Hello,
This is my first year with chickens, and I have two flocks, one a couple of months older than the other. My older flock of 6 hens are showing up with some black scabs on their combs, not raised or with puss, but flat and dry. They seem healthy in every other way, but one of them has got, what looks like a wound or maybe a pox on her beak, and I can't figure out whether they have pox or something else.
I've ordered a fowl pox vaccine for my younger flock that seems unaffected. I do live in a mosquito heavy area. Neighbors have chickens but none on this property for decades, at least. The girls are five and half months old and just started laying. They have a nice big coop (about 8X6 for six chickens) but a very small run (4X8). Their coop is a temporary situation and it does get a bit dusty in there, but I'm able keep the door open a lot to give them fresh air. They only have 1 nesting box as the last two just started laying. They do not get let out. I haven't noticed any sneezing or anything.
It can't be frostbite because it has been way too warm where I live. The nights have barely even gotten into the 40s.
One picture shows that one hen's comb has some fading to purple discoloration on the back end, wonder if that's a respiratory issue? But other than that is fine. Some barely have any block spots all. One or two seem to have some whitishness near some fine black spots. Only one has the great big sore. Also here is some loose looking poop, but I did give them vitamin water to drink and one may have gorged herself.
Had a devil of a time getting a good picture of the sore on Violet's beak. The pinker (and blurrier) photos are after I cleaned it up a bit.
Their new coop is almost finished and it is attached, with just a screen wall, to the other flock's, so the two can get used to each other before integrating the flocks. If it is fighting and stress induced pecking I should move them soon so they have a bigger run, more ventilation, and more nest boxes. But if it is a fungus or pox I can't move them until it is cleared up so I don't give it to the younger flock. Ack!
Any insight or advice would be much appreciated thank you!!!!
Violet's the worst one:
After these photos were taken I cleaned it up with vetericyn on a cotton ball then dabbed blu-kote on there so it would blend in with her black beak.
By the way I got them all as day-old chicks from online, and I haven't been around any other chickens or anything, but I do go to the feed store, but I wear different shoes, and they have been vaccinated for Marek's.
Thank you!
This is my first year with chickens, and I have two flocks, one a couple of months older than the other. My older flock of 6 hens are showing up with some black scabs on their combs, not raised or with puss, but flat and dry. They seem healthy in every other way, but one of them has got, what looks like a wound or maybe a pox on her beak, and I can't figure out whether they have pox or something else.
I've ordered a fowl pox vaccine for my younger flock that seems unaffected. I do live in a mosquito heavy area. Neighbors have chickens but none on this property for decades, at least. The girls are five and half months old and just started laying. They have a nice big coop (about 8X6 for six chickens) but a very small run (4X8). Their coop is a temporary situation and it does get a bit dusty in there, but I'm able keep the door open a lot to give them fresh air. They only have 1 nesting box as the last two just started laying. They do not get let out. I haven't noticed any sneezing or anything.
It can't be frostbite because it has been way too warm where I live. The nights have barely even gotten into the 40s.
One picture shows that one hen's comb has some fading to purple discoloration on the back end, wonder if that's a respiratory issue? But other than that is fine. Some barely have any block spots all. One or two seem to have some whitishness near some fine black spots. Only one has the great big sore. Also here is some loose looking poop, but I did give them vitamin water to drink and one may have gorged herself.
Had a devil of a time getting a good picture of the sore on Violet's beak. The pinker (and blurrier) photos are after I cleaned it up a bit.
Their new coop is almost finished and it is attached, with just a screen wall, to the other flock's, so the two can get used to each other before integrating the flocks. If it is fighting and stress induced pecking I should move them soon so they have a bigger run, more ventilation, and more nest boxes. But if it is a fungus or pox I can't move them until it is cleared up so I don't give it to the younger flock. Ack!
Any insight or advice would be much appreciated thank you!!!!
Violet's the worst one:
After these photos were taken I cleaned it up with vetericyn on a cotton ball then dabbed blu-kote on there so it would blend in with her black beak.
By the way I got them all as day-old chicks from online, and I haven't been around any other chickens or anything, but I do go to the feed store, but I wear different shoes, and they have been vaccinated for Marek's.
Thank you!
