Hi Everyone- I'm not sure if this the best place to be posting this, because it might be more pest related, but I am planning on leaving for vacation tomorrow morning for the rest of the week and need advice ASAP since I have about 12 hours and counting before I take off. I feel like this could categorize as an emergency.
First, I'll post the answers to the questionnaire:
1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.): Lavender Orpington, 11 months. She's the biggest chicken of the flock, and I don't think that she's been loosing weight recently, but I do think she might be a little on the thinner side for her type. Hard to say since this is my first flock.
2) What is the behavior, exactly.: She is exhibiting normal behavior. Although seem a bit run down after our recent rinsing of butt feathers. Flies are swarming her bum. Her bum feathers are constantly poopy, but I have just washed them up the best I could.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? I've just noticed the flies today, but I've been out of town for the last two days. Did not notice them last time I spent time with her.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms? No
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. No. After washing and inspecting her bum, there doesn't seem to be any broken skin.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation: The constant poopy bum.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. She seems to be eating regularly. They have a large fenced in area that has brushy wooded areas and pasture. I provide organic pellets and change the water frequently adding a bit of apple cider vinegar. I also give them meal worms as treats most days, and sometimes some fruits and veggies.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.: I'll have to report back on this... as I haven't caught in the act yet. I think that it might be a bit darker in color, almost black, and on the runny side. However, with the heat they've been drinking a ton of water, so not sure if that indicates a problem or not.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? Filled a tub with cool water and soaked her bottom half in it, doing my best to rub out the poop from her feathers with a little bit of dog shampoo. Many maggot eggs were found in her feathers. I trimmed them out and washed them out the best that I could. I don't see any eggs anymore, but as she's running around drying off, she still has flies flying all over her bum. Looks like regular house flies and gnats.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? I have about 12 hours before I leave on vacation for 5 days. I need advice on what I can do to stabilize the situation until I return, and then will need to take care of this on my own likely, as I do not know of many chicken vets in the area.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help: Attached below (picture of bum after washing)
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use: Coop is about 3x3 feet. I realize this is a bit small for my 5 girls, but they only sleep and lay in it, and have access to a large portion of yard every day. We are in the process of building a new bigger coop that will be capable of housing them all the time if needed. I use wood shavings as bedding. I just changed the bedding 2 or 3 days ago.
Extra info:
Today, in PA, its VERY HOT out. Excessive heat warning in effect. I went to go check on my girls, who are 11 months. Almost officially hens. My girl Rose, who has not been laying since March ( see that post here: (https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/10-mo-lav-orp-pullet-stopped-laying-3-months-ago.1247788/ ) , had dozens of flies all over her bum. I immediately started looking at posts about this, and it looks like a case of possible FLY STRIKE. ( AGHHH!!) She constantly has a poopy butt, so it seemed to make sense.
I washed her bum as good as I could in cool water with a little bit of shampoo I use on my dogs. Thankfully, I have not found any open wounds or maggots, but I did find a plethora of maggot eggs. Some of her poop is so embedded at the base of her feathers, its impossible to get out, it's like super glue!! We've trimmed her butt feathers down a good deal months ago. Should I be trimming her feathers all the way down to the skin to get rid off the bits of poop? Would it be bad to leave her bum that bare? She's currently running around air drying. However, even after the removal of all all the eggs I could find and most of the poop, there are still flies that are flocking to her bum. None of the other girls seem to be having any issues with flies.
What else should I be doing in order to ensure that this doesn't get bad while I'm away? We have someone house sitting for us who will be watching over the chickens, but doesn't have much experience other than changing water and food, and collecting eggs, so hoping someone can provide some advice quickly.
I thank you ( SOO MUCH) in advance!!!!
First, I'll post the answers to the questionnaire:
1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.): Lavender Orpington, 11 months. She's the biggest chicken of the flock, and I don't think that she's been loosing weight recently, but I do think she might be a little on the thinner side for her type. Hard to say since this is my first flock.
2) What is the behavior, exactly.: She is exhibiting normal behavior. Although seem a bit run down after our recent rinsing of butt feathers. Flies are swarming her bum. Her bum feathers are constantly poopy, but I have just washed them up the best I could.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? I've just noticed the flies today, but I've been out of town for the last two days. Did not notice them last time I spent time with her.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms? No
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. No. After washing and inspecting her bum, there doesn't seem to be any broken skin.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation: The constant poopy bum.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. She seems to be eating regularly. They have a large fenced in area that has brushy wooded areas and pasture. I provide organic pellets and change the water frequently adding a bit of apple cider vinegar. I also give them meal worms as treats most days, and sometimes some fruits and veggies.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.: I'll have to report back on this... as I haven't caught in the act yet. I think that it might be a bit darker in color, almost black, and on the runny side. However, with the heat they've been drinking a ton of water, so not sure if that indicates a problem or not.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? Filled a tub with cool water and soaked her bottom half in it, doing my best to rub out the poop from her feathers with a little bit of dog shampoo. Many maggot eggs were found in her feathers. I trimmed them out and washed them out the best that I could. I don't see any eggs anymore, but as she's running around drying off, she still has flies flying all over her bum. Looks like regular house flies and gnats.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? I have about 12 hours before I leave on vacation for 5 days. I need advice on what I can do to stabilize the situation until I return, and then will need to take care of this on my own likely, as I do not know of many chicken vets in the area.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help: Attached below (picture of bum after washing)
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use: Coop is about 3x3 feet. I realize this is a bit small for my 5 girls, but they only sleep and lay in it, and have access to a large portion of yard every day. We are in the process of building a new bigger coop that will be capable of housing them all the time if needed. I use wood shavings as bedding. I just changed the bedding 2 or 3 days ago.
Extra info:
Today, in PA, its VERY HOT out. Excessive heat warning in effect. I went to go check on my girls, who are 11 months. Almost officially hens. My girl Rose, who has not been laying since March ( see that post here: (https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/10-mo-lav-orp-pullet-stopped-laying-3-months-ago.1247788/ ) , had dozens of flies all over her bum. I immediately started looking at posts about this, and it looks like a case of possible FLY STRIKE. ( AGHHH!!) She constantly has a poopy butt, so it seemed to make sense.
I washed her bum as good as I could in cool water with a little bit of shampoo I use on my dogs. Thankfully, I have not found any open wounds or maggots, but I did find a plethora of maggot eggs. Some of her poop is so embedded at the base of her feathers, its impossible to get out, it's like super glue!! We've trimmed her butt feathers down a good deal months ago. Should I be trimming her feathers all the way down to the skin to get rid off the bits of poop? Would it be bad to leave her bum that bare? She's currently running around air drying. However, even after the removal of all all the eggs I could find and most of the poop, there are still flies that are flocking to her bum. None of the other girls seem to be having any issues with flies.
What else should I be doing in order to ensure that this doesn't get bad while I'm away? We have someone house sitting for us who will be watching over the chickens, but doesn't have much experience other than changing water and food, and collecting eggs, so hoping someone can provide some advice quickly.
I thank you ( SOO MUCH) in advance!!!!
