Severe Mites AND Fowl Pox??

[Sk8inChick(en)]

Hello! I have a 9-year-old hen with a severe mite infestation (Northern Fowl Mite I think) but I think she also has Fowl Pox... yikes. We treated the entire flock for mites this past summer and all but hers cleared up quickly. We did some follow-up Permethrin powder treatments. She seemed okay, but in the last 2-3 weeks, she's lost a lot of weight (normal is ~7 lbs, she's down to ~4.4) and isn't really eating at all. I noticed a ton of mites on her, in addition to the vent & wings, they were on top of her feathers and on her face/nose. The other chickens had a few scattered on their vents last night and we powdered them, but nothing compared to Kitty (yes, that's her name).

Anyway, today my mom noticed her face was swollen on the left side, same side as her eye has been irritated on. I came to look and sure enough she's got a big lesion inside her beak. I thought it might be a canker, but it has no odor even when squeezed. Given that she also has the ongoing eye irritation (this came first), I'm wondering if this is wet Fowl Pox. I've never dealt with this before.

I'd still like to treat her for the mites, as I'm sure that stress isn't helping her recover from a virus (if that's what she has). I'm gonna see if our vet can prescribe oral ivermectin on Monday, but if not, I can buy the cattle injection solution from TSC and dilute it to give it orally (at 0.2mg/kg).

Do you all agree that this looks like fowl pox? If so, should I still go ahead and treat the mites as well? I seem to be reading that fowl pox has no treatment other than supportive care. I included some photos of her eye and the lesion in her beak for reference. The other birds show no signs of illness. Thank you in advance!

 

[Ursuline Chick]

Hi from New Orleans. Poor thing she does look like she feels poorly.
Is her tail tucked in all the time? Check the meds you are using for her mites and remember not to use the meds more than the container advises. You don't want to poison her. Is she in an area of her own, like a hospital cage, so she can't infect your other birds and you have an easier time treating her? Do you have a vet who will swab and culture what appears to be the canker sore, so you know she is getting the right meds. If she has a bad case of mites she may be anemic and need iron. You also want to keep monitoring her weight and learn how to properly feed her if she won't eat on her own. I think there are articles on the best way to do this and @casportpony is very knowledgeable about these things, so you may want to call on her for additional advice. Thoughts and prayers for you and your hen. Good Luck.
Is she still acting like her normal self or has she slowed down and kinda just sits alone or hides? The fact that she has lost about 1/2 her weight worries me.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Sorry she's not doing well. That 2nd picture looks like she has bubbles in her eye. That with the swelling makes me think it's a respiratory infection, possibly MG. It can be treated with antibiotics, I believe. But it's highly contagious. You might look it up and see what you think.

 

[Eggcessive]

MG, a chronic respiratory disease, which can cause bubbles in an eye, eyelid swelling, and other respiratory symptoms, and can be common in backyard flocks. It can be a problem as a secondary infection with fowl pox. Tylan or tylosin is a good treatment for MG symptoms. Wet fowl pox can last longer than dry pox. It is very serious. There is no treatment for pox virus. Have you removed all bedding and treated all nests, roosts, and the coop with a permethrin spray? Mites hatch every 5-7 days, so you can treat with permethrin dust or spray at 7 days intervals 2or 3 times to get control of them. Ivermectin pour-on for cattle can be used twice at 14 day intervals, and the dosage of 5 mg per ml strength is 0.1 ml per every 2 pounds of weight. There is a long egg withdrawal time with ivermectin, so many people prefer the permethrin.

 

[Sk8inChick(en)]

Thank you all for your help! I really appreciate it.

@Ursuline Chick Unfortunately our chicken vet is out of town until February, but we do have his email. It sounds like iron would be good for her, but I don't know where to start with that for chickens. We have been feeding her baby food with a syringe (a tiny bit at a time in the tip of her beak, careful not to get any down her throat or tilt her head). She's not acting herself, normally she's the boss and she's just sort of hiding now. She is interested in drinking, so we've gotten her to drink a little unflavored Pedialyte.

@Aunt Angus and @Eggcessive I'm not familiar with MG, but I'm reading about it and that does seem to match her symptoms...I'm hoping that is it, since it sounds like it's treatable? I saw they sell the Tylosin at TSC, so maybe I'll pick some up.

She's not currently isolated, but the other 3 chickens do seem fine. I checked them and no swelling, eye issues, or lesions in their mouths. They're all eating and drinking fine, acting normal. My mom said Kitty started getting sick several weeks ago (I live out-of-state, but home for the holidays), so I would think the others would have gotten it by now if she was contagious? I don't know, though, I'm not familiar with these diseases.

For the ivermectin, is it better to use the pour-on? I thought I'd have to give her something internal since they're on her face and in her nose, and I can't really pour it on her face. I've never used it, though, so I don't know which is better. Egg withdrawal isn't an issue, she's post-henopause haha. I did spray the coop and roosts down with Permethrin about two days ago.

I'm wondering if the mites have taken over because she's weak from being sick? Or maybe she's just old and frail? She's going on 10. The others have very few or no mites at all, and they don't look thin or sickly.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

For the ivermectin, is it better to use the pour-on? I thought I'd have to give her something internal since they're on her face and in her nose, and I can't really pour it on her face.

We have been feeding her baby food with a syringe (a tiny bit at a time in the tip of her beak, careful not to get any down her throat or tilt her head).

I did spray the coop and roosts down with Permethrin about two days ago.

Ivermectin pour-on for cattle can be used twice at 14 day intervals, and the dosage of 5 mg per ml strength is 0.1 ml per every 2 pounds of weight. There is a long egg withdrawal time with ivermectin, so many people prefer the permethrin.

Consider crop/tube feeding her, most use Kaytee baby bird formula or make a thin watery slurry made from poultry feed. How to info is found here https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/crop-feeding.75454/

It wouldn't hurt to direct dose her with vitamins like Poultry Cell once a day for 3-4 days then cut back to a couple of times a week for a little while. Poultry Cell is 1cc per 3 pounds of weight.

Ivermectin Pour On is applied to the base of the neck along the spine making sure the liquid comes into contact with the skin.

If she's still got all those mites on her and you can't get the Ivermectin, then treat her and her flock mates with the Permethrin spray that you are using to treat the coop. The mites will continue to drain energy from her and the others too. If they are on her face and head, you can always wet a cloth with the permethrin solution/spray and gently wipe around her face and head. Make sure the spray it making contact with the skin.
Personally, I like using dust when treating birds since I can work the powder throughout the feathers.

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes, Wyorp Rock is correct about applying ivermectin pour on to the back of the neck over the spine, where it is best absorbed. Poultry Cell and NutriDrench both contain some iron, and dosage of either one is 1 ml per every 3 pounds of weight daily for about 5 days. Using longer could possibly cause some diarrhea. Beef liver is a good source of iron.

 

[Sk8inChick(en)]

Thank you! I think I'm gonna head to the farm supply and pick up some Tylosin, ivermectin pour-on, and Poultry Cell. I'll see if I can get a tube-feeding apparatus, but if I can't is it okay to continue the baby food?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you! I think I'm gonna head to the farm supply and pick up some Tylosin, ivermectin pour-on, and Poultry Cell. I'll see if I can get a tube-feeding apparatus, but if I can't is it okay to continue the baby food?

I don't see any harm in giving the baby food for a short period of time. Hydration first and then whatever you can get into her that has nutritional value whether it's baby food, wet soupy poultry feed, etc.

 

[Sk8inChick(en)]

Okay, so I've got injectable Tylan 50 that I’ll probably dose her orally since I’m seeing they need it multiple times/day and I don’t want to stick her so often. I’ll do the ivermectin pour-on tomorrow and keep updating! I also picked up Sav-a-Chick stuff and Nutridrench, so I’ll give her that, too.
Fingers crossed. She’s our longest-lived, and ironically, most often sick chicken. If any would pull through, it’s probably her.

Thank you again for your help, everyone!