Topic of the Week - Fly Strike

[casportpony]

I know that certain flies only eat infected flesh. But the regular houseflies are harmful to chickens?

This came up the other day in the peafowl forum.

Help me understand something. I have seen where hospitals will use maggots in burn treatments to eat the dead flesh. As I understand it the maggots will not eat living flesh but only dead flesh. Is there something different about 'flystrike'?

I've wondered that too. So I looked it up. Helps to understand flystrike.

I know it's the best choice in some cases...I don't know if I could do it.
I clicked on the pic of the debridement of the diabetic foot at the beginning.
Big mistake.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggot_therapy

Biology of maggots

Those flies whose larvae feed on dead animals will sometimes lay their eggs on the dead parts (necrotic or gangrenous tissue) of living animals. The infestation by maggots of live animals is called "myiasis." Some maggots will feed only on dead tissue, some only on live tissue, and some on live or dead tissue. The flies used most often for the purpose of maggot therapy are blow flies of the Calliphoridae: the blow fly species used most commonly is Lucilia sericata, the common green bottle fly. Another important species, Protophormia terraenovae, is also notable for its feeding secretions, which combat infection by Streptococcus pyogenes and S. pneumoniae.[14

 

[black_dove2]

Okay so now now I think I got it

What I need to do is just make sure to keep coop and run clean so I won't have ANY flies messing with the chickens. The chances of maggots of the I don't care what condition of flesh is more likely than me winning the lottery.

Thank you so much for explaining the difference. I've read a few posts regarding fly strike before reading this article.

Again Thank You,
Mage

 

[jeria]

Newbie, We do have some fly issues so will be wary of them and watch my girls

 

[black_dove2]

I will too! Desert flies bite. I thinking seen so few right now is they're all in the dogs yard looking for dog poop.

My biggest problem are the ants from neighbors yard. Harvest, sugar, big black ones,big bred ones and now fire ants. I'm sure glad I found alot on here about what to fo

 

[ChiefSuperFly]

Flystrike is a big deal especially here with these high temperatures and even higher humidity. But I've got one funny thing to say... don't let your hubby hang fly stripes in your coop! My sweetheart put one up in the middle and I've got a horse mane of a pony tail and the other night I was tucking in my babies and Sliiiick the dang fly strip caught me- YUCK! Talk about being mad! Nothing like picking dead flies out of perfectly clean hair ugh I had a strip of goop in my beautiful locks don't mean to toot my own horn but I have some many fly away so have no trouble catching my own bugs in it lol! I plan on strategically placing my own fly strips from now on- just a little word of advice ladies

 

[Folly's place]

Fly strips in hair, yucky! Mary

 

[black_dove2]

I've had fly strips catch my arm so I can imagine how bad it was to get stuck to your hair.

We're you able to get glue off without cutting it?

 

[Crazy Mama]

Should chicken owners automatically deworm and give probiotics no matter if you think they have a problem or not, just to be on the safe side? The more I'm reading on worms and fly strike it makes me nervous to just not do anything for them.

If you have a bird that continually has droppings that adhere to the feathers around the vent (especially runny poo), there's a problem with the bird's internal microbe balance, or a parasitic infection, or another problem.

Give avian specific probiotics, and take a stool sample to a veterinarian. If there is a parasitic infection give a wormer, either Safeguard or Valbazen. Until the problem is remedied, keep the vent area clean.

 

[aart]

Should chicken owners automatically deworm and give probiotics no matter if you think they have a problem or not, just to be on the safe side? The more I'm reading on worms and fly strike it makes me nervous to just not do anything for them.

Balanced diet first.
Probiotics, meh, maybe in moderation.
Fecal test for worm species and counts before treating.
JMO.

 

[mobius]

In terms of prevention, fermenting feed (probiotics) may help. Certainly, I feed my chickens fermented feed. Regardless, if there is a wound or pecking or fecal matter encouraging flies, probiotics will avail nothing. Daily observation of flock is the key, especially during fly season. Thanks everyone for the helpful tips. I will be putting up some water bottle homemade flycatchers in the next day or two. It's that time of the year. Good reminder here.

I think zeolite in the "cat box" ( which is an elevated boot tray) below my roosts helps, as I clean every day or two with a scoop, place in a bucket and take to a compost pile far away from the chickens and cover with straw or other carbon. I also use the deep litter method in the coop, although there isn't that much poop in there after I put the tray under the roosts.

The deep litter method in the run also helps. The chickens turn the matter in the coop and run themselves. Just my thoughts.