maggots? worms just found in hen's vent

[sbicheidi]

hi, i posted here earlier and decided to move my topic off since i didn't think it was an emergency, but i'm back.

my hen is having a hard time walking. i isolated her but today she got out. i let her stay out since she was staying relatively quiet. she had been eating normally and seemed fairly perky.

i just went out to check her. she's pretty quiet and closing her eyes a lot. i examined her trying to feel for anything weird, was able to ruffle feathers looking for mites, then i checked her vent and it's loaded with either worms or maggots.

her vent had been relatively clean, but i didn't check it the last couple of days while she was in the cage in isolation. i dn't know if these are maggots feeding on poop around the vent, which is not significantly soiled, but it's not pretty, or something else that's in her system now coming out.

of course it's sunday and our feed stores are closed. help me....??? i'm going to go clean her as best i can right now, but are there any home remedies you can suggest? i have goat wormer, ivermec, but that's about it on hand.

will check back after i clean the poor girl up. it looks like something out of a bad summer horror movie.

 

[LaMamaGallina]

I would suggest that you give her the wormer right now.
If it is something on her skin put some antibiotic ointment on the worms so they are not able to breath, this will make them get out of her skin, and when they are out or half way out, grab them with the twizers! I did this with a dove that I found she had a broken wing and fly worms were eating her alive! She had so many that the worms had made holes on her skin around her whole little body. The dove fainted when I was taking the worms out, it took me several hours but it was worth it, she is now 10 years old and alive.

Good luck with your hen.

Dalia

 

[sbicheidi]

UPDATE!

i just cleaned lucy off. her vent is ok. there is an open sore just below the vent and that's where the maggots are. i cleaned her well, lots of maggots were coming out, once it slowed down, i put hydrogen peroxide on the wound, dried it and put triple anti-biotic cream. the wound is about the size of a lima bean.

here is some history and more that i discovered on close exam...

the area below the vent was large and hard. i compared her to another hen, and the healthy hen didn't have anything like this. about 1.5 years ago, lucy appeared to have an egg that didn't want to expel. i gently eased it out of her and she hasn't layed since. other than that she's been her old self up until a week ago.

is it possible she's egg bound? she's starting to look less perky. i'm wondering if something is atrophying, infecting, clogged and causing the skin to split? she's very hard/firm down there, i mean rock-hard.

would it be best to ease what now looks like appearent suffering? i see lots of you are reading my post, but i've only gotten 1 reply - thank you by the way? this is worrying me

 

[Chelly]

Lots of folk I'm sure like me, reading but just don' thave anything to say and no advise.
Hope she gets better soon - sounds like you're doing all you can.

 

[verthandi]

Is the injured area warmer to the touch than the surrounding area? I know you said it was hard to the touch, but is it possible that there is a abscess there? Abscess is usually softer to the touch but if it has been there for a while from an injury it might have become hard. Epson salts and warm water to sit her in maybe? If you feel it wouldn't put too much stress on her.

 

[SpottedCrow]

This has happened with someone else's bird too and I'm wondering if trying too hard to expel a soft or a stuck egg causes like a hernia or a fissure in the hen. As long as you can keep it clean and she doesn't look like she's suffering, then I'd keep her around.
Most of us don't reply because we don't want to give wrong advice...which would make us feel awful if it made things worse...and it being a summer weekend, some lucky folks

actually get to go away and do fun things...

Good luck with her.

 

[sbicheidi]

thanks everyone. i'm a worrier. i hate to think of any of our critters suffering.

to answer one question, the area does appear redder, the skin tight. i first thought abscess myself, but it is very hard. i'll check her in another hour or so.

in my mind, i'm thinking now this must be related to the episode with the collapsed shell that i pulled out of her a year + ago. i guess i'll just keep an eye on her.

as with my goats, we always say if stuff is going in and coming out, that's a good sign, and for now, she's eating and drinking though looking more exhausted. she's in a clean cage w/fresh food and water.

keep sending ideas though...thanks again everyone.

 

[dlhunicorn]

you say she has not layed...this often idicates a bird has become an internal/false layer... please go to the link below and on the left hand side you will see a menu...scroll down to "Penny's Surgery" > this documents the saga of a BYC members struggle and successful treatment of this condition...(it is a summary of three very long threads from the BYC EZ board location)...photos of the surgery and what the surgeon found was causing Penny "rock hard" tummy!
http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article.html

 

[mom'sfolly]

I'm going to post on this thread because it is similar to a problem one of my pullets has been having. Saturday night she seemed a little listless and was in the nest box instead of on the roost but I thought she was just hot. Yesterday she was listless and not eating so I brought her inside. During the evening she laid several things that looked like the eggs from Penny's surgery. She also laid a small brown rubbery thing. Last night I put her in a cat carrier, inside overnight, and in the morning her poops looked normal. After I let her out this morning I found white and yolk on the floor but no shell. Shiner hasn't laid a normal egg in several days. I thought initially that the fire works had upset her. Her last egg seemed to have excess calcium deposited on the outside. She has laid several double yolk eggs and ususally doesn't lay the day after a double yolker. She started laying about two months ago. Her abdomen feels fine and her vent looked normal. Is this just a pullet adjusting to laying or is something more serious going on. She is my favorite girl and I'm getting scared. Any advice would be great.

 

[dlhunicorn]

This is going to be a lot of reading but I cant see what you see and you are in the best position to interpret the info better than I am since you know all the details which you may have forgotten to post..
http://dlhunicorn.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=emergencies&action=display&num=1165115215
(my collected articles and BYC threads on reproductive disorders) I will post a small excerpt summarizing/definition of the terms:

TERMINOLOGY of Common Disorders:
EGG BINDING -Egg binding is defined as failure of an egg to pass through an oviduct at a normal rate. Will often present with straining and a penguin-like stance.

DYSTOCIA -Dystocia is defined as a condition in which a developing egg is in the caudal oviduct and is either obstructing the cloaca or has caused oviductal tissue to prolapse through the oviduct-cloacal opening.

PROLAPSE -Usually the uterus protrudes through the cloaca; often an egg is present. It is important to keep these tissues moist.

SALPINGITIS - infection of the upper reproductive tract. Depression, weight loss, anorexia, and abdominal enlargement can occur with salpingitis.

Metritis is a localized problem within the uterine portion of the oviduct. It can be a result of dystocia, egg binding or chronic oviductal impaction. Bacterial metritis is often secondary to systemic infection. Shell formation and uterine contractions can be affected by metritis. Metritis can also cause egg binding, uterine rupture, peritonitis, and septicemia.

OVIDUCT IMPACTION -This is a condition in which soft-shelled eggs, malformed eggs, or fully formed eggs are stuck in the lower oviduct.

CYSTIC OVA - when an ovarian follicle becomes grossly enlarged and filled with fluid.

PERITONITIS -Peritonitis can be divided into two categories: Septic and non-septic.

If you read the extension articles for choosing your laying flock then you will see they often cull birds with the problems you are describing ...not all birds "(genetically) have the same capacity for laying. I am not saying you should cull your bird!!! I just wanted to point out that on occasion due to the birds genetic makeup it will have reproductive problems. Your pullet may indeed just be having more problems getting her egglaying system "going"... keep a good eye out on her....