My bantam has breakout on face and eye area!

[bantamom]

Our son just discovered one of the bantams in our small flock has a sudden and severe breakout all over her face and eye area.
She is eating, drinking and behaving normally- but looks bad. My husband thinks it may be a staph infection...? Please help!!

 

[chickenlover432]

When I first looked I thought it was a tumour. Second time, it looks nothing like. I have no idea what that could be.

Hope you find something out

 

[sumi]

I think that may be fowl pox. Can you get us a close up picture of her face?

 

[bantamom]

Okay will look up Fowl Px....it is worse today. There is foam in one eye
Again, she is eating, drinking, and otherwise normal...ugh.

 

[sumi]

@casportpony Kathy, what do you think?

 

[Wyandottes7]

To me, that looks like Fowl Pox. It possibly has a secondary infection of a resipiratory disease. Fowl Pox often is accompanied by respiratory diseases, especially when it becomes the "wet" form.

I'd consider isolating her from the other birds. This way, you can give her extra attention and treatment. There isn't a treatment for Fowl Pox, as it's a virus. But, to help the scabs on the face go away, put iodine on. In a few weeks, the scabs should eventually dissapear. Applying antibiotic ointment to the worst scabs may help prevent infection.

Check inside the beak for signs of a cheesy substance, as this indicates wet fowl pox. Wet fowl pox is more serious. It can affect a bird's breathing and make them not want to eat. If this is the case, you may have to tube feed her, or tempt her into eating with moistened chicken feed, scrambled eggs, or other treats. Like dry Fowl Pox, the wet form will go away eventually, but it can kill the bird if it is severe enough.

If there's a secondary respiratory infection, (and I think there is, because of the foamy eye) I'd start antibiotics. A water soluable antibiotic like Terramycin or Duramycin should be sufficient. Tylan50 is anther great antibiotic for respiratory diseases, and some people use Baytril (though this is harder to get). The antibiotics should help the respiratory infection and may help prevent any other diseases from developing due to a weakened immune system.

Meanwhile, I'd provide electrolytes and vitamins to also ensure a strong immune system. Electrolytes and/or vitamins will give her more energy, in case she doesn't eat as much.

To summarize, you can't really treat the disease itself, but you can help her through it. Help get rid of the scabs using iodine, keep her energy up with vitamins/electrolytes/treats, and think about starting an antibiotic in case there's a secondary bacterial respiratory infection.

Here are some good links on Fowl Pox:

Avian Pox - How To Treat Your Chickens For Avian Pox - BackYard Chickens Community
http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/poultry/fowlpox/fowlpox_in_chickens_and_turkeys.html
http://hoeggerfarmyard.com/how-to-easily-diagnose-and-treat-fowl-pox/
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vm021
http://www.hobbyfarms.com/livestock-and-pets/fowl-pox-in-chickens.aspx

BYC user Casportpony has a great thread on her experience treating Fowl Pox:

Wet and Dry Fowl Pox XXX Rated Graphic Pictures of Pus and Scabs

Good luck with her!

 

[casportpony]

@casportpony
 Kathy, what do you think?

Looks like pox to me. If she were mine I would apply iodine to the warts, check the inside of her mouth for wet pox lesions/pus and weigh her daily to monitor for weight loss. Also check for mites and lice... Even though she appears to be eating, she might not be dust bathing and could have them. For me, bubbles in the eye don't warrant antibiotics, but bubbles, depression, congestion, weight loss and not eating would. Tough call...

-Kathy

 

[bantamom]

BIG Thank you so much for all this information-REALLY APPRECIATE IT!!!!

 

[bantamom]

THANK YOU so much for your reply- I will do everything to make her comfortable as possible-and monitor, monitor, monitor!!
BIG THANKS!!

 

[chickenlover432]

:-D How is she? Better?