess whats going on back there. Make sure she does not have a wound or prolapsed vent, see if maggots are superficial or are actually INTO the vent, etc.
Even if they ARE worms, not maggots, she needs cleaned up/treated, you can't leave her like this.
Also, if she is acting sick/painful, birds can go downhill quickly, and she may need some supportive care from you until she has recovered. Is she eating/drinking? Do you think she has been able to pass stool at all or was she completely blocked?
Good luck, hopefully the stress of relocation, diet change, whatever, just gave her some messy diarrhea (& maggots) that can be easily dealt with & that she will bounce back quickly!
