Just wanted to say thanks BYC! I have a RIR hen that was all messed up about six months ago with some kind of laying disorder and she mysteriously recovered, and then I found her acting strangely a few weeks ago. It turned out she had a huge gaping wound, several inches across, below her vent (caused, I think, by caked on diarrhea) that was full of maggots and flies. I thought nothing could survive with that mess, but I read the following thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=199760 and took some of the advice and improvised too. I used a peri bottle to flush the wound with hydrogen peroxide and water 50/50. Then I glopped some honey onto the wound, since I've heard it has anti-microbial properties and I wasn't in the mood to use a whole tube of neosporin once a day. She was moved to a box in the house, and I alternated the peri-bottle and bath in epsom salts morning and evening. She would eat cheese for a treat, but not much else, but still wanted to scratch around the yard, so I would leave her out and in an hour or two she would come to the back door to come in. After 4 or 5 days she was roosting on the edge of the box, and wanted to be out all day, so I returned her to the flock and she's still there about three weeks later, will a little bare patch but looking just fine. I was considering culling her, but after the last episode and now this, I figure she is meant to be here!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=199760 and took some of the advice and improvised too. I used a peri bottle to flush the wound with hydrogen peroxide and water 50/50. Then I glopped some honey onto the wound, since I've heard it has anti-microbial properties and I wasn't in the mood to use a whole tube of neosporin once a day. She was moved to a box in the house, and I alternated the peri-bottle and bath in epsom salts morning and evening. She would eat cheese for a treat, but not much else, but still wanted to scratch around the yard, so I would leave her out and in an hour or two she would come to the back door to come in. After 4 or 5 days she was roosting on the edge of the box, and wanted to be out all day, so I returned her to the flock and she's still there about three weeks later, will a little bare patch but looking just fine. I was considering culling her, but after the last episode and now this, I figure she is meant to be here!
