external worms on my roosters

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hi everyone i'm david and new to BYC and new to raising chickens in general. i'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this before. today i culled my first 2 birds. before i went to pluck their feathers i predipped them in boiling water,as i was told this makes the process much easier.it did. as the feathers were eleminated and bare skin was exposed i noticed about a dozen mysterious looking objects protruding from the skin on each bird (both roosters). they were on the back of their necks and on their backs between their wings where the birds could not preen. they looked like worms the size of maggots(3/8" long and 1/8" in diameter). they were opake whitish in color with a single dark spot like an eye on one end and a sort of tubish shape but squared off on the other and the squared off end was slightly pinkish in color. they seemed to appear after the hot water dip, and i haden't noticed them earlier when i periodocally inspect all my birds (32 in all) for northern fowl mites, bumble foot, etc. etc. now i may feel a little foolish if they were new quills developing because they did seem to come out of the same holes where a feather would come out of. but i'd rather be safe than sorry,so i'll ask. has anyone else had this experience? if so,would you share, and shed some light on my bewilderment? i'd love to hear about it . also, i saved some of them in a small jar of water and put them in the fridge for safe keeping in case i need to have them analyzed. love those chickens........wish i had learned how cool they are years ago. sincerely david

 

[hcppam]

Gee have no Idea, I don't kill chickens, but would like to know the answer?

 

[dawg53]

Welcome to BYC. Sounds like maggots to me. Worms cant survive outside the host.

 

[Desert Rooster]

Hello

from Hesperia,CA and

 

[ChicKat]

Hi David, and welcome,

is there any chance that they were new feathers growing out? I'm new to chickens---but as you say they could be quills. If they were somewhat evenly spaced apart, rather than random or clumped together, I would investigate 'pin feathers'.

Let us know when you get to the bottom of it!

 

[Robertbrown]

Post more information,,,,sounds like it could be Bot fly larvae or some other parasitic fly larvea. If you live in the south. You did say "protruding from the skin" meaning that they were inside or under the skin. if they were on top of the skin than it is another fly larvae or maggot that had recently hatched. Did you notice and small white dots or eggs about the size of a small flea?

 

[4-H chicken mom]

and

from Ohio. So glad you joined. I agree with Robertbrown, I would dust any birds that were with those two and clean the pen really well and put dust on the floor as well.

 

[weimarmama]

&

from Alabama. Glad you joined us. Great advice given & good luck

 

[texasgal]

A big Texas-sized