Post fly strike stench, infection?

[micstrachan]

I’m so sorry you have not received help. Unfortunately, I don’t have experience with this. Can you show us a photo of the vent itself and the wound? How is she doing? I am wondering if she has a prolapse (tissue bulging out her vent) and the flies were attracted to that. It might be good to clean her again and apply antibiotic ointment to the wound. Can you keep her inside and away from flies for a bit?

 

[Nambroth]

This is just my anecdotal experience, but I have had fly strike on a hen that was experiencing salpingitis / egg peritonitis. My hen had the same swollen posterior that you are experiencing with your bird (based on your photos), and really awful droppings (due to the peritonitis infection) that attracted the flies in the first place. I treated her for fly strike and had to keep her indoors while she healed, to keep the flies from re-infesting her. Vetericyn (I got it at Tractor Supply) ended up helping her dry out and heal up very rapidly; I was skeptical of it but it really did the trick.

Unfortunately even though the superficial wound from the fly strike healed well, she still had peritonitis and even with veterinary help it did end up killing her a few months later.

The fly strike you experienced is probably a secondary problem due to whatever is causing her to have bad droppings. Sadly, peritonitis/salpingitis is one of the most common ailments in laying hens over two years old. I truly hope it's not the case in your hen, but it is very common. Sometimes a strong antibiotic treatment can help them, but normally once it advances to the point that they are this "swollen" it's quite advanced and only costly surgery might save her. Some people have had success with that but many opt not to put the hen through it. In the end the choice is yours, and would probably require a vet visit with a knowledgeable avian vet to pinpoint the issue to see if she is treatable or not, if you decide to try to help her.

 

[rebrascora]

I am concerned that the flies have opened up her abdominal cavity ie made a hole below her vent. It often happens with fly strike. The fly strike happens as a result of poop soiling below the vent because the abdomen is swollen and the poop is mostly liquid and the swelling prevents it from dropping clear. As Nambroth suggests the swelling is likely due to Salpingitis or Peritonitis or possibly Ascites from some other cause like Fatty Liver. It is most likely a reproductive issue though.
If that is the case, I'm afraid this is unlikely to end well.
The green poop looks to be mostly bile which is due to no food going through her system. As someone else suggested, a close up view of her rear end clearly showing her vent and the tissue below it would be helpful. Trimming the feathers away with some scissors will enable us to see more clearly but also help make it easier for you to keep her clean.

 

[casportpony]

I agree that this flystrike is probably secondary to something in her abdominal cavity. If you have money for a vet I think that would be the best option.

 

[Meg7730]

Thank you!!! I’m giving her another bath now and I’ll send some more pics or her vent. I can take her to the vet, antibiotics are totally doable...surgery, not so much:/ thank you for replies and I’ll be sending pics soon!

 

[Folly's place]

So sorry! I've had two hens with this (AWFUL!!!) problem in past years, and both birds had major abdominal issues that couldn't be fixed, and then the flies took over.
It's unlikely but possible that a healthy bird becomes infected; it's much more likely that she's really ill for some other reason.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

Meg, you did a fantastic job of cleaning her up, and it is a horrible smelly thing to face. And doing it while pregnant? Wow!
I am afraid that your hen won't do well, because of her underlying illness.
All the best,
Mary

 

[Meg7730]

Here are her post batch pics. Thank you so much for your help and advice! She has an appointment tomorrow afternoon and I will let you know the outcome.

 

[casportpony]

Here are her post batch pics. Thank you so much for your help and advice! She has an appointment tomorrow afternoon and I will let you know the outcome.

You did a great job cleaning her up! Good luck at the vet tomorrow.

 

[Folly's place]

I'm wondering if there are fly eggs there too. Trim anything suspicious off today!
It can be difficult to find all the little monsters, so look again.
Mary