HOW TO CURE FLYSTRIKE!

[Mother_of_the_WIld]

Hello everyone! This is a guide about how to save your chickie or duckie from flystrike!
I'm going to put the how to first, just in case you’re in dire need of this information.
At the end of this article I will write about my story and how I came to find this.

*Epsom salt bath is the most important steps
*NO step should be skipped

1. ISOLATION, (bathtub)
   1. First, you need to isolate the bird. I recommend using your bathtub as this will provide an area that is easy to clean and provides a shower head that is easily accessible.
   2. Your bird will need this space for the next two days
   3. If you need to shower use a clothes hamper to keep the bird in isolation until the bathtub is free again
2. Wash the Worms
   1. Once the bird is in the bathtub you should turn the water on (temperature should be warm, but not too hot) then use the jet setting to wash the top layer of worms off your loved one. The worms that are wandering around and haven't yet burrowed into the skin should easily wash off into the drain.
   2. Next you need to use a washcloth with LOTS of Dawn dish soap and scrub the affected area, and I mean Scrub like there's no tomorrow! This step will take a long time as you are trying to get rid of as many worms as possible. You should stop this stem when you cannot see any worms on the top of the skin. This step is absolutely horrible and is a punch in the gut but you must know that your animals will thank you!
3. REST
   1. The initial shock of seeing what looks like thousands of worms and the energy needed to wash them all away will drain both you and your birdie so now it's time to rest.
   2. Keep your bird inside the bathtub and provide it with clean water and fresh food.
   3. Let your bird sleep and take about an hour and a half break
   4. DURING THIS TIME DO NOT PUT ANYTHING ON THE WORMS OR THE WOUND AS IT WILL MESS EVERYTHING UP!!!
4. SHOP!
   1. You need to go to your local farm supply and buy these things:
      1. 4 LARGE bags of Epsom salt (no scent)
      2. BLU-KOTE
      3. VETERICINE
      4. Prozap Screw Worm Ear Tick Spray for Livestock

EVERYTHING LISTED ABOVE IS SAFE FOR BIRDS!!!

1. REPEAT STEP 2
   1. Repeat everything from step two
   2. Wash your bird with dawn and a washcloth till there are no visible worms
2. REST & STERILISE THE ROOM
   1. Take another break and let the bird rest in the tub
   2. This break can be longer and give you time to go to the store
   3. It's good to provide a heat source like a small heater for the bird since it will be wet and preening
   4. Take this time to clean the bathroom and spray/ wipe down all surfaces making sure no worms are crawling up the walls or along the floor
   5. Feed your animal its favourite food to keep up morale!
3. BATH TIME!
   1. FIll the tub with lukewarm water
      1. (all the way if you have ducks and up to the neck if you have chickens)
   2. Pour one FULL bag of Epsom salt into the water
      1. Full bag is super important
   3. For 20 minutes hold your bird under the water
      1. (keep its head out so it can breathe) but make sure that ALL the affected area stays submerged for a full 20 minutes
   4. For comfort, play music for your bird or sing some songs. Just do what you can to keep him or her calm.
   5. Holding the bird under the water will drown the worms and cause them to come flooding out into the bath
   6. This step is terrifying (especially if worms are your worst fear like me) but stay calm and take deep breaths. It is so important that this step is a success because it will take out more than half of the infestation.
   7. Yes, thousands of worms will be swimming in the water but it’s only for 20 minutes you can do it!!
   8. After 20 minutes let the water out and all the free worms should go down the drain but use the shower head to wash away any remaining worms.
   9. NO WORMS SHOULD BE SEEN
4. REST & SPRAY
   1. Turn up the heater
   2. Provide food and water
   3. Spray a layer of Vetericyn then a layer of BLU-KOTE followed by one quick spritz of Screw worm spray
5. ASSES THE SITUATION
   1. If you see worms repeat step 2-8 again
   2. If you do not see any worms go to the next step
6. BATH
   1. Repeat EVERYTHING from step 7
   2. Remember 20 minutes!!
7. REST
   1. Repeat EVERYTHING from step 8
   2. Remember to spray
8. ASSES THE SITUATION
   1. If you see worms repeat step 10
   2. If you do not see worms go to step 13
9. BATH AND REST
   1. Ok, so now you should be in the green zone where your bird is super likely to recover! It's probably late so you and your birdie need a good (ish) night's rest. What you need to do now is set an alarm for every two- three hours
   2. Once the alarm goes off give your baby another bath (20 mins)
   3. Each bath there should be less and less worms
10. SLEEP
    1. Sleep and set timer
    2. Keep giving baths until there are NO worms

SO, it's been a rough 12 or so hours but your ladies (or men) are recovering and it's all because you stayed with them every step of the way. I know this is hard to deal with but you and your friends will be thankful! Like I said at the beginning of this article, it's very important to not skip any step as this may allow the worms to stay hidden inside the skin.

WHAT I USED:

1. BLU-KOTE 2. EPSOM SALT 3. SCREW WORM SPRAY

MY LADIES!!
The BLU-KOTE stained them purple! After one week in isolation, following all the steps listed above, my ladies were worm free!

Happy as they can be!

 

[Mother_of_the_WIld]

Hope this helps!

 

[Tookie]

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