open wound, skin gone, maggots in body

[BernieandAbby]

We have a 5 or 6 year old hen, Bernadette, Bernie for short. We got her 3 years ago. We didn't know when we got her but she was infested with mites. She almost died from them. She recovered and has done well. She has laid some of the largest hen eggs I have ever seen, like the size of large duck eggs. She is a bit lopsided, like she has some sort of scoliosis. Yesterday my husband noticed that she had something on her that he thought looked like poop, on her side, like the other chicken might have pooped on her when she was on the floor and the other chicken, Abby, was up on the roost. On closer observation it turned out to be oozing from her body. She came in the coop when I went to see what was going on with her and the stench was stunning. I looked closer at the area and saw maggots writhing in her body. My husband rinsed the maggots as best he could in the yard and then we brought her in the house and soaked her in several warm baths of several different substances - antibiotic soap solution and small amount of iodine, saline solution, warm water, saline solution. We then blew her dry and applied neosporin to the area. The area is large- 3x4 inches, that is without skin. It is down to her muscle and the fascia over the muscle. I understand from a friend who is a nurse that perhaps we shouldn't have put the neosporin on her flesh. I now want to wash it off and am not sure what to use to wash it off. It is now over 24 hours from our first beginning to clean the area. There seem to be no more maggots in the wound or on Bernie. She spent the night in our laundry room in a dog kennel with a heat lamp option in a corner of it. She ate and drank pretty well today. She's having regular waste movements that seem pretty normal looking. I have given her some cat food and some greens, some yogurt and some acidophilus. Also I've given her some garlic. I would like to get input on how to encourage this wound to heal. Thanks so much.
I have added some photos of her injury today. This looks much better than how we found her on Wednesday, almost two days ago. I am quite embarrassed that this got out of hand so badly and seemingly so quickly. How fast can this type of thing happen. I have had chickens for 20 years and never seen anything like this before with any of our birds.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Sorry your girl is having a tough go.

It sounds like fly strike to me. I will link an article on care and treatment, of which you have essentially done, only you will need to do more so until it clears.

Good luck with her and keep us posted.

https://the-chicken-chick.com/flystrike-in-backyard-chickens-causes/

LofMc

 

[ChickNanny13]

You need to check her everyday & remove any maggots (eggs) until you see none.

 

[Eggcessive]

Pictures would be helpful, and I agree that you are treating flystrike. It can be deadly if all the maggots are not removed or if they enter her body. I would soak her twice a day in warm Epsom salts water twice a day until you can no longer find any maggots. Vetericyn Wound Spray or Betadine can be used on the wound. Do you think this could be an injury from a rooster’s spur? In addition to treating her, I would treat the flies with a permethrin spray inside the coop. Removing droppings and keeping bedding stirred can help. Keep your hen inside away from flies. while treating her.

 

[BernieandAbby]

You need to check her everyday & remove any maggots (eggs) until you see none.

Yes, I am checking her at least twice a day. She is in the dog kennel in the utility room in our home, so very little fly activity in here. Do you know how long it may have taken for this to happen? We had checked both chickens state of health, picking them up and examing their skin, before going on a trip at the end of June. We see the chickens in their run and let them in and out of the coop daily and hadn't noticed anything until this horrific thing became apparent.

 

[BernieandAbby]

Pictures would be helpful, and I agree that you are treating flystrike. It can be deadly if all the maggots are not removed or if they enter her body. I would soak her twice a day in warm Epsom salts water twice a day until you can no longer find any maggots. Vetericyn Wound Spray or Betadine can be used on the wound. Do you think this could be an injury from a rooster’s spur? In addition to treating her, I would treat the flies with a permethrin spray inside the coop. Removing droppings and keeping bedding stirred can help. Keep your hen inside away from flies. while treating her.

Thanks, we are keeping her inside. She has lost a large patch of skin, totally gone. I can see her muscle tissue. Do you know if this can heal? She is eating, drinking and pooping. I see no more maggots. Might they be inside her and we see no traces of them? She seems in very good spirits. I'm not sure if she can fully recover from this event.

 

[BernieandAbby]

Thanks, we are keeping her inside. She has lost a large patch of skin, totally gone. I can see her muscle tissue. Do you know if this can heal? She is eating, drinking and pooping. I see no more maggots. Might they be inside her and we see no traces of them? She seems in very good spirits. I'm not sure if she can fully recover from this event.

We don't have any roosters so, no, not a rooster injury. We only have the two hens. We have had chickens for 20 years, up to 10 at a time. Never have I seen anything like this before.

 

[BernieandAbby]

Sorry your girl is having a tough go.

It sounds like fly strike to me. I will link an article on care and treatment, of which you have essentially done, only you will need to do more so until it clears.

Good luck with her and keep us posted.

https://the-chicken-chick.com/flystrike-in-backyard-chickens-causes/

LofMc

Thank you for this article. Very informative. Also, any thoughts on if this injury may fully heal. she has lost her skin from this area. I will post a photo of her body that I took today.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would just keep trying to keep her skin clean and apply the disinfectant so that it will promote healing. Offer her nutritious food with good protein, and keep her well hydrated. Deep wound can heal with vigilant care. Many hens do recover from flystrike if the wound is discovered early enough.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

With time and diligence, she has a good chance of full recovery.