Sick Little Girl

[Cockadoodledon't]

OK Folks, appreciate any thoughts you have on this.

I have Cherry Eggers and they have been healthy and happy.
I noticed 2 days ago that one of my girls was a bit "droopy" I noticed that her feathers down between her legs and below her vent looked like they had poop on them. When I turned her up, she was crawling with maggots. It appears, although I couldnt completely see the area due to the maggots and the stuck feathers that she may have had a wound of some type...cant be sure what.
I tried to wash her with some peroxide and water. The only thing I had at the time was can of Screw worm spray from when I raised goats. I sprayed her bottom heavily and the maggots began to fall away. I then began giving some oral amoxicillin that I had in the fridge. On day 2 I noticed no maggots and the area was dry. She is still droopy but maybe just a little more "kick" to her..however she doesnt seem to want to eat. I bring her outside during the day so she wont be bothered by the other birds. I continue to give her antibiotic in the medicine dropper. I noticed this morning when I let her out that her craw felt empty. She had been healthy up to this point. Any thoughts or advice is appreciated.

 

[Buugette]

Check for wounds. Maybe try getting her to eat some scrambled egg. You can give her poly vi sol vitamins. Use a dropped to offer water, but don't force.

Best of luck with her.

 

[Cockadoodledon't]

Thank you very much...
I appreciate the quick post.
I work away 3 days at a time and I am on day one now. Have to rely on the fam to play doctor while I am gone.
I am hoping she will make it.

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[chkn]

You gotta get her drinking, I'm gonna give you some advice I just gave another poster (but subtract the aspirin, at least for now):

"I keep telling people this and I know it sounds wierd is to take a dropper and drop water (liquid whatever) one or two drops at a time ON TOP of the beak. Stop and wait for the beak to move indicating the bird is swallowing. I call it sip sipping. You might have to wait a bit, you might have to do it a couple times, you might try 'sweet talk', but eventually the bird will do this 'sippy sip' thing. I think the water, as long as you don't drop it into the nostrils, will drip down the sides of the beak and actually go into the birds mouth, for the most part, all they have to do is swallow. Now with your guy, never mind the vitamins for the moment and the antibiotics in the water. Take a cup of water and add like a 1/8 teaspoon of gatorade powder (or something similar that's tasty). Then see if he'll sippy sip. The problem is can he hold it down? I do think the aspirin is a good idea just make sure whatever you give him, it's gonna taste good because that's important. He needs to drink first before he'll eat. If he eats, great but he can last awhile if he stays hydrated. So put him on a towel, in your lap, and try the dropper with the sippy sip and sweet talk. I find once they get a little in them they become more interested."

*You can substitute a couple pinches of cherry jello, a splash of liquid gatorade for the powdered gatorade.

 

[Cockadoodledon't]

Thank you!
Appreciate the post.

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[Cetawin]

Well maggots mean wound and more likely than not, infection. You need to find the wound (s) get them cleaned and flushed with a sterile saline solution and apply triple antibiotic ointment without pain reliever. poly vi sol without iron can be given in the water or a couple drops on the beak as described above, for several days. The amoxicillian is great but the wounds must be found and cleaned properly. Be cautious with peroxide because it damages and destroys good tissue.

Good luck with your girl. Scrambled egg or even a watered down mash will be good to hand feed

 

[Cockadoodledon't]

Thank you.

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[Cockadoodledon't]

This was great advice...and it worked.
My bird didnt make it and I hand another one take same symptoms and die, but, I used this technique to get fluids in her.

Thanks!

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[chkn]

Oh sweetie, thank you so much. I'm so sorry about your birds. The fly strike has been horrible this year. I'm of the mind now if anyone has a suddenly droopy hen, the first thing to do is check the bottom.

Besides the dropper you can also use your finger by touching the water then touching the beak. You can rapid fire it so the sippy sip is pretty much constant.

I'm dealing with a peritonitis hen. It was so funny when I gave her gatorade water in a dropper at first, she was ever so slow to sippy sip (she was very depressed). After a bit of this and steadily taking in more, the next thing I knew is she was trying to bypass the sippy sip and just drag on that thing like a foal does a nipple. It was like she was just waking up. She was just like "oh yeah" pass me smore o dat!!!

By the way, I've had real good luck getting rid of the maggot problem using SWAT. You can get it at the farm or pet supply. It comes in a little tub and it's used on horses as a fly repellant. So look in the horse section. You wash of the maggots as best you can and you fill the hole with the SWAT.

If you have a chicken that won't eat, you can try some gourmet left overs. I made this pasta type summer salad and my little pertonitis hen just loves the little pastas from it. She also loves the soft part of breads. Bits of tomatos, sweet fruit, lettuce are also good. Cat food is also good for a little extra protein now and then. You can feed them just about anything as long as it's not too spicy.

 

[Cockadoodledon't]

Thanks again!