Fly Strike
Several years ago, I did a feature on fly strike for this magazine, and as diligent as Elaine and I are about keeping our coups clean, flies remain a concern. Since that story, many people have told me that they thought that flies infested their chickens after they died. Now they realize that these vile creatures attacked their birds while they were still alive. Fly strike, also known as myiasis, occurs when bot and other fly species lay their eggs in the vents, clinging manure, or open sores of animals. When the maggots hatch, they bury under the feathers and feed on flesh, especially in the vent area. From our experience, if you catch fly strike on day one or two after it has occurred, your bird has a fighting chance to recover. Any longer after that, your chicken is likely doomed to a horrible death. To decrease the chance of fly strike occurring, keep your henhouse as clean as possible. Weekly, we clean our two coups, applying food-grade (which means it’s safe for any creature to consume) diatomaceous earth to the straw, perches and sides. We also spray the entire coup with Poultry Protector, an all-natural insecticide. Last, and very importantly, we apply garden-and-poultry dust to every chicken, especially concentrating on the vent area and under the wings. If one of your chickens is stricken with fly strike, coat them with this permethrin-based product, and the maggots will come streaming off, dying soon afterwards. Later, we spray Vetericyn to the vent area to promote healing. Then isolate your chicken for a minimum of three or four days or however long it takes for them to recover their vigor.