maggots on my chicken

[pawprint2104]

In the past 3 days, I've learned more about the fly life cycle than I care to know :-\ I learned fly eggs have an 8-20 hour egg hatching cycle. So, the last few crawlies I plucked tonight were the last eggs of the bunch emerging from the wound O_x. I realized the microscopic ones I couldn't get last night were easy pickin's tonight

But, I expect there's one or two left. I waited patiently with my chook in the sink for the last little ickies. I got all that I could see. I'll make more checks until they're all gone and her wound heals.

I'm flushing it with a Betadine/water solution and applying antibiotic ointment. The wound is looking better, needless to say. Without my headlamp and tweezers (and good advice), I never could've gotten this far. It's looking good so far. I think I got them all, but we'll see tomorrow.

 

[postalpoultry]

I know exactly what you are going thru! Last summer neighbors dog got hold of one of my hens and within a few hours her back was churning with maggots (the MOST disgusting, vile, repulsive of all living things!)
literally had to peel the skin up from her back several times a day to fish them out!
I HATE FLYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you are doing all the right things just keep it up and don't waste your money at the vets

 

[Michael Apple]

Prozap Screw Worm aerosol flushes them out of wounds fast. Flushing the wound with a shower head will get them out too. Make sure you get them all out of the wound.

 

[pawprint2104]

I know exactly what you are going thru! Last summer neighbors dog got hold of one of my hens and within a few hours her back was churning with maggots (the MOST disgusting, vile, repulsive of all living things!)
literally had to peel the skin up from her back several times a day to fish them out!
I HATE FLYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you are doing all the right things just keep it up and don't waste your money at the vets

Prozap Screw Worm aerosol flushes them out of wounds fast. Flushing the wound with a shower head will get them out too. Make sure you get them all out of the wound.

Thank you PostalP and MichaelA. I'm using the betadine, which I'm happy with. I have a good kitchen sink sprayer, but what worked especially well was betadine & water in a plastic squirty bottle (kind of like the one you'd find that holds ketchup at a hot dog stand...it has the pointy end) so I can direct the solution into the wound.

And, I started the Sav-a-chick supplements tonight when i got home

I really appreciate the support, since this is my first time with this type of situation. I was terrified, at first. Thanks for your help. My non-chicken friends think I'm nuts picking maggots out of my chook's behind. Don't know what I would've done without your help and encouragement.

 

[dmack]

One thing the vet will have is a spray you can spray you chicken with that will keep the flies off her. You prepay her a couple times a day and that will take care of flies getting on her. Other then that the vet won't have anything they can do for her. Just keep using the betadine and water. Also my want to get some fly sticks for the coop.

 

[dmack]

Spray not prepay. Dang auto correct

 

[fishnet1971]

I have been there done that with the same situation. You will need to make SURE You put something on this area to suffocate any others you missed. I use SWAT. It works like a charm. Here is my thread when I had it. Please please PLEASE get something on it to smother anything left. Neosporin will work in a pintch as well as long as it is not the one with pain releaver in it.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/685469/maggots-on-maymay-need-help-asap

 

[Michael Apple]

One thing the vet will have is a spray you can spray you chicken with that will keep the flies off her. You prepay her a couple times a day and that will take care of flies getting on her. Other then that the vet won't have anything they can do for her. Just keep using the betadine and water. Also my want to get some fly sticks for the coop.

Why pay a vet for something you can easily do yourself? Refer to post #4.

 

[pawprint2104]

I have been there done that with the same situation. You will need to make SURE You put something on this area to suffocate any others you missed. I use SWAT. It works like a charm. Here is my thread when I had it. Please please PLEASE get something on it to smother anything left. Neosporin will work in a pintch as well as long as it is not the one with pain releaver in it.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/685469/maggots-on-maymay-need-help-asap

I applied Neosporin, but not to smother the maggots. I wanted the maggots alive, so I could easily extract them. I didn't want them dead under her skin, because her immune system would have to work double duty to clear them from her body. I checked for 3 consecutive days (taking into consideration the 8-20 hour egg hatching/life cycle) to ensure all were extracted. Then applied Neosporin to prevent infection and aid skin healing.

Why pay a vet for something you can easily do yourself? Refer to post #4.

Yeah, I agree. Luckily, I had an experienced staffer at a local feed and farm supply provide excellent advice on product selection and ongoing treatment. She saved me a bunch of money, and gave sound, practical information about what was best for my situation.

I'm happy to report, she's doing great and continuing to heal. I still have her isolated from the other hens to prevent them from pecking at her healing wound. When the skin is completely closed, I'll re-introduce at nighttime.

I read the post about May May's condition and it sounds identical, in the same spot and everything. I still don't know what caused this. So, my question is was it "Fly Strike", a poopy butt (her butt has always been poopier than my RRs), or something else? My 3 hens are completely protected from predators in their enclosure (except for rats, I suppose), so it's definitely not raccoon, fox, dog, or any other large predator. Any ideas to help me prevent this in the future?

 

[Michael Apple]

If you want to repel flies while the bird's wound is healing, a little Permectrin 2 mixed in a quart bottle sprayer goes a long way and has a residual Martin's brand and others don't. A little goes a long way and you don't spend as much money. Just spray the feathers around the vent and inspect it daily as it heals.

If you see rat droppings around, then there are rats. Around my barn I use Tomcat locking bait boxes with block/chunk bait. Rampage is a good block bait because it poisons rats and doesn't have a secondary kill factor. The reason you want to keep rodents out of your bird's area is that they are spreaders of Fowl Cholera, E. Coli, and Salmonella. Pick up feed at night and clean out waterers daily. I use Oxine to spray down the waterers, let them sit overnight, rinse and fill the next morning. I use plastic waterers since I use supplements from time to time.

Maintain a well drained yard during winter, and keep the grass cut to avoid vectors (darkling beetles, slugs, snails) for worms. Keeping the grass cut also prevents thick, fibrous chutes of weeds to exist which chickens will sometimes stuff themselves with and get impacted crops. Start a worming program. Some folks worm their birds twice a year, some more often depending on environmental conditions. Albendazole, which is the ingredient in Valbazen, kills all the worm species and is safe when the proper dosage is used. Dosage is 1/2 cc orally with an absent needle syringe for standard breeds, and 1/4 cc for Bantams. Worm once, then 10 days later and don't eat eggs for two weeks after the last dosage. That one hen with loose droppings? If the bird seems active, alert, has an appetite, but often has diarrhea, then she might have worms.

Some drugs to keep on hand for protozoan infections:
Corid (Coccidiosis)
Metronidazole ( for Canker or Blackhead)
Sulfadimethoxine powder (Coccidiosis, Cholera, also a good antibacterial for intestinal infections like "The Greens")

Antibiotics to keep on hand:
Enfloxil 10% injectible (same as Baytril)
Tylan 50 injectible
1cc syringes and 22-24 gauge needles

Ravap EC is a great premise spray. Permectrin 2 is a decent one also to prevent or treat mites and lice. A 2 gallon tank sprayer makes premise treatment easy. For disinfectant I prefer Oxine AH and use Biophene sometimes as a premise disinfectant around the barn, yards, and coops.