I think I have done a terible thing!!!!!!

[Anna]

Hi All ,
I am new to Chicken keeping and recently aquired four from somebody.One of my chickens became very lethargic and didn't seem to want to move around much .
Today I went up to the coop and she was just stood there facing the wall .I went to look more closely at her and she had dark brown/red foul smelling discharge coming from her rear .I picked her up and cleaned her back end and cut away the dirty feathers.on closer inspection I found maggots in her rear , lots of them

I cleaned them all out and the smell was unbearable .She was swollen and had a very hard abdomen.When we were given these chickens the lady told us they had dirty bums because it had been raining and because we had never had chickens before , we didn't think anything of it .Anyway everyone elses bums cleared up and they are fine but hers stayed the same.I went on the net I couldn't find anything for those symptoms .She was the friendliest hen and I didn't want her to be on pain , so I killed her .It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do.And now I have found this site and I thinking I might have been able to save her .Please any advice is welcome

 

[bulldog-girl]

Sounds like you were doing your best for her. Now you are here and anytime something comes up you can ask. I am new to chickens too. Luckily I found this site before I got them. It is a good thing you took the chickens cause it sounds like they were not being taken care of. Now the remaining chickens have a loving home. I am sure someone will post about what could be done if it happens again or if you need to treat the remaining chickies.

 

[meriruka]

I'm sure you did the right thing for her. I know it's a very difficult thing to do. Now that you've found this site, you can do all the research you need to keep your other chickens healthy.

So sorry.

 

[Pumpkinpup]

Oh ,Anna! How awful to start your flock with such a sad situation.

I am so sorry

I have no idea if you could have saved her or not. It would depend on how bad the damage was already. Don't beat yourself up over this though because you did what you felt was the responsible thing to do and you did it for the correct reasons. I commend you for that. I hope the others all do well.
Good luck and welcome.

 

[willowcol]

I thank you did the best thing you could have done. No one would want to suffer like that. You did it out of love.

 

[Anna]

Thank you for your replys . I just hope it isn't anything contagious ?
I can't kill anymore

This probably sounds so silly , but I can't stop blubbering....she was such a sweet friendly hen

 

[banter]

Were they maggots or did she have mega worms? You did the right thing don't feel guilty!

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Wow, if you found a lot of maggots that sounds like a nasty infection. It would have been very difficult to impossible to reverse. You did absolutely the best thing for the poor chicken. i'm sure it was very difficult, not sure i would have had the strength. It was lucky she had you to do what was necessary to end her pain and suffering. Please don't feel bad.

 

[Anna]

it was maggots and she had the terrible odour of rotting flesh

has anyone had any symptoms like this ???

 

[ole-crone]

Anna I wouldn't worry about it. We all learn from experiences like this and have regrets about decisions we made. But we can't turn back - just go forward and make things better.

Mine was a cat. We had always had males. A friend gave me a kitten and it ended up having distemper, had seizures and died a horrible death. Later, my friend had to get rid of the mother and gave her to us. One day I noticed what I thought was bloody diarrhea, panicked that the mother was going to have the same horrible death. I called the vet and told him that I needed to have a cat put to sleep and he said bring it in. My husband took her in and that was that. Years later, with more experience, I realized she was only in heat. She was so sweet and I was so ignorant.

Chances are, your hen was an internal layer and peritonitis had set in since you said her abdomen was hard and the gunk was smelly. When chickens get that way it is hard to save them. You did what you thought was the best for her. You thought only of her well being and wanted to keep her from further pain. Don't feel bad about your decision.

Good luck with the rest of your girls. Enjoy the list.