HELP....Silkie hen with swelling below vent and maggots!!

[sfogle]

Hello,

I could really use some help understanding what is going on with my Silkie hen. She is around 3 years old and it started last night. Last night we noticed she was trying to pass a soft shelled egg. This morning she is continuing and part of it is still hanging off her vent. I do think it will pass but that is not my main concern. In addition to that, this morning she had some type of protrusion or swelling....or spot, I guess directly beneath her vent. It is not on her vent or any part of where she is trying to push out what is left of the egg. The main thing that freaked me out is that wound or whatever it is is covered with maggots. But the maggots aren't just on the outside, they are inside that wound....I have soaked her in water several times and while some come off, there are still tons inside that looked as though they should be flushed out, but I have no idea how to do that without knowing what it is that is swollen.

I read on here about fly strike and became very worried and called my vet. She didn't think that's what it was, but she also didn't seem real knowledgeable about fly strike...she told me the maggots on feed on dead tissue. I explained there was no dead tissue....that swelling wound thing happened over night...almost like they caused it....like in fly strike. So, I am really convinced it is fly strike but need more opinions, advice, etc..

If it is fly strike, what do I do? Do I need to get her to the vet even if they don't think that's what it is? What else can I do here? I read about different fly type sprays and stuff but I really need to know what to do now. She is a very important chicken to my children and our farm....just want to do everything to get her through this.

Thank you!!!

 

[Sylvestor12]

It's sad but in a few days she will die if you don't get rid of the maggots. Your vet is wrong! They eat dead flesh and when that isn't enough they eat into the live flesh. I'm sorry, I can't remember the name but it's best to get a spray maggot KILLER, not repellent. Also, when you spray the stuff on and make sure all of them are dead on her whole body (some will crawl away them come back). After you kill them spray her or something to wash the wound and get her inside your house ASAP, you don't want flies getting on her again. Once you do that, leave the wound open so a "scab" can form. While doing that try to get her some antibiotic shots for poultry and give her "chicken delicacies" (cracked corn, bread, boiled eggs) to perk up her appitiette. Last, for that try to give her electrolytes.

I'm sorry, I can't help with the swelling but that's the best I can do for the maggots. It's terrible but if you can't get them off,kill her because I saw what happened when I got them off my hen too late. If I were you I'd take her to a vet for the swelling if it it hasn't gone down, I hope I helped!

 

[mixitup]

Prep H for the swelling!

 

[sfogle]

Thank you for your help. I got the maggot spray...called screw worm spray..but kills maggots too. Bad thing is the worms/maggots, whatever they are moving under her skin on the wound or whatever it is. I don't even know if it is a a wound....really hard to tell. Thanks for the advice on the feeding and drinking...I got the elctrolyte stuff and am gong to try to give her some treats.

I am going to take her to the vet tomorrow.....and let them know they were wrong...I am sure they will be able to tell once they see her. I knew they were wrong after I talked to them, just didn't know what to do...that is why I turned to this forum.

Thanks again!

 

[Sylvestor12]

If there is a falp of skin and they are under it , it's nasty but you'll have to pull it out a bit and spray the stuff on it again to kill the rest. If you caught her early, she should have a good chance at living. Oh, and the "scab" I mentioned will be a bit yellow and nasty looking but unless it's infected I'd leave it alone.

 

[Sylvestor12]

flap, my bad I was typing fast.

 

[Sylvestor12]

Plus, for prevention, if a hen gets diareha and it sticks to her feathers it's a magnet for flies so when you see that clean it off and dry it. For wounds from predators and such where flesh is exposed try to clean it with an antiseptic (gentle for big nasty wounds but does the job) and isolate her away from where flies can get your chicken (and the coop mates).

 

[Sylvestor12]

One last thing, I was wondering what the spray was called so I can find it (just in case).

 

[sfogle]

The spray is called screw worm spray. It kills the worms and maggots. After I used it, her flap as you call it, became hard and scabbed over. I can no longer see any of the maggots under the skin but am worried if they are still inside her. Should I be confident they are all gone? She is starting to eat and drink and move around more. I sprayed alot on there...that is what the can said to do...she has lots of blue feathers now. It comes out as a blue foam. She still feels skinny, that's why I was worried if the worms were still inside. I bought a basic wormer to put in her water at the feed store but I don't think she has drank much. Trying to decide whether I should still call the vet to get her some other type of wormer....like an injection and/or antibiotic. Any advice on what I should do?

Thanks!

 

[Sylvestor12]

Well, as they were eating, her body was trying to heal it and she lost weight. That spray works well so I don't think there would be any left. You can inject her with antibiotics through the breast to keep off infection. Also, you can't put her with other chickens until she is 100% better with the wound or weight (other chickens can knock her down even though the wound is healed. Last, another prevention tip is to clean out nestboxes when they poop in it.