Foamy Eye

[crazypolishchic]

Have been battling the pox and now have a rooster with a foamy eye and wheezing. I have vaccinated the birds unaffected by pox but have 2 batches of vaccinated chicks that I am keeping inside until I make sure the vaccine takes. I am worried that this has turned in to a respitory illness and will hurt the whole flock as well as the babies when they are big enough to go outside. I am sure they have all been exposed since all of the pens show signs of pox in some birds. I don't have a good place to keep this

Have had chickens for the last year and this is the first time I have had to treat any illness.

 

[Aniew]

I'm not a backyard chicken enthusiast, but I am a microbiologist at a non-for-profit organization and my research has recently been focused on fowlpox virus. In answer to your question, there's not much you can do for fowlpox other than take off the large scabs and clean the lesions with betadine (iodine) or neosporin in order to prevent secondary infections. Once the chicks have been exposed to pox, they will be immune to all forms of fowlpox, including wet pox.

I was also hoping I could ask you for a favor. I've been working on collecting samples from different parts of the country and have been asking members of the backyardchickens community for samples from their infected chickens.

All I would need is a couple of scabs, and I could send you a sample tube for collection as well as a prepaid envelope to return the tube to me. Or if you're uncomfortable sharing your address, I could send you mine (but of course then I wouldn't be able to send you an envelope).

I want to stress that all my data collection would be 100% anonymous and the sample would be used for purely research purposes only.

Thanks and I hope to hear back from you.

 

[crazypolishchic]

Will be glad to help if you reply to post with your address.

 

[Snozzle]

There is a chance that your birds may have mycoplasma gallium, which unfortunately is very common in many flocks. It lays dormant until your flock goes through stress and then you see the symptoms. Usually a cycle of antibiotics will clear it up and you don't see it again for a long time, but you may lose young or weak birds.

 

[crazypolishchic]

Whatever the respiratory problem the one rooster had we treated with Teramyacin for 7 days and he is all well. No one else has ever shown any of the symptoms so I am happy about that. My young birds have been vaccinated against the Pox and they have just gone outside this week. The 3 week olds will stay inside for a bit longer. Thanks!