HEAT RASH? WARNING! GRAPHIC PICS!!!

[SassysMom]

My Bantam

Lavender Orpington roo's feet are very swollen. I started treating him for Bumblefoot, but my Avian vet said it doesn't look/act like it.

Anyway, in picking him up to inspect all over, I noticed this nasty fire-red rash on his chest. It has yellow scabs on it and looks painful. I'm currently giving him Medicam. I have soaked him in epsom salts, washed him in Povidine Iodine scrub (highly diluted), powdered him for mites/lice (none seen, but for good measure) I've used a gel-type ointment on the rash (can't remember the name right now). Yesterday, I noticed his hen-life partner

has it, too. Her's hasn't spread past the upper part of her chest. This morning, I noticed one of my Chocolate Orpington pullets has a similar rash on her right side just under where her wing stops and the fluff begins.

I'm attaching pictures. Could this be heat rash? We've had a week of high 70's-80's (very hot for Seattle), and several more days are projected.

UPDATE: As of tonight, Duke's rash is almost completely gone. Any idea of what this is? Now the detective work begins

Connie

 

[GitaBooks]

I've never seen anything like that before, but I'm glad that they are getting better!
I guess maybe it could be heat rash. Were there any other symptoms of them over heating? Did the hens stop laying? Were they sitting around a lot? Could they have perhaps been attacked by something like fire ants?
Sometimes, diseases can cause scabbing and sores on the body, so watch for other symptoms over the nest few days or weeks.

Best of luck!

 

[SassysMom]

Thanks! No, no other symptoms. The hens are spotty about laying eggs right now. A few are broody, some just lie down and act broody. Day b4 yesterday, I pulled everything out of their coop, power washed it from top to bottom, including roost bars. Sprayed bleach solution from top to bottom and let everything dry b4 they could go back in. Fresh litter, of course, but nothing different than they've had.

Today, I sprayed all of their outdoor areas with water, filled a couple of their holes with water (which sank into the ground in seconds), got the outdoor roost bars wet. Poor babies! They've been when they're inside the coop laying and I've put waterers inside the coop. Outside, every play yard has at least 1 waterer, some two. The fenced free range area has 2 or 3 and they all have frozen water bottles inside. I have 45 hens and roosters (and 9 chicks, three wks and wks old). Guess I've become the water girl for this team

Thanks for your reply!
Connie

 

[Eggcessive]

It sounds like there could be some signs of mycoplasma synovitis, with swollen legs and breast blisters. MS is a respiratory disease that may not have many symptoms except swollen joints, limping, and the breasts blisters occur from lying down on the breastbone instead of roosting or standing. You may want to contact the state vet or local dept.of agriculture to get him tested, since it is contagious and makes carriers of your flock. Antibiotics such as Tylan, chlortetracycline, and Gallimycin are some of the drugs used in treating the symptoms of MS.

 

[SassysMom]

Hi, Eggcessive,

Now, even the avian vet didn't come up with that! Thanks! We're NPIP certified in WA state, so I'll call the state office tomorrow. I'm happy to have isolated my roo on Sunday, not having any idea what was going on. We'd been gone the week before, but our farm sitter is very experienced. I just don't think she thought to check the flocks on a regular basis. I saw the swollen feet as soon as I went into the chicken yard (about 5 min. after we got home!). I never would have thought of MS, or that it was a respiratory disease causing foot swelling.

Thanks, once again, Eggcessive. I hope the state vet can come here on Monday (just realized it was Friday). Assuming the drugs are by Rx, is there anything I can do/use over the week-end?

Connie

 

[SassysMom]

Thought I would add pics of my roo's feet, too...

 

[Eggcessive]

Did you ever get any response about the swelling of the legs and feet? I just now saw the latest pictures of the feet. It looks fairly classic for either MS or gout.