Help! Maggot in Chick's Nostril/Not Opening Eyes

[skullgrrrl]

My friends are out of town, their broody hen was on eggs. Yesterday was day 21 and sometime the previous night the hen died on the nest. I took the two hatched chicks and put the remaining 4 eggs in the incubator. All hatched and went out to the brooder.

The first born chick (who was beside the dead hen) was having problems opening its eyes fully. By last night its eyes were closed and I don't think it has opened them since.

We gave it water via a dropper and noticed 'something' when it drank. A tiny worm wiggled out of its nostril! I think that flies or beetles laid eggs on the dead mother hen and this was its larva. We managed to immobilize the chick (it shook its head when the maggot was moving around) and waited, and waited, and finally it poked its head out of the chick's nostril. Using a fine pair of tweezers I was able to extricate a 1/4" maggot I am hoping it was the only one in there as maggots usually hatch on dead bodies.

I haven't seen another maggot, the chick is motoring around and will drink if I dip its beak in water. I haven't tried to feed it. I'm concerned about its eyes (is this condition related to the maggot?) and if it will get enough food and water after all the trauma its been through.

Any suggestions?

The affected chick is the one at the back.

 

[Birch66724]

My goodness! Poor little thing. Of course keep a close eye on it, and electrolytes in their water. I'd boil and egg and feed him the yolk for some extra protien too.

I don't have any experience with this situation, so my advice is limited.

Best of luck!

 

[MROO]

Good job rescuing those babies! If you have some electrolytes (Pedialyte or Gatorade will work and generic is fine) mix some in a bit of water and give it directly to the chick. If you have an eyedropper, just put it a drop at a time along the side of the chick's beak. Even if the beak is closed, the baby should open up to swallow. Watch to make sure it's eating, and that there are no more "surprises" hiding anywhere else.
It takes a special kind of buddy to pick maggots out of a baby's nose for you. Your vacationing friends definitely owe you some eggs!

 

[NoFlyBackFarm]

Yeah

 

[skullgrrrl]

Good job rescuing those babies! If you have some electrolytes (Pedialyte or Gatorade will work and generic is fine) mix some in a bit of water and give it directly to the chick. If you have an eyedropper, just put it a drop at a time along the side of the chick's beak. Even if the beak is closed, the baby should open up to swallow. Watch to make sure it's eating, and that there are no more "surprises" hiding anywhere else.
It takes a special kind of buddy to pick maggots out of a baby's nose for you. Your vacationing friends definitely owe you some eggs!

I've got vitamins in the water and have been dipping its beak in the water. Seems to be drinking ok.

This is the friend who helped renovate my second coop so I owe her big time: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/upcycled-coop-on-a-budget.73353/

 

[skullgrrrl]

One more update: Bad news, good news.

We could get the chick with closed eyes to drink with encouragement but it resisted eating. We were ok working on that and then we found another maggot in its nostril! We couldn't get it out and were horrified what might be colonizing the chick's head. How many maggots were up there? What were they eating and what kind of damage were they causing?

The thought that they were getting bigger inside the chick's beak was just gross so we made the tough decision to euthanize it. I believe it was in the best interest of the chick, but still difficult. I've hatched hundreds of chicks and never had to euthanize one. Good news is the remaining 5 are eating and drinking and running around. They all look healthy and I'm hopeful they will be just fine.

 

[NoFlyBackFarm]

OH NO

 

[micstrachan]

Aw.... sorry you had to make that difficult call. Sounds like a yucky situation! Good job saving the rest of them.

 

[skullgrrrl]

Here are the surviving chicks outside for the first time today (11 days old). They look a bit shell shocked but they were running around in no time. There's even one frizzle in there.