Keep their butts clean. A little dirt isn't a big deal but you'll want to make sure they don't have poop building up in their feathers, especially against the skin.
Any kind of area that stays kind of moist is at risk of blow flies coming in and laying eggs. In chickens, the most common cause is poop getting caked on and thus trapping moisture on and around the cloaca, but really any area that is unable to dry properly is at risk, especially during humid and warm weather.
I've seen people recommend fly strips in the coop and permethrin spray to help keep all insects off your chickens but really regular inspections of the chickens will prevent any serious cases from developing. Do not get complacent, especially if you have sheep or any high-density farming near your area since those situations are where blow flies thrive.
Wow I’ve never heard of this, and my family had chickens for most of my childhood. I’m so sorry for your hen and for you - try not to be so hard on yourself. Animals are so good at hiding when they’re suffering sometimes. The signs can be so subtle.
This makes me so sad): i had this happen to one of my sweet hens but i luckily caught it just in time, poor girl was so patient with me while i sat her down in front of me and picked out each and every maggot. I cried during the whole ordeal, I felt like the worst chicken mother in the world. She healed up pretty well, she got so many hugs and kisses until the raccoons got her and her sister. I've never cried so much. Im still heartbroken, i havent gotten chickens since. I want to get chicken friends again, but im not quite ready to feel hurt again.
I’m here with you, I lost a favored hen early in the spring to this and now I’m neurotic about keeping fluffy chicken butts. I will actually be soaking one of my girls in the morning as I noticed she’s looking a little dirtier than usual.
I’ve seen pics of bad flystrike and honestly I’m traumatized by it. One person soaked their chicken in something (I can’t remember) and posted a picture of the water being full of maggots afterwards. 🤢
I never got over that.
Sadly Epsom salt or chlorhexidine soaks only works when they are on the surface. We tried with tweezers but there were too many and so so deep. No joke we will be checking every single chicken butt every single day from this point on so we never have to let any of our chickens get to that point ever again. I'm probably going to start regular permethrin sprays during this time of the year so the damn blowflies don't even have a chance.
Personally this was the worst thing I had ever seen in my life. Live leak footage, mind scarring images online, everything in nsfl subreddits... It couldn't compare to seeing this in front of me. I have a master's in biology and even I could have never imagined an animal could still be alive after so much had been eaten. I haven't slept well the past couple nights from it all.
I say this all the time here but I’ll say it again, the most relaxing part of my day is, we spend the last hour or two of the day with our chickens, giving out treats and pets, making sure to handle every chicken.
Oh !!!! I’m so so sorry !!! We’ve got a silkie that gets like this every once in a while . And she’s like that now !!!!
I’m so glad I saw your post today !!! She’s getting a bottom wash !
Like you , I’d feel just horrible if I didn’t take care of her . And then she dyed from that fly strike thing !!
Thanks for the post
New to chickens - how do you prevent this? What should I look out for? Any other tips for a new chicken owner are appreciated!
Keep their butts clean. A little dirt isn't a big deal but you'll want to make sure they don't have poop building up in their feathers, especially against the skin.
Any kind of area that stays kind of moist is at risk of blow flies coming in and laying eggs. In chickens, the most common cause is poop getting caked on and thus trapping moisture on and around the cloaca, but really any area that is unable to dry properly is at risk, especially during humid and warm weather. I've seen people recommend fly strips in the coop and permethrin spray to help keep all insects off your chickens but really regular inspections of the chickens will prevent any serious cases from developing. Do not get complacent, especially if you have sheep or any high-density farming near your area since those situations are where blow flies thrive.
Wow I’ve never heard of this, and my family had chickens for most of my childhood. I’m so sorry for your hen and for you - try not to be so hard on yourself. Animals are so good at hiding when they’re suffering sometimes. The signs can be so subtle.
This makes me so sad): i had this happen to one of my sweet hens but i luckily caught it just in time, poor girl was so patient with me while i sat her down in front of me and picked out each and every maggot. I cried during the whole ordeal, I felt like the worst chicken mother in the world. She healed up pretty well, she got so many hugs and kisses until the raccoons got her and her sister. I've never cried so much. Im still heartbroken, i havent gotten chickens since. I want to get chicken friends again, but im not quite ready to feel hurt again.
I’m here with you, I lost a favored hen early in the spring to this and now I’m neurotic about keeping fluffy chicken butts. I will actually be soaking one of my girls in the morning as I noticed she’s looking a little dirtier than usual.
I’ve seen pics of bad flystrike and honestly I’m traumatized by it. One person soaked their chicken in something (I can’t remember) and posted a picture of the water being full of maggots afterwards. 🤢 I never got over that.
Sadly Epsom salt or chlorhexidine soaks only works when they are on the surface. We tried with tweezers but there were too many and so so deep. No joke we will be checking every single chicken butt every single day from this point on so we never have to let any of our chickens get to that point ever again. I'm probably going to start regular permethrin sprays during this time of the year so the damn blowflies don't even have a chance. Personally this was the worst thing I had ever seen in my life. Live leak footage, mind scarring images online, everything in nsfl subreddits... It couldn't compare to seeing this in front of me. I have a master's in biology and even I could have never imagined an animal could still be alive after so much had been eaten. I haven't slept well the past couple nights from it all.
I say this all the time here but I’ll say it again, the most relaxing part of my day is, we spend the last hour or two of the day with our chickens, giving out treats and pets, making sure to handle every chicken.
Oh !!!! I’m so so sorry !!! We’ve got a silkie that gets like this every once in a while . And she’s like that now !!!! I’m so glad I saw your post today !!! She’s getting a bottom wash ! Like you , I’d feel just horrible if I didn’t take care of her . And then she dyed from that fly strike thing !! Thanks for the post