Poorly chicken

[SueChick]

I am really in need of some advice please here because I am so confused and at my wits end with one particular lady of my flock.

In April I collected my first ever rescue hens - 2 of them - and I was so excited to be able to help but wow has it been a steep learning curve!  Anyway, the help I need with the one I have left (the other has to be PTS unfortunately) is this:-

Since getting her she has had a dirty bottom.  I have tried two different vets and more money than I would want to admit and still we are no closer to a solution.  I don’t think we will ever sort it actually.  She lays normal droppings all of the time but in between dribbles white poo down her bald little bottom poor thing.  She is otherwise so fit and well - inquisitive, naughty and so funny and lays huge eggs so I have decided to leave her alone now and not traumatise her with anymore vet trips.  Problem is - flies!  I’m so worried about fly strike.  The vet prescribed F10 spray and my confusion is this:-  it says it’s water soluble and should be reapplied if the hen goes in the rain but then the vet says I can only use it once per week but also to keep her bum washed and clean!!!  How on earth do I do both?  Wash her daily but not reapply until one week is up?  What is the point of spraying at all?  Confused is the word!  Any help out there please?  I don’t want to lose her to fly strike. 

[Patricia W]

I don’t know about F10 but the important thing is to keep her clean so I’d prioritise the washing. Has the vet sent a sample of her poo for analysis?  Has she been wormed with Flubenvet? 

[SueChick]

Thanks for your reply.  I have sent the poo off for analysis at the chicken vet place online.  0 egg count and 0 coccidiosis.  She was given two courses of antibiotics, one course of anti fungal and two of anti inflammatoires!  And has had about 6 weeks of pro biotics (Avipro).  Not sure what else to try!

The problem with keeping her clean is that when I wash her off she only stays clean for about half a day.  By the end of the day, it is covered again.  She does dust bath which helps of course but my theory is - is it worth washing her every day if more is going to be there or is it better to leave the spray in place (or perhaps it’s not even that effective any more if more poo has dribbled on top of it and she has dustbathed?).  It’s so difficult to know what’s best.  Her skin gets quite sore of course due to the poo so I would rather wash it and reapply a barrier cream to stop it being so red but then I’m scared about washing the spray and getting fly strike!  Arghh!!!  You see my dilemma?!?

[Luvachicken]

I'm pretty certain that Dogmother said that sudocrem acts as a fly repellent. I would be inclined to use that after you've washed her, it will soothe her skin too.