jomaxsmith Posted September 6, 2008 Share Posted September 6, 2008 This afternoon I noticed a small pool of white things on the grass under my raspberries. On closer look it was lots of dead white maggots in a thick liquid. The hens hadn't been on the lawn since yesterday and if this had been there then presumably they would have eaten it It looked a lot like something a cat would vomit but wasn't a very big mass - a couple of inches diameter. Is it likely to be cat vomit? Do any other mammals that visit the garden vomit? The maggots were all dead but not digested. It's a mystery! Anyone like to hazard a guess on the culprit? Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 6, 2008 Share Posted September 6, 2008 what colour was the liquid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted September 6, 2008 Share Posted September 6, 2008 Can you post a photo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomo1972 Posted September 6, 2008 Share Posted September 6, 2008 Check your hens carefully. Quite frankly, its sounds like flystrike. I had a bout of it earlier this year and its horrible. Hens are very good at covering up the fact that they are out of sorts. If there are maggot remains, they probably come from the hens. Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kit Posted September 6, 2008 Share Posted September 6, 2008 Check your hens carefully. Quite frankly, its sounds like flystrike. I had a bout of it earlier this year and its horrible. Hens are very good at covering up the fact that they are out of sorts. If there are maggot remains, they probably come from the hens. Jo What is flystrike?...sounds yucky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluckbok Posted September 6, 2008 Share Posted September 6, 2008 flystrike is when a fly lays on the chicken's rear end area, and lays eggs. The eggs then hatch into loads of maggots that feed off that area. not good. I went and bought some Johnsons flystrike protector for my guinea pigs, but wonder whether you could use that for the chickens? what do you think omleteers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomo1972 Posted September 6, 2008 Share Posted September 6, 2008 There are cures for it. There is a really good article somewhere on this site. The problem is that you have to know about it and hens are quite good at concealing it. I didn't notice with the first few that died at all and I only found out by accident with one. But flystrike is horrid. I think the best way of dealing with it is to make sure they don't have daggy bums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 6, 2008 Share Posted September 6, 2008 fingers x'd your girls don't have flystrike xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomaxsmith Posted September 7, 2008 Author Share Posted September 7, 2008 oo, yuck! My black hen always has dirty knickers but it's never really daggy. I'll have a look Really hope it's not that Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomaxsmith Posted September 7, 2008 Author Share Posted September 7, 2008 I've been and had a look. They all have clean vents and no obvious wounds in that area. All are acting normally. I didn't poke around too much as they aren't good at being handled but I will distract them with a corn cob later and have a better look. All the poos in the run and the pootray look normal. Presumably to have fly strike to the degree of a puddle of dead maggots there would be a large source? The maggots were pretty big - the size of the ones you get in your wheelie bin or fishing maggots. There is a fishing lake not far away which is why I wondered if a cat or somesuch had eaten a discarded stash of bait. I'll keep checking my hens for flystrike as it is definitely not something I want to have to sort out once it gets hold. Thanks Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomo1972 Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 When my girls were infected with flystrike there were maggots in their poo. That was how I found it. I suppose that a hen with maggots literally eating at the outside of her flesh has a very advanced type of flystrike. The maggots must be there before then but may not be visible. But if your hens don't have daggy bums that shouldn't be a long term issue. Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 Article on flystrike **here** Sounds like a cat has regurgitiated some fishermans maggots to me.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
