I have been caring for chickens for 4 years, but this one takes the cake. I had a hen that I hatched over 3 years ago and one morning my son told me she wasn't looking well. I told him to put her in the crate and I'll look at her when I get back from an errand. I noticed that her bedding was wet and there was an odor. I took her in to bathe her and discovered that there was a large opening the size of a a 1/2 dollar below her vent and it was infected with magets. We had to cull her. What could have caused this? Could she have been egg bound? I had noticed that her tail had been down for several months versus being upright like other hens. Char
I have no idea but maybe she had pastybutt which irritated the skin then got infected as she pecked at it. Maybe someone has something better. It's just a thought.
There was no reason to put her down. Birds can and often do recover from flystrike unless they are already at death's door. There could have been a wound or there simply could have been poop that attracted flies, who laid eggs, and maggots hatched and began eating her. In they are inside the bird, thoroughly flus with hydrogen peroxide. Do NOT dilute it. This is a one-time use, and you want to get out all maggots, dead flesh and infection. Keep flushing until you can find no more maggots. Then coat the wound liberally with SWAT or FLYS OFF (same product, one marketed toward horses, the other towards dogs). You might also consider treating with pour-on ivermectin. From this point, twice daily flush with a diluted povidone iodine solution. Even if the wound is large, do not try to bandage or close it--you want air to get to any infection. Put the bird on a strong antibiotic--either orally or via injection. My vet prescribes baytril for this type of wound. Make sure to keep the bird in an insect free location until the wound heals. The bird is unlikely to be active for awhile, so a basket in the laundry room or bathroom usually works well.
