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campingshaws said:
Could it be fly strike? And could some of the maggots in the feathers actually be lice? I've heard the calcium gluconate is the best thumb for stuck/stubborn eggs.
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It could be fly strike. My husband sent me a chicken chick write up about it earlier today. I don't think they are lice, they are definitely little gross maggots. My main concern now is trying to get her to lay that egg so that she can poop. I'm so nervous for her!
 
The calcium gluconate is at TSC. Search this site for casportpony's articles and links on egg binding. If you ask in emergencies, she'll probably answer. She has lots of experience and helped me through my first crop feeding experience.
 
KimmyIsRad said:
It could be fly strike. My husband sent me a chicken chick write up about it earlier today. I don't think they are lice, they are definitely little gross maggots. My main concern now is trying to get her to lay that egg so that she can poop. I'm so nervous for her!
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Kimmy,
Based on the description, they are maggots. The dog attack most likely left small weepy wounds that created the perfect environment for fly larvae (maggots) to grow. I had a similar thing happen to a rooster (possum bite on the tail). My suggestion would be to trim back the remaining feathers around the affected area. This makes it easier to work and helps the area dry. You can use an epsom salts solution to rinse/clean the maggot infested area. Pull off as many of the maggots as you can. Tweezers help greatly. Rinse the area frequently as it will help flush out the maggots. For my rooster I rinsed the area with povidine iodine (available from most pharmacies and grocery stores; it is an antiseptic). This flushed out more maggots. I did this daily until I was confident that the area was healing, but continued to check after that. It was about day 4 before I stopped seeing new maggots. They will continue to hatch for as long as the environment is right for flies to lay eggs. I also applied some SWAT ointment around the affected area to deter flies from laying more eggs. Horse people use SWAT, so look in the horse section of TSC for that. By using iodine rather than an antiseptic ointment, it will allow the area to dry better and therefore be less conducive to maggot growth. Good luck!
 
apteryx said:
Kimmy,
Based on the description, they are maggots. The dog attack most likely left small weepy wounds that created the perfect environment for fly larvae (maggots) to grow. I had a similar thing happen to a rooster (possum bite on the tail). My suggestion would be to trim back the remaining feathers around the affected area. This makes it easier to work and helps the area dry. You can use an epsom salts solution to rinse/clean the maggot infested area. Pull off as many of the maggots as you can. Tweezers help greatly. Rinse the area frequently as it will help flush out the maggots. For my rooster I rinsed the area with povidine iodine (available from most pharmacies and grocery stores; it is an antiseptic). This flushed out more maggots. I did this daily until I was confident that the area was healing, but continued to check after that. It was about day 4 before I stopped seeing new maggots. They will continue to hatch for as long as the environment is right for flies to lay eggs. I also applied some SWAT ointment around the affected area to deter flies from laying more eggs. Horse people use SWAT, so look in the horse section of TSC for that. By using iodine rather than an antiseptic ointment, it will allow the area to dry better and therefore be less conducive to maggot growth. Good luck!
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We just found another huge wound that we hadn't noticed before. There were tons of maggots inside. My husband just sat there and pulled as many out as possible with a pair of tweezers. They were crawling up under her skin, and burrowing further. There are probably still many more that we cant reach under her skin. She isn't eating, pooping, or laying. She doesn't move much either. She must be in a lot of pain. I'm so depressed about this. I hope she makes it through the night!

My husband also tried to check for a bound egg but he didn't feel anything. She does have a bulge though. So scary not knowing. This chicken was my first layer ever.
 
Sorry to hear about your hen Kammy. Wish I could offer advice also but I wouldn't be much help. Sounds like your getting good treatment advice from Apteryx and Camping.
 
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KimmyIsRad said:
We just found another huge wound that we hadn't noticed before. There were tons of maggots inside. My husband just sat there and pulled as many out as possible with a pair of tweezers. They were crawling up under her skin, and burrowing further. There are probably still many more that we cant reach under her skin. She isn't eating, pooping, or laying. She doesn't move much either. She must be in a lot of pain. I'm so depressed about this. I hope she makes it through the night!

My husband also tried to check for a bound egg but he didn't feel anything. She does have a bulge though. So scary not knowing. This chicken was my first layer ever.
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I was surprised at how deep the wounds were on my rooster. I found that squirting the iodine into the wounds and gently massaging helped a lot as it forced the deep maggots out.

Like you, I hadn't noticed anything wrong until he was standing with his tail down. I am guessing that he was bitten about 4 or 5 days before I found the problem. I am somewhat fortunate that I didn't have the egg issue to deal with. I considered giving him an antibiotic (injected or in drinking water), but he was showing signs of improvement before I could get to a store, and so I didn't. good luck - treating this is not for the squeamish.
 

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