Fatal black boil on face

[imaye]

I lost 4 chicks in the past 3 days. Ot starts as a small black zit on the head and then spreads across the whole face. The mother hen and rooster hen dont have any of this. What can it be and how do I treat it

 

[minihorse927]

It seems like blackhead disease to me, even though chickens don't normally get it.

 

[Eggcessive]

I don't think this is blackhead, but either an infection or injury. What other symptoms are you seeing? Is there a bad odor? Is there any sneezing, coughing, wheezing, or gasping? Respiratory diseases such as coryza or mycoplasma can cause swelling and crusty drainage of eyes. Fowl pox can cause dark scabs of the face, and around eyes it can cause secondary infections. I would refrigerate the body of any more that you lose, and take or send it to your state vet for a necropsy, which can pinpoint a cause of illness. Also separate any sick birds, and use good handwashing and biosecurity, so this doesn't spread.

 

[imaye]

Thanks. There are no other symptoms. All 5 hatched perferctly fine...they were active and normal. The parents are normal. Although my kids told me that they did see the rooster pecking them 1 day. This morning the last of the 5 chicks died with the same thing.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. It appears that they may have been injured by the rooster. Usually a broody hen will protect her chicks from other chickens until they have grown a bit, but it seems they were pecked in the eyes. That can cause starvation if they cannot see to eat or drink, or to keep up with the mother hen. I like to keep my broody and new chicks in a pen for a few days until she starts acting protective, all eggs have hatched, and she feels comfortable enough to bring them out to roam. A large dog crate inside the coop works well. By the 3rd day, they usually want out for short trips to teach them how to get food and scratch around.

 

[imaye]

Out of interest...i was reading another string about mosquito bites. Its the rainy season here in South Africa and there are mosquitoes about. Could it be because of the mosquito bites?