Henloving
Chirping
This morning, my 6yr old Austrolope hen didn’t come out of her hen house with the other four girls. I will try my best to be succinct in what I did already and some recent history. I would deeply appreciate advice! What follows is lengthy but I want you to have as much info as possible. Thanks!!
1. I live in CA and the weather is warming. “Astrid” was treated for worms along with the others about a month ago. I did this because I saw she had a poopy butt and some lethargy for about a week, with her tail feathers down in a hunched position on and off.
2. I washed off the caked poop with warm water and dried her. I put my index finger inside her vent to see if maybe she had a bound egg. I found nothing and some healthy looking poop came out on my finger. I did not see maggots then. I saw no more diarrhea after that. That was about 3 weeks ago.
3. At the same time as I treated them for worms, I noticed mites and addressed this by cleaning their hen house and dusting the floor boards and roosting perch with diatomaceous earth. I dusted under their wings and on their feet as well as coating their feet with Vaseline at night to smother the mites. (There was some scaleyness). I did this 3 night in a row, and they all looked better, including Astrid.
4. Concerned the mites or worms (if they even had worms?), had depleted them, I added hen-formulated electrolytes and probiotics to their water. Also:
- I fed them plain nonfat yogurt w/ a little desiccated beef liver & organ powder for several days because I feared the mites might have left them anemic. Astrid especially loved it.
- I also gave them a natural digestive health support tincture called Zyfend A.
- I added ACV to their water for a couple of weeks after the recommended 3 day electrolyte /probiotics mix in their water.
- I began mixing “poultry booster” made by Rooster Booster in their daily lay crumbles.
- I gave them a refreshed plate of powdered oyster shell.
I watched for diarrhea and saw no poppy butts on anyone for several weeks now.
But....
5) This morning Astrid didn’t come out of her henhouse. An hour later she had moved herself to the nesting box, which made me think she was perhaps egg bound. She seemed suddenly weak.
6) While soaking her in a warm bath of Epsom salts, and gently cleaning caked diarrhea from her vent area, at least 20 maggots were released into the water. Yikes! I refreshed the tub with new warm water & Epsom salts and about 10 more maggots appeared in the water. I again replaced the water and resoaked her rear and only 2 maggots were left. I dried her & put her in a hospital coop separated from the others. ** I got a blow drier to dry her better and that’s when I noticed a darkened area below her vent about 1”’in diameter.
7. I understand this is likely Flystrike which I just read about today, created by that 1” diameter necrosis the diarrhea may have caused.
My questions:
- Are there likely maggots up inside her? If so, how do I get them out?
-What explains her continuous hunched position with her rear tilted downward? She’s weak & not standing. She will peck a little at food and took a little more yogurt mixed w/ water, bur not much. She ate some dried meal worms, but overall isn’t interested in eating or drinking.
-Should I give her a second warm bath today?
I am so worried about her. Thanks in advance foe your help!
1. I live in CA and the weather is warming. “Astrid” was treated for worms along with the others about a month ago. I did this because I saw she had a poopy butt and some lethargy for about a week, with her tail feathers down in a hunched position on and off.
2. I washed off the caked poop with warm water and dried her. I put my index finger inside her vent to see if maybe she had a bound egg. I found nothing and some healthy looking poop came out on my finger. I did not see maggots then. I saw no more diarrhea after that. That was about 3 weeks ago.
3. At the same time as I treated them for worms, I noticed mites and addressed this by cleaning their hen house and dusting the floor boards and roosting perch with diatomaceous earth. I dusted under their wings and on their feet as well as coating their feet with Vaseline at night to smother the mites. (There was some scaleyness). I did this 3 night in a row, and they all looked better, including Astrid.
4. Concerned the mites or worms (if they even had worms?), had depleted them, I added hen-formulated electrolytes and probiotics to their water. Also:
- I fed them plain nonfat yogurt w/ a little desiccated beef liver & organ powder for several days because I feared the mites might have left them anemic. Astrid especially loved it.
- I also gave them a natural digestive health support tincture called Zyfend A.
- I added ACV to their water for a couple of weeks after the recommended 3 day electrolyte /probiotics mix in their water.
- I began mixing “poultry booster” made by Rooster Booster in their daily lay crumbles.
- I gave them a refreshed plate of powdered oyster shell.
I watched for diarrhea and saw no poppy butts on anyone for several weeks now.
But....
5) This morning Astrid didn’t come out of her henhouse. An hour later she had moved herself to the nesting box, which made me think she was perhaps egg bound. She seemed suddenly weak.
6) While soaking her in a warm bath of Epsom salts, and gently cleaning caked diarrhea from her vent area, at least 20 maggots were released into the water. Yikes! I refreshed the tub with new warm water & Epsom salts and about 10 more maggots appeared in the water. I again replaced the water and resoaked her rear and only 2 maggots were left. I dried her & put her in a hospital coop separated from the others. ** I got a blow drier to dry her better and that’s when I noticed a darkened area below her vent about 1”’in diameter.
7. I understand this is likely Flystrike which I just read about today, created by that 1” diameter necrosis the diarrhea may have caused.
My questions:
- Are there likely maggots up inside her? If so, how do I get them out?
-What explains her continuous hunched position with her rear tilted downward? She’s weak & not standing. She will peck a little at food and took a little more yogurt mixed w/ water, bur not much. She ate some dried meal worms, but overall isn’t interested in eating or drinking.
-Should I give her a second warm bath today?
I am so worried about her. Thanks in advance foe your help!
