Wet fowlpox or respiratory disease?

[SarahGfa]

Crusty scabs on her nose and corner of beak. I could not get a photo of the inside of her mouth but there are black warts on the top and bottom, surrounded by thick white stuff that I can't wipe off. It smells like a wet dog. Her throat is very swollen (see photo). she tries to eat/drink but has trouble swallowing.

Other chickens look okay, but some seem less active than usual. Two turkeys died from wet fowlpox last month. One turkey sounds like she is breathing through a stuffed nose and hunches up like she's cold all the time. Not sure if that is an early symptom of wet fowlpox or if I am totally wrong and they all have a respiratory virus. Please help if you have seen anything like this before.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Photos of the inside of her beak may be helpful.

If you've lost 2 Turkeys recently as well, then it may be Canker instead of Fowl Pox, but hard to know.
Wet Form of Fowl Pox (and Canker) too could produce respiratory like symptoms, just due to material collecting in the throat, airway, etc.

Have you tried treating with anything at all? If so, what, the dose and duration.

 

[Eggcessive]

In CA there is low cost necropsy available for any poultry that dies. That is the best way to get a diagnosis. Sorry that you have been dealing with such a severe issue. You may want to sacrifice one just to get an answer.

 

[azygous]

Have others had this white stuff clogging their mouths? I'm suspecting a yeast of some kind. Do you have access to copper sulfate?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Poor thing!
It does look like Fowl Pox. The thread linked below is long but you may find some tips for treatment in there. Sometimes you can give an antibiotic to help with secondary infection, but it's best to get some swabs/testing to find out what you are dealing with.

I agree, you are in CA and your State Lab system if one of the better ones out there as far as access and affordability. Contact them and see what they can help you with as far as testing and go from there. https://cahfs.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...pox-graphic-pictures-of-pus-and-scabs.818895/

 

[azygous]

It can be both. No law against having two disgusting diseases at the same time. Copper sulfate is a common mineral used to treat stock ponds and tanks. It kills yeasts and algae and also protozoa which can cause canker.

Amazon carries it. Order a small bag of copper sulfate penhydrate. A little goes a long way.
You will not be mixing the blue crystals directly into the drinking water, nor must the crystals in their dry form be anywhere near your chickens. You must take care not to breath any dust from them as they are extremely caustic. Wash off if any contact your skin. In the dry form copper sulfate is a dangerous substance.

However, mixed into water in the proper proportions, it is very safe. But first it's necessary to mix up a stock solution which you will use to treat the drinking water.

Stock solution (You will need to convert to Metric)

1/2 cup copper sulfate crystals
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 quart water

Allow an hour for the crystals to completely dissolve.

This stock solution will be used to add to the flock's drinking water at the following proportions (notice that it takes very little copper sulfate solution to treat water.) 1 1/2 teaspoons of stock solution in 2 quarts of water. This is what you will give the chickens to drink the same as they always drinks water.

 

[azygous]

Please, what is your location? And do you have either pigeons hanging around close by or mosquitoes?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

thank you for the link. what tests should i order? there are so many. I know the deceased turkey was fowl pox. The ones now have different symptoms (like the one with just raspy breathing), so I wanted to see if it might be early stage fowl pox or a different respiratory disease.

Call your state lab and see if you can speak with the Pathologist in the poultry department. He or she can best guide you to what tests are needed when you describe symptoms, they may even want you to email photos too so be prepared for that.

 

[Jjynx]

My chickens and turkeys got fowl pox this year I think. The chickens seemed mostly fine just the bumps and more tired and lazy than usual, they also ate less. One of the turkeys got the wet type and I swore multiple times she was gonna die. She was up and down for 2-3 weeks. Much worse on cold days, much better on warm ones. I gave her electrolytes and used vetrx. Vet rx will help keep the respiratory system open so they can breathe, because her nose kept getting filled with mucus.

 

[Rose the Legbar]

@Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive @azygous