MAGGOTS on dying chicken - please help

[jjthink]

Quote:
Me too

.
JJ

 

[wingnuts]

Hi,

I'm new to chickens, but an old hand to animals in general. I agree, the maggot issue cannot be left alone until tomorrow. Please, PLEASE follow the advice given to get the maggots out of your girl. Even if she is too sick to save; you don't want her to suffer when you can do something to make her more comfortable.

 

[RachelFromTheBlackLagoon]

I third (fourth?) that. Even if you're leaning towards having the vet euthanize her tomorrow please do what you can for her tonight. Good luck and I hope you make the right decision for your girl.


To threehorses: You're awesome! You never fail to give amazing, in-depth advice to people. I bet you've helped a whole lot of chickens on here!

 

[bryan8]

help her tonight or put her down

no need to make her suffer

~Bryan

 

[wvcruffler]

Generally speaking, maggots do not eat live flesh, so you have a chicken that has some dead tissue somewhere, like gangrene. I would euthanize ASAP in case there is something that it could spread to the others.
Dr.Phil

 

[jjthink]

Quote:
In all likelihood the poor little one has an injury rather than something that would spread to other birds. It is possible to have something very fixable if the maggots are gotten out of there and antibiotic administered. It is also possible an injury is way too severe but we just don't know from the posts. In any case, taking the measures recommended above will give her her best chance of survival. I wish the vet would have made the time to see her today as this bird has clearly been struggling with this for more than just the last day or so and needs intervention emergently

JJ

 

[TammyTX]

I had some puppies several years ago. Fire ants bit their tails which resulted in the fire ant pus pocket. Then something laid eggs in the pockets and a maggot was in each of the pockets. The vet told me to wash the area with an antibacterial soap and a stiff brush and the area would heal. It did. Chickens having that tender chicken skin I wouldn't use stiff brush, maybe a soft cloth instead.

But I agree with someone else here, there must be a wound.

Good luck.

 

[steve2495]

the maggots actually help kill the infection they eat the flesh being killed by the infection preventing it from spreding however it is an obvious sign that she is infected and need to b rushed to a vet. keep her away from the rest of the flock

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
I'm sorry - but maggots should just simply be removed and that area debrided *CLEANLY* rather than having maggots do it. Ever at all letting the maggots have any part in it is irresponsible and cruel for an owner to do.

 

[sammi]

only certain types of maggots, raised in labs for medicinal use, trained thru genetics to eat only dead or gangrenous flesh, and free of micro-organisms, are used for wound therapy.
naturally occuring maggots eat dead and live tissue, and also cause a certain infection..Myiasis...

so..please stop posting erroneous information about maggots.
it's imperative to get rid of them asap.
Following the suggestions of "three horses"..

Please do your best to help the hen and try to get rid of as many of the maggots as you can..
it's possible they are near the surface, and if you act quickly..she might be saved..