UPDATED serious flystrike

[anomala]

Yes, I have some syringes someplace I will try that when I do a saline flush soon. Fortunately I don't believe the under skin hole (at least the opening to it) is nearly big enough for a turkey baster. Earlier I had filled the open area with vetermycin and tilted her so it ran into the under skin opening, and some of it drained in but not all so I'm really hoping it may not go as far as I fear. Also tho could be a trapped air bubble or soak water so not sure how much of a tell that is. Very cautiously optimistic we can still win flushing out the maggots, I do think the long soaks are helping drive out even the deep ones based on how long it takes for them to appear. My biggest concern is her body's ability to heal a dirty, under skin wound. The open area is about 1.5"x1.5", and the swelling is about the length and width of an egg.

 

[coach723]

If you have not already done so, trimming back the feathers around the area can help, both to let you see what you are doing, and to help keep it cleaner. A small oral syringe may work best for flushing out the wound, I use them a lot for that. If you can get some clear pictures of the area you are referring to, where it runs under the skin, it might be helpful. You are doing great, and everything you can. Fingers crossed.

 

[anomala]

I really appreciate everyone's advice and support. I considered trimming feathers earlier, but a lot of the ones in the immediate area are pin feathers and newer looking feathers in different stages. I know I shouldn't cut the pin feathers but is there a way to know when they are mature enough to be safe to cut? A lot of the shafts look dark and plump still so I started second guessing.

I should have taken more photos on the last soak when it was easiest to see, I was feeling guilty about documenting the gory details that could be the end, but I know that's not helpful to her. I will take more tomorrow in the morning when I soak her next.

I believe the larvae are blowfly, which only have a 4.5 day larval cycle. Yikes. I've removed 3 sizes, the largest of which were not quite 17mm full size 3rd instar (got the majority of those in the first soak round yesterday), so maybe 4 days old. I don't know if its possible for them to have done this much damage in 4 days, I'm assuming there may have been another round that have dropped out to pupate already. But either way it is horrifying. I'm making sure to destroy every one I remove, in case they are old enough to pupate.

She wasn't super hungry this morning and wouldn't eat the egg I made and just a little feed, but chowed down on a good amount of feed, and a piece of pineapple I hand fed, later in the day.

 

[anomala]

In thinking about this last night, based on the number of large maggots I have removed (30+ probably, most of which I got in the first long soak) and the size of the wound (assuming there isn't a giant under skin space), it is probably entirely possible this wound happened in the space of the approx 4.5 day cycle, with smaller ones that hatched a day or two behind, and the tiniest one I saw yesterday (only one I saw, but so small there could have been more) probably hatching since I started treatments. This does not ease my paranoia about this happening again, that we can go from fine to devastating wound in that short amount of time, or how much worse it would have been even a day or two later. I was checking butts last night with a headlamp. I guess with all things chicken, I am learning again the minute you see something off its already an emergency.

When I went out to check this morning and offer breakfast, she clucked at me (the 'i find you vaguely agitating but not enough to sound an alarm' cluck, which is a normal one for her). She was standing with her tail up in a fully normal stance, and ate a good amount of feed and a little arugula. This is the closest to normal behavior I've seen so far, so feeling good that she is at least seeming to be feeling a lot better at the moment.

I've been reaching out to find some folks who have been to the chicken vet to see whats available in my area, if they are any good, and try to get a sense of the cost involved. I'm guessing, based on the local prices for cat and dog care (they have nearly tripled in my area in the last 6-7 years, I know they are probably skyrocketing everywhere) it is probably not on the table for us, but trying to find out just in case. I know it's not necessarily a good gauge because the birds could have been a lot farther gone, but was also feeling discouraged by how many people posted on the Chicken Chicks article on flystrike that their vets just recommended they put the animal down.

 

[AntiqueB]

I'm glad she's feeling better. I think she will survive as long as you keep at it for another day or so. I didn't have the heart to debride my girl's wound, and she was still ok. The Blukote stops the others from pecking.

I agree that flystrike happens fast. The chicken it happened to also has a poopy butt, and always has. It's impossible to keep clean all the time, but now I pay special attention to her rear during fly season. Really, the only reason I found it at all is because she came to me, and I saw others pecking her. I suspect the flies themselves didn't make such a large wound; much was from being pecked.

 

[coach723]

Glad your hen is looking better. Flystrike can happen pretty fast. Flies lay 100's if not 1000's of eggs, so when they hatch, they can do an enormous amount of damage pretty quickly. Sometimes older birds have "lazy" cloaca's that can make it harder for them to push droppings out which can lead to messy butts and flystrike. Also runny droppings (internal parasites, drinking a lot in warm weather, etc) can do it. And older hens that may have an underlying reproductive problem can also have trouble pushing droppings out, leading to the dirty butts. I understand about the vet issue, many don't have a vet that will see a chicken at all or know a thing about them, and many are cost prohibitive. And many simply don't really take chickens seriously. I've actually been laughed at for asking. So, many of us just do the best we can with what we can get, and go from there. On the upside, they are pretty resilient and survive some pretty horrible stuff sometimes, with a little help. Sounds like she's on the mend, just continue what you are doing.

 

[anomala]

Ok, graphic photo update. This was after her 30 min soak this morning, was hoping we were getting to the maggot free stage but still got another 6 or 7 biggish ones (I'm assuming these are the round that was smalls when we started). The good I guess is that I am not seeing other sizes, so hopefully this is the last round of them. The liquid in the pic is saline flush, which i did immediately after the soak to unsuccessfully try to get one or two more. The margins go under the skin all the way around, visibly maybe 1/2" on sides, but deeper on the bottom (moving towards her chest), maybe 3/4 to 1". I'm kind of stretching wound in the pics to get a better view of whats going on. The thing i am concerned about, and confirmed when one or two (could have been the same one) escaped me by pushing past the wound I can see, under the upper skin. I don't know how far this goes, or how many could be under there, but definitely deepest on to side going toward chest. I flushed this area with the syringe and saline, and some definitely went in, but I don't think I was able to drain the same amount out so may be trapped under there. I have no idea if it is a good or bad thing to have some saline trapped under her skin in this particular situation, and if I should keep forcefully flushing this way. I'm assuming yes but please let me know if it is not. After the pics I drained what I could out of the wound, sprayed it with veterycin, and blow dried her.

I carefully trimmed back some of the older feathers, I was over thinking on that one.

I had ordered betadine which I am recieving tomorrow, but I found some Hibiclens I forgot we had, and this was the first soak with a little of that in it. This is also the first since the initial clean up that the water came out dirty, not sure if it was helped along by the hibiclens but it looks like the open wound area may be sloughing off some of the black necrotic tissue.

Ive sprayed a few times with the pyrethrin, but we still have live maggots so either its not working, or just not getting to them because they are under the skin. I'm gonna switch to the permethrin you all suggested just to eliminate the variable, but is this something I should just spray on the visible areas, or include in the under skin flush?

She's definitely feeling it, holding her tail down again, but understandable this was a multi hour ordeal with the soak, flushing, treating and blow dry, and I was more aggressive with the flush than I have been before.

I also found a small red bite or wound on her chest, visible in one of the attaced pics. I hadn't seen it before, but will keep an eye on it. Hopefully not more horrors for her to go thru.

 

[Eggcessive]

I probably would flush the wound with the pyrethrum or permethrin once. It may help. It looks pretty deep. Coach 723 has a lot more knowledge about this subject, so whatever she thinks, I would do. Betadine is pretty expensive, and most Walmarts sell the generic povidone iodine in the first aid aisle under their brand, Equate First Aid Disinfectant for around $7. Hibiclens chlorhexidene is usually found there as well.

 

[anomala]

I know. I think the pictures make it look deeper, I took them when it was still flooded with saline to see better underneath, and this is also immediately after she had soaked for 30 minutes so her skin had absorbed some water. But don't get me wrong, I know its still really bad, and I'm very concerned about the margins underneath I cant see.

She was definitely not feeling as good after what I put her thru earlier, she was holding her tail lower (not as bad as when we started but not like nothing was wrong like this morning), but she still had a good appetite a couple hours after all this and ate a couple bites of apple, some feed and some arugula leaves. I'm probably not going to put her thru another full soak today, but I'll do another more gentle flush and pyrethrin/ veterycin application. Fingers crossed she is feeling good again tomorrow morning.

 

[coach723]

You can use permethrin products on flystrike wounds, whatever product you have should have instructions on the label. If it's a concentrate that needs to be diluted make sure you use the dilution for use on poultry. If she were mine, I would slather all of that wound area with a plain triple antibiotic ointment (any brand, generic is fine, no pain killer ingredients), including inside under those edges when you are done flushing and cleaning. That will help with bacteria, help smother any more that are in there (may bring some more out) and help maintain wound moisture. The ointment will maintain moisture longer than the veterycin. Poor girl, she's a trooper.
Edit: I'd put some on that red spot as well. Not sure what's going on there.