What killed my girl?

[Madison Lorenzen]

Hey all.

So I don't live with my parents anymore and we had some chickens. I checked on them daily, but I moved out. So my parents let them in and out and feed and water them. However, they don't love them like I do. So they don't check on them every single night. So basically, my barred rock, KeeLee, was fine Friday night. Eating and drinking. This morning (Sunday) I went to my parents house and went outside to feed them. Or eLse was half in and half out of her nesting box, dead. My flock is infected with Mereks disease, however her legs were straight out and weren't scissored like my other girls were when they died. It didn't look like mereks. We thought maybe egg binding. But when I went to pick her up, her tummy was INFESTED with maggots. Alllllllll over. We thought maybe after she died the eggs were laid and hatched by the time we found her. But I don't know if they can be laid and hatched between Friday night and Sunday morning. My concern, is that she was eaten alive by maggots. I really hope thats not the case. She had a red spot on her stomach but it was never an open sore. Like I said though, I dont live there, so they aren't thoroughly checked on anymore. i dont know much else cause it was so sad and I couldnt look at her, so my dad took her out, put her in a box and buried her. Sorry this is so long. Whats the life cycle of a maggot? Is that what killed her? please help

 

[pennyJo1960]

She had been gone at least 10 days check all your other birds close

 

[Kylo_Hen!]

i am so so so sorry for your loss and i have no idea

 

[HuffleClaw]

So sorry! you so she’d wouldve passed between Late Friday until now? She sure got the maggots quick.

 

[EggWalrus]

You may have to move the coop and birds to where you live to make sure they are cared for properly.
Sorry for your loss.

 

[HuffleClaw]

You may have to move the coop and birds to where you live to make sure they are cared for properly.
Sorry for your loss.

 

[roosterhavoc]

Maggots didn’t eat the bird alive. Fly eggs can hatch in a day or so and turn into larvae or maggots.
The bird probably wasn’t dead more than a day or two.

 

[Madison Lorenzen]

I guess I'm just concerned since they got her so quick. So I'm worried they got her before she died and that that's what killed her. I just don't know what else it could have been. It was only a 36 hour span with no checking so the maggots had to happen quick. They were all about 1/2 an inch maybe smaller.

 

[Chelsa'sChicks]

Maggots didn’t eat the bird alive. Fly eggs can hatch in a day or so and turn into larvae or maggots.
The bird probably wasn’t dead more than a day or two.

Maggots only eat dead or dying tissue.. so your bird was passed when the maggots were laid.

 

[Conan]

I guess I'm just concerned since they got her so quick. So I'm worried they got her before she died and that that's what killed her. I just don't know what else it could have been. It was only a 36 hour span with no checking so the maggots had to happen quick. They were all about 1/2 an inch maybe smaller.

This sounds like fly strike to me. It's awful learning about it in this way (I did so myself a couple years ago). It happens when critters have a messy bum and ample moisture and poo on their bodies. Flies lay their eggs in this mess, the eggs hatch and burrow into the bird, eating them alive. It's truly awful. Chickens are tough and typically don't show signs of pain or discomfort so it's tough to catch.
There are a lot of good threads on this forum in regards to fly strike. I encourage you to take a look and hope that the information is helpful.
So sorry about your girl.