Lethargic Hen Not Eating, Laying, and has Maggots in Feathers

[katelwil]

@cherrynberry has a recent post about this. It seems they have made great progress with their hen. I would give advice but I don't remember what all was said.

 

[DaisyBuff]

Thanks so much for the info! After reading that passage on fly strike, I learned it can be deadly I am going to treat her asap before this gets worse. Yep, it looks like she has flystrike. My camera has failed to work ( as usual) but even though I don't have the ability to post pictures now , I will keep you all updated!

 

[katelwil]

Absolutely. I hope everything works out for you both, I'd love updates! I didn't even think about just adding the link but here it is (in case someone comes across this article who needs it as well).


Thread 'Flystrike' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/flystrike.1484274/

 

[cherrynberry]

@cherrynberry has a recent post about this. It seems they have made great progress with their hen. I would give advice but I don't remember what all was said.

Thanks so much for the info! After reading that passage on fly strike, I learned it can be deadly I am going to treat her asap before this gets worse. Yep, it looks like she has flystrike. My camera has failed to work ( as usual) but even though I don't have the ability to post pictures now , I will keep you all updated!

Wash her in water with some dish soap. Drown the maggots and pick out any still on her. She doesnt sound too good...

@Wyorp Rock

 

[Eggcessive]

I would be soaking her in warm soapy water or Epsom salts, and try to get as many maggots off as possible. Some use tweezers to get them if they do not all come off. Repeat the bath again at least twice a day until maggots quit hatching. Vetericyn or plain Neosporin or Triple Antibiotic Ointment are good to use. Permethrin spray could be good to kill maggots as well. I hope that you can save her.

 

[DaisyBuff]

All right! I have bathed her in warm water and used some gentle baby shampoo and dawn dish detergent. Dawn is used for washing animals, I think baby shampoo is safe on chickens is it?

 

[DaisyBuff]

The maggots have gotten underneath her skin. I used some hydrogen peroxide to flush most of them out. The area is a bit swollen. I put some Neosporin on the wound.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Wash her in water with some dish soap. Drown the maggots and pick out any still on her. She doesnt sound too good...

@Wyorp Rock

This is good. @cherrynberry has a hen recovering from flystrike right now, so she and @berryncherry can help walk you through some of the steps.
The biggest thing I've seen with the 2 ladies, is they are determined, so @DaisyBuff don't give up. Baby shampoo is fine if that's what you have.

You may need to flush/rinse more than once, give your hen a break if she's exhausted, but the maggots will do a lot of damage

 

[cherrynberry]

The maggots have gotten underneath her skin. I used some hydrogen peroxide to flush most of them out. The area is a bit swollen. I put some Neosporin on the wound.

Make sure there are no more maggots left (Wyorp Rock told me this when my hen just got flystrike). Also, make sure your neosporin has no pain relief. I also diluted the hydrogen peroxide with some water to wash the wound. Try to keep her somewhere where flies cant get to her. I have my hen in a glass container (like a reptile house) with ventilation on the top. Fies cannot get it and it has been great not to have to worry about her. Otherwise, you may have to wash her often, which sort of stresses them out.

My thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/flystrike.1484274/

Hope it helps you and your hen out, however, my hen didnt seem too bad when I first noticed.

 

[DaisyBuff]

I used some tweezers to remove any remaining maggots. I still can't get all the maggots out from under her skin.