Fly Strike is the Worst!

[Lelilamom]

My beloved Buff Orpington, Lightning, the sweetest most docile of all my birds, was hunched over in the coop yesterday morning when I let out the girls. I immediately checked her vent to see if she had a stuck egg - she's almost 6 and I watch all my geriatric birds for this sort of thing. That's when when I found the most vile thing I've ever seen.

I didn't have any supplies for Fly Strike so I brought her up to the house and poured Hydrogen Peroxide over the maggots and picked them off her. Then I washed her with Dawn and sprayed her with Blu-Kote. I put her in the brooder/infirmary on medicated feed and De-wormer in her water and I let her rest the day until I could get to the supply store. After work I ran up to the feed store and grabbed a bucket, Epsom salts and DE. I soaked her in an Epsom bath for 10 minutes until she started to pant - whether from the heat or stress I don't know, but she was so good about being in that water up to her neck. Then I washed her off, dried her and dusted her good with DE.

I checked her before bed and I didn't see any maggots on or around her vent, but boy did they have her tore up something fierce. My poor Lightning.

This morning she's cooing, eating and drinking and had a normal poop. I don't see any maggots on her but her vent area smells awful and looks even worse. She still has blu kote completely covering the area. I'm hoping she'll recover, but I'm worried her wounds are more than the ol' girl can bear.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry to hear about your hen. Do you have any pictures to post? I would not use DE. Instead I would give her daily warm soaks in the Epsom salts water or just plain soap and water. Chlorhexidene (Hibiclens) or betadine and water would be good to use as well for disinfecting the wound at first. Use plain Triple Antibiotic or neosporin ointment to put on her vent area to smother any other maggots and to help her heal. Permethrin products can be good as well to keep maggot away. SWAT ointment in the horse section, is a permethrin ointment that would keep them off. Here is some reading:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2014/07/flystrike-in-backyard-chickens-causes.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...y-tale-with-graphic-photo-progression.712322/

 

[Lelilamom]

Sorry to hear about your hen. Do you have any pictures to post?

Honestly, I don't want to have anything to remember this horrible event, except my girl fully recovered. Unfortunately, the images are so burned into my brain I couldn't eat for a few days and I'm still sickened over the thought. I can tolerate a fair bit, but this was just beyond me....

Tonight she's up and about, although her wounds are still tender, bleeding and raw. I have Bacitracin on them and fingers crossed.

 

[Eggcessive]

I am glad to hear that she is alive and seeming to do okay. The pictures can help others to know what to look for in a similar situation, but sometimes too difficult. Hopefully she will fully recover with wound care, giving food nutrition, and keeping flies away.

 

[micstrachan]

Your poor girl! Sounds like you sprang into action, which is great. My gut says supportive care and make sure she is clean as can be back there. Please keep us posted.

 

[Lelilamom]

She's still up and about this morning, cooing, eating and drinking with normal poop. She hasn't laid an egg since the strike. I'm not surprised - she easily shuts down after trauma and only recently started laying after being broody for 20 weeks. Being almost 6 years old, I'm surprised she lays at all. She's content I think to be in the brooder - she's a very docile hen.

 

[Lelilamom]

Just a quick update on my ol' girl Lightning. One wound scabbed over and the scab fell off to reveal healthy healed skin. The other wound is scabbed over but still oozing a bit. I have bacitracin on it and it's not lifting off yet. She's still in the brooder, content to sit quietly.

 

[Eggcessive]

Thank you for the update. I'm glad that she seems to be healing and getting over her ordeal. You must have done a great job helping her. Be sure and slowly re-introduce her back to her flock. A dog crate with her own food and water, in site of the flock can be a good way to slowly get them used to her again.

 

[Lelilamom]

Unfortunately, Lightning has never done well with the flock. She's spent most of her life living under our front porch. I have a small coop and run designed for 3 or 4 birds that I have inside our chicken yard that I plan to put her in when she's read to go back outside. I had her babies in it, but they've now joined the flock. Lightning will go in the small coop to get used to the rest of the flock and hopefully be friends again with the rest of the girls once the snow flies.

 

[Lelilamom]

My Poor Lightning was hit by Fly Strike AGAIN! This poor hen. I'm pretty sure I caught this one early - the fly was still in the wound and there were only a hundred or so maggots. I didn't have epson salts - where did the go?! But I did have Permethrin spray so I hit the maggots with that, got them all out in a warm bath and then hit her up again with the spray afterwards.

My Question is - do I hit her wound with blu-kote to help stave off an infection? Anyone care to weigh in?