Mystery Infestation

bobbie girl

In the Brooder
5 Years
Jul 7, 2014
28
0
24
One of my hens (six years old) named Violet has strange worm-like things wiggling around her vent. I'm pretty certain they're not mites or lice, and none of the descriptions of worms on the internet mention seeing them around the vent. They're small and whitish, and another hen has started pecking Violet's vent, so now the area is bare and red. She's not acting sick, either. We didn't find the little worms until today, but I think they might've been there for a week or so. I have no idea what's going on!
Any advice would be really appreciated.
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It sounds like maggots..she may have fly strike...it sounds awful but you will need to use tweezers to remove the maggots...bathe her in a betadine solution and dry her thoroughly, spray Vetericyn and repeat treatment 2-3 times a day until the maggots are gone.

You must isolate her from the main flock...now!
 
Can chickens get pin worm? This is a human worm that wiggles around by the rectum and its entire life is within the bowel tract Sounds very similar. I don't know what fly strike is. Have to read up on it. I am learning sooo much from this site. LMS
 
One of my hens (six years old) named Violet has strange worm-like things wiggling around her vent. I'm pretty certain they're not mites or lice, and none of the descriptions of worms on the internet mention seeing them around the vent. They're small and whitish, and another hen has started pecking Violet's vent, so now the area is bare and red. She's not acting sick, either. We didn't find the little worms until today, but I think they might've been there for a week or so. I have no idea what's going on!
Any advice would be really appreciated.
big_smile.png
I agree that it sounds like maggots. Get her into some soapy warm water, and try picking off the maggots with tweezers. Permethrin spray, screw worm spray, or SWAT may be applied to the vent area to help repel flies. Fly strike can be deadly, so clean off vents in summer.
 
Thanks guys! I think that's it. I've picked off all the big maggots, but there are still little ones that are a lot harder to get off with tweezers. Will pouring diluted Betadine on them twice a day kill them off? Also, could there still be batches of un-hatched eggs on her?
 
You need to get all of them off now! Get her in a sink and get busy, lol. Then you need to put her someplace where there are no flies and no chickens so she can heal.

-Kathy
 
The remaining maggots are very tiny but I'll try to get them all. If I miss a few, would the Betadine take care of them?
I'm worried about infection too. The maggots were digging into her skin. Would something like Wound Wash from CVS work? Or does using Betadine already take care of this?
She just began acting strange a few hours ago, too. She's not moving around as much or responding to me when I come to the coop. Any ideas what's happening and what I can do to help her?
 
Can chickens get pin worm? This is a human worm that wiggles around by the rectum and its entire life is within the bowel tract Sounds very similar. I don't know what fly strike is. Have to read up on it. I am learning sooo much from this site. LMS

No, fortunately for us and chickens, they can not get it (which means they are safe from it AND we don't have to worry about them spreading it to us).
 
The remaining maggots are very tiny but I'll try to get them all. If I miss a few, would the Betadine take care of them?
I'm worried about infection too. The maggots were digging into her skin. Would something like Wound Wash from CVS work? Or does using Betadine already take care of this?
She just began acting strange a few hours ago, too. She's not moving around as much or responding to me when I come to the coop. Any ideas what's happening and what I can do to help her?
Warm soapy water will get most of the maggots off. Give her some water with electrolytes and vitamins, and add some to her feed to make it moist. Give her a scrambled egg to eat. This link above that iwiw60 gave you has good instructions: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2014/07/flystrike-in-backyard-chickens-causes.html
 

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