rooster with open wound with maggots

[diana lim]

Our cross beaked rooster was attacked and badly pecked by another rooster and has a lot of wounds but, the worst is on the back of his skull where the skin is gone over a 2 inch area(you can see his skull. It was covered in maggots which we picked off with tweezers and flushing with peroxide but, they appear to have moved deeper under seemingly healthy, intact flesh actually around his eye which is really worrying as I can't get at them. Every so often I see movement under and around his eye area which I think is maggots. We just flushed the area again but short of ripping the flesh up and away from his skull how do I get them out? I know they are still in there as I saw the tail end of at least 2 but they retreated deeper before I could grab them. Its like they know I am hovering waiting for them to wriggle out and they won't come out anymore. I am worried he will be blinded. Do maggots need air to survive? I am sick with worry. He is a lot perkier than he was yesterday and even this am but his head doesn't smell sweet-its not super bad but its not good. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[FluffyButtBabies]

Don't use peroxide anymore! It will only push the bacteria deeper into the wound, especially if it's a severe one like you're describing, and irritate the healthy tissue. What you're seeing with the maggots is called flystrike. First, separate your roo from the rest of the flock to keep the others from picking at him. Usually I'd say to drown the maggots, but since it's a head wound, that's not an option. Sit him down and remove as many maggots as possible manually, and as soon as you see more, sit him down again and pull those out too. Be careful not to damage any more tissue as you're doing this though! Flush it with saline spray instead of peroxide, it's much gentler and gets the job done (saline is what they use in human surgery actually). That helps to disinfect the wound and drown out the maggots. You're going to want to get vetericyn chicken spray for the wound, too. Keep checking the injury throughout the day and repeat the flushing and maggot removal until no more maggots show up. This could take one to several days, depending on the infestation. If you want, you could also take him inside to prevent any more flies from laying new larvae in his wound. Of course, you're best bet is always to take him to a vet if it's possible. But keep him on electrolyte water and make sure he eats, drinks, and poops okay.

 

[cherrynberry]

I am not too sure, but they may help! Good luck with your rooster!
@Eggcessive
@R2elk
@Overo Mare

 

[cherrynberry]

@aart

 

[Eggcessive]

The saline or Vetericyn are good suggestions to use on the wounds. I would also use plain Neosporin or Triple Antibiotic Ointment on the wound, and in the eye. Terramycin eye ointment sometimes can be found in feed stores, and that would be even better for the eye. Maggot larvae can continue to hatch out for awhile after treatment is started, so keep at it and let us know how he is getting along.

It can help to post pictures of the wounds to see how much progress is made. Keep him separated while he is being treated. You may have to keep him separated from other roosters in the future. Do you have a plan for him when he gets better?

 

[diana lim]

Thankyou to all of you who responded to my horrid plight with my poor rooster. I have followed all the suggestions that I could but, I don't have access to all the products mentioned. I do have the triple antibiotic cream which I applied around the main head wound. plus I have tetracycline powder and vitamin powder for poultry. I will look for terramycin online I don't see any more hideous maggots but,I suspect there may be some trapped beneath his skin around his eye. He has manifested an infection in that area and it is swollen on one side of his head. However, he is acting quite perky today, eating and drinking his medicated water on his own which is major progress since yesterday when I was pretty sure he was dying. His eye was stuck shut today but we cleaned it up and it is open again. It is not over yet but, I am amazed at his resilience. Animals are so amazing at how much pain they endure without complaint! I will try and post some pics later.