maggots on my chicken

[fishnet1971]

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.
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?

In my case, i didnt have any rodents, rats, etc. Same as you. I had to assume it was fly strike. there has to be something present to lay the eggs in, so I also assumed there either had to be a small wound I didnt see for them to lay eggs in, or it was the little bit of poopy butt. either way we got them thank goodness.

 

[pawprint2104]

Thanks! I want my girls to be healthy and happy. I feel like all the advice put me on the right track. She's healing up, and I'm very happy. I checked her again today and she has prickly pin feathers where there used to be a bald behind I'm hoping, in a day or two, she'll be ready to reintroduce to the flock. Her scab is flaking off, exposing fresh, healed, sealed skin.

BTW, the "gatorade-type" Sav-A-Chick worked great for her

Thanx!

From now on, I know this hen needs the extra bottom wash as prevention, which, of course she'll get, as I don't want to pick maggots out of her back-end ever, again!

 

[Cebarmlds]

I went through the same thing about 2 years ago with a hen, poopy butt had to be the cause nothing had injured her. I was washing her backside in the laundry tub and saw a brownish spot on the skin it was not broken skin but as I lightly rubbed the area with my finger the skin just opened up and maggots were inside!! I cleaned with a mild soap, basic H and put coconut oil on it until I could get neosporin. Seems like it was a few weeks of putting that on her once or twice a day before the open skin completely filled in with fresh pink new skin. I didn't seperate her from the flock because I never saw the others bother her.

 

[pawprint2104]

It is certainly gross having to deal with this issue. I, only, removed her from the yard to prevent additional fly problems. With her inside the house, it was much easier to monitor her recovery and reduce the opportunities for flies to take advantage.

I reintroduced her last night, with no issues whatsoever. All are happy & healthy today.

 

[K2gallagher]

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.

Where did you get all these drugs to treat a proozoan infection - are they normally and readily available at feed stores or is it a special order item?

 

[K2gallagher]

I am so glad I found this thread - discovered this exact problem on one of my favorite chickens this morning before I left for work. I will be following your instructions as soon as I get home today!! I was/still am so freaked out! I was so worried I would lose her - now I have hope that this will be okay!

 

[Smokin Silkies]

My kids favorite chicken disappeared last night..thought she was a goner. Luckily she was outside waiting by her coop door this morning but she was soaked from the rain. i put her in a crate with a heat lamp & food-water. After she was dried my 5 yr old carried her out to her coop and started complaining about her smelling. I looked closer and found piles of maggots all under her wing/upper leg!!! I don't have a weak stomach except for maggots. Thank god my husband was here on dinner break! I didn't even have a chance to think or come in the house & start researching. We flushed her out for 10 min and cut open thin pouches of skin where they burrowed. scrubbed her as good as we could get and then flushed her with peroxide. Then we smothered vasoline all over her leg. Looks like something bit her (I think it was probably this puppy Im fostering). I didn't have neosporin on hand. I used to have a large tube, but not sure what my kids or husband did with it. Will have to buy another. I'm unable to make it to the store tonight to get some though. Will the vaseline be alright til tomorrow?

 

[Cebarmlds]

that will probabley be ok until you get something else, I also used coconut oil the kind you cook with it has some anti bacterial properties. Good luck I hope she will survive.

 

[Smokin Silkies]

that will probabley be ok until you get something else, I also used coconut oil the kind you cook with it has some anti bacterial properties. Good luck I hope she will survive.

I have coconut oil here! Should I go down now & try to get all of the vaseline off of her and then put the coconut oil on her & then reapply the vaseline??? Or just wait til tomorrow. I also have Tylan 50 injectable but when I went to grab it, I saw that it expired last August will that matter?? and I have Tylovet Soluble. Suggestions on whether or not to use an antibiotic & which one of those. I don't know how to describe what her wound looks like. The maggots cleaned it up pretty good :/ The color is like a whitish off white color and the top layers of her skin are pretty much gone...almost feels squooshy/spongy? I saw her limping yesterday but didn't notice the wound because I looked. It must've been very small.

 

[Cebarmlds]

I think it'll be ok to wait until tomorrow.
I don't know anything about the drugs I've never used them, hope somebody else jumps in to answer those questions.
If it's spongy/squishy I'd think maybe more maggots are under the skin?? check her tomorrow and maybe get her in some water and rinse, rinse, rinse the area then apply the coconut oil or neosporin.