Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[skye]

Unfortunately we have just returned from a week's holiday to find one of our Orpingtons looking down in the mouth and with a very dirty bottom. Set up the regular 'chicken spa' for her - warm bath, lots of towels, treats... to find her vent crawling with maggots and, to be honest, half eaten away. We are now spending the afternoon tweezing out any visible maggots and bathing her in saline water to try and drown them (Thanks for the informative FAQ, Egluntine).

 

A trip to the vets first thing in the morning but it's not looking good as a chunk of her behind seems to have 'gone'

 

Luckily she seems calm, we will bathe her again this evening and keep her indoors separate from the others until she can go to the vet.

 

Just shows how quickly it can happen. We are always very vigilant especially with the Orpingtons as they are so feathery and get dirty easily. This time we weren't around to notice as we usually would.

 

skye x

[Egluntyne]

What a shame. I hope something can be done.

[Chucky Mama]

What a shame, it is as you say very quick and only needs a dirty bottom to attract flies. With frequent saline bathing, fly protection and boosting her general condition should get her back to good health hopefully.

[skye]

Thank you Egluntyne and Chucky Mama.

 

We have been checking the wound carefully and were pretty sure there have been no more maggots overnight. The vet gave it a further clean but seemed pretty happy with the wound generally and said we had done a good job of getting it clean. On closer inspection, her vent seems healthy, it is the area just above which seemed to have been infested. The vet was more concerned about any underlying problem which may have caused the very dirty bottom, and thinks her tummy and crop seem a bit swollen and slushy. She has administered something to help with a mild impacted crop to see if that will help, and Roxy is also on Baytril to help the wound and any subsequent infection to heal. The vet also sprayed her with the fly spray stuff that kills any remaining eggs, which we may also buy for ourselves for use at home with her.

 

She's bocking about in our kitchen at the moment, a little bit subdued but otherwise not too bad. Fingers crossed that the wound can heal without any complications.

 

And thanks again to this forum for such a valuable source of support and information.

 

skye x

[sandyhas3chucks]

good luck, crossing my fingers too.

[skye]

Thanks Sandy, that's kind. So far so good

 

skye x

[Peaches]

I've got my fingers crossed for you, Skye. Flystrike is horrid, isn't it? I felt absolutely sick when I realized my chook was being eaten by maggots ... we did the same, saline water, tweezers and syringed water around her vent. It did work, thank goodness, so I'm very optimistic for you!

 

Fiona

[skye]

Hello all,

 

Thank you for your supportive replies, and Fiona, your good wishes worked - Roxy is pecking and rolling around in her favourite dust bath as I type - after two weeks of anti-biotics and F10 spray on her rear end, the wound is now almost completely healed, and she is growing feathers in that area again! She has lost a lot of weight, and is now going through a big moult, but otherwise she is very perky, and we are very happy to see her jogging around the garden with her friends again!

 

Thanks for all the support - I must admit the day we found her I thought she was a goner - but she's lived to tell the tale

 

skye x

[Egluntyne]

That is good news.