When to cull a fly strike

[Jjdesmo11]

hi, first time dealing with a fly strike. Found my hen in the box last night with maggots. She roosted the prior night so I assume it happened within 12 hrs? Not sure if they could do that much damage in 12 hrs but I didn’t notice anything yesterday. She spends her days at the neighbors house so only see her at night. I got her as a grown hen. I assume she’s a 4 ish yr old ameuricana and the most skittish of my crew so I can’t catch her unless she’s on the roost. I told my husband I couldn’t pick the maggots out and he will have to cull her. But this morning before he woke up I made a bath of peroxide, betadine and permethrin diluted w water. I no longer see maggots but she was acting fairly normal but now puffed, barely eating. Yeah I but I burned her butt off! I saw someone used screw worm which is permethrin so I thought why not. Can someone who has gone through this tell me if this is severe? We have never had to cull a chicken so I’m sad to but hate to see her suffer. Her poop is white liquid with small greenish solid. She had some boiled egg and pellets. Giving nutridrench in water. Thanks. I did cut back some of the feathers but frankly it’s been a struggle and she needs a better cleaning job. I don’t know how she got so dirty so quickly.

 

[Keziah]

aww poor baby! idk, but i hope you get answers soon! with lots of love, keziah

 

[BrandonVercnocke]

I....uhhh... am not totally sure what I’m looking at. Is her vent somewhere in that black area or above it? I’m just a beginner but that looks bad to me. Sorry about your chicky

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Can you cut or pull the feathers out around her wounded area and take a close up photo? It will help to see the extent of damage for further advise. I am so sorry you are having to deal with this. Bear hugs to you and your sweet hen!

 

[Flockandfowl46]

A straight on rear photo would help but from what I can see she has some major problems going on...by this photo I personally would cull...but I would really like to see a better photo first,so sorry about your hen hun

 

[Jjdesmo11]

I....uhhh... am not totally sure what I’m looking at. Is her vent somewhere in that black area or above it? I’m just a beginner but that looks bad to me. Sorry about your chicky

Her vent is above the dark area. It’s gross. And I work in healthcare Haha. So it’s all dark I don’t see any red, healthy flesh. Hoping for the best but preparing for the worse. She at least 4 and has been free ranging so I know she’s been exposed to it all

 

[Morrigan]

She's probably in a lot of pain right now. From your comment, I take it that her rear was not blackened like this before you treated her. Is that right? You might be dealing with fly strike plus whatever inflammation/harm was caused by the treatment.

I don't have experience with fly strike, but I'm leaning towards culling. If you wanted to try something, I would look into whether there is any type of pain relief you could give her, then keep her in a clean, dry, indoor area, offer her scrambled eggs, and see how she is tomorrow. If she shows improvement there is hope. Chickens can be very resilient, but they can also hide pain very well.

 

[Morrigan]

Adding that I think the only pain-reliever I have heard of being given to chickens is aspirin, as most human pain relievers are toxic to chickens. I don't know what the right dosage would be, but I'm sure a search on the forum for "aspirin" would provide that info.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would get her into another warm soaking bath with soapy water. There may be more maggots coming out of her by now. Usually flystrike reauires several baths to get all of the maggots. Afterward, dry her off and coat her with plain neosporin ointment. Flystrike can be a real job for a few days to get control of. At her age, there may have been an underlying condition that got her down and any caked droppings can become a target for flies to lay eggs. Internal laying and salpingitis are some possible underlying problems. I really hope you can save her. Culling her is up to you, but if after a couple of days, she is not eating or drinking, or getting better, that might be the best for her.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do not use the peroxide anymore, because it will damage the tissue and prevent healing. Here is a good article about flystrike treatment:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/flystrike-in-backyard-chickens-causes/