Fly strike & Hole - Odd Problem

[Jvoyt]

Hi all! This is an extremely unusual health issue and I'm looking for any possible help. Three weeks ago I noticed one of our hens was sluggish & poo covered. I immediately took her for a bath only to discover the entire circular area under her vent/anus was covered in maggots. We rinsed & removed hundreds of maggots and were left with a large pink oozing area that resembled a brain, all bumps & lumps with a firm outer ring of skin intact. At the time, I assumed this was the egg hole & feces came from the fully intact anus above. I've since learned there's only supposed to be one hole. We used blu-kote, peroxide & neosporin, she's been indoors separated with outdoor time & supervised visitation from her friends. We also got silvadene burn cream from the vet to use. Today the hardened scab or cap of sorts came off the area. The skin is smooth & healing but puckered out in a bubble that I can push in. Here's the kicker --- on the bottom of this circular bubble which is far from her anus, probably 3 inches, is a crevice I can push my finger into about 2 inches which appears full of a thick egg yolk type substance. I removed some that was leaking out but there's still a large piece & hard stuff in the crevice that is very soft eggshell like & seems attached inside. It's not pus. What the heck is going on??? She shouldn't have a second hole? And I thought the egg tube was above the intestine tube so!?? She poops fine. Is quiet, drooped tail, has lost breast mass, red comb, eats without vigor but she's getting scrambled egg, fruits, cooked burger, along with mealworms, scratch grains & pellets. Any thoughts?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens dot COM

First substitute hard boiled egg for the scrambled egg and raw burger for the fried beef patty. Next lose all the treats (fruits, mealworms, scratch grains, etc.) and only feed a regular diet of high protein laying pellets (between 16-18%) Give her cultured buttermilk to drink.

I don't know which area of the country that you are posting from but the problem that you just mentioned sounds suspiciously like screwworms. After being eradicated here in the American South for more than a generation they have made it back into the U.S.A. likely from Cuba.

BTW, the screwworm larvae is a fly maggot although it is a devilish fly maggot.
Google screwworm to learn more.

So people can better answer your questions it is a good idea to include your general physical location when you sigh in. For Instance, if the OP was posting from Canada screwworms would not have needed to been mentioned.

 

[Jvoyt]

Thank you! I'm in Pennsylvania USA. I was feeding raw burger so I will switch back. She's on Nutrena feather fixer which is a higher protein pellet. There are no worms left & she's lived 3 weeks after the initial strike. I just can't figure out the crevice & cooked yolk type stuff in it. I'll check into the screwworms.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi @Jvoyt

Can you post some good, clear photos of the "crevice", the hole and any of the "matter" that you removed?

 

[Jvoyt]

@Wyorp Rock i will get them today, she seems to be fading, odd that she went 3 weeks & fades now. Hasn't laid in those weeks.

 

[Jvoyt]

@Wyorp Rock @chickengeorgeto

 

[Jvoyt]

@Wyorp Rock @chickengeorgeto

The yellow stuff was from a crevice between the bottom of the round area and the rim of skin below. That area will separate & goes in. The protruding round area is skin & seems healed but will push in. There isn't any yellow material today exposed. She wasn't thrilled about prodding so I let her be. The blue is from the original blu-kote, the white waxy is from the silvadene cream.

 

[alexa009]

Looks like an egg is stuck what does it feel like? Does she walked funny? Looks like she could be egg-bound. Oh, and welcome to backyard chickens!!!!! Glad you joined. I hope she gets better!

 

[Jvoyt]

Looks like an egg is stuck what does it feel like? Does she walked funny? Looks like she could be egg-bound. Oh, and welcome to backyard chickens!!!!! Glad you joined. I hope she gets better!

She has a bum foot so she always walks gimpy.
The bubble felt more firm today, its healed from flystrike, but it pushes in, I don't think there's an egg there.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Here's the kicker --- on the bottom of this circular bubble which is far from her anus, probably 3 inches, is a crevice I can push my finger into about 2 inches which appears full of a thick egg yolk type substance. I removed some that was leaking out but there's still a large piece & hard stuff in the crevice that is very soft eggshell like & seems attached inside

Does this leakage/egg yolk substance have an odor?