What in the name of Baby Jesus is this?

[rkadish]

He was fine yesterday, today I found him laying in the dirt with blood near his tail. I lifted the tail and found the tail area swarming with maggots.

 

[Zainthe]

He was probably attacked by something and you did not notice it for a long time

 

[coach723]

Probably an injury of some kind that has now become flystrike. Flystrike is serious and needs to be dealt with quickly or the bird could die. The maggots infest the wound, and will literally eat the bird alive, they also leave toxins that will make the bird very sick. You need to flush or soak the area thoroughly and remove all maggots, use tweezers if needed. You can use a diluted chlorhexidine solution (hibiclens), sterile saline, or a warm, mild soapy water solution. Maggots may continue to come to the surface for a while, depending on how much they have burrowed in. You will need to check several times a day and remove any maggots that continue to appear, until you are VERY sure that you've gotten them all. Cover the area with plain neosporin or plain triple antibiotic ointment and reapply as needed to keep it covered with ointment and moist. If any feathers are getting in the way you can trim them back with small scissors. If the maggots have gone very deep then you may need a round of antibiotics.
Here is one story of flystrike, you can search for more threads on this forum:
https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/flystrike-a-chicken-killer-cuddles-beats-the-odds-again/
*EDIT* Wanted to add, the bird should be kept somewhere that no more flies can get to it until the wound is healed, or it could happen again.

 

[Andrea5718]

He was fine yesterday, today I found him laying in the dirt with blood near his tail. I lifted the tail and found the tail area swarming with maggots.View attachment 2656626

Fly strike!! Happened to my rooster awhile back. I bathed him in warm water with some epsom salts until all the maggots were washed off. Repeated again a couple of hours later, just in case, taking care to wash the tub out with hot water. Maybe I was just lucky to catch it in time but he was totally fine after that. I just keep an eye on the rooster and hen's bums when I notice fecal matter collecting on their rear.

 

[rkadish]

Thank you all for the help, as soon as I saw it I covered the area with diatomaceous earth. By the time I was able to get the bath together he was gone. I had not noticed an injury the day before and he was acting fine, I also checked the area for pulled out feathers but could not find an obvious attack point. Not sure how it happened but I have a little better knowledge now if it happens again.

 

[Andrea5718]

Thank you all for the help, as soon as I saw it I covered the area with diatomaceous earth. By the time I was able to get the bath together he was gone. I had not noticed an injury the day before and he was acting fine, I also checked the area for pulled out feathers but could not find an obvious attack point. Not sure how it happened but I have a little better knowledge now if it happens again.

Sorry for your loss