Anyone? Fowl pox questions

[MinniesMomma]

Last night I discovered a hen with her eye swollen shut. I thought maybe it was an injury from packing so I brought her inside cleaned it and put some ointment on the eye. This evening I discovered another hand with the same problem and black scabs all over her comb. I have decided they probably have fowl pox. Will their eyesight come back when these sores have healed? Do I need to keep these two girls separated from the rest of the flock A) to limit spreading and B) to protect them from getting picked on? Or is it too late to keep the rest of the flock from getting sick? I have about 80 other birds and 12 brand new chicks. Do I need to get them all vaccinated?

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you post any pictures of the eyes or the scabs? Swollen eyes can be from pecking, getting something in the eye, or a respiratory disease, such as MG. Foul pox can start out as beige or tan blisters or scabs, then turn a bit darker brown or black. Peck marks are usually jet black and sometimes can be mistaken for pox.

 

[MinniesMomma]

 

[MinniesMomma]

Can you post any pictures of the eyes or the scabs? Swollen eyes can be from pecking, getting something in the eye, or a respiratory disease, such as MG. Foul pox can start out as beige or tan blisters or scabs, then turn a bit darker brown or black. Peck marks are usually jet black and sometimes can be mistaken for pox.

I just added some pictures of one of the girls, thank you!

 

[MinniesMomma]

Can anyone help me?

 

[Eggcessive]

You can flush her eye out with saline or saline eye wash, and apply plain Neosporin or Triple Antibiotic Ointment twice a day. Terramycin eye ointment is preferred if you can get it, but the other will do. Try to not disturb the scabs as little as possible, since fallen scabs are contagious and can spread the virus. Also, wet pox when lesions are inside the beak and throat can be more serious, so you might want to look inside her beak and throat for any yellow plaques.

 

[MinniesMomma]

You can flush her eye out with saline or saline eye wash, and apply plain Neosporin or Triple Antibiotic Ointment twice a day. Terramycin eye ointment is preferred if you can get it, but the other will do. Try to not disturb the scabs as little as possible, since fallen scabs are contagious and can spread the virus. Also, wet pox when lesions are inside the beak and throat can be more serious, so you might want to look inside her beak and throat for any yellow plaques.

Thank you! So you do think it is fowl pox? Do I need to keep her separated from the others? I kind of figure they've probably all been exposed now. I am in the process of sterilizing water buckets and I will be cleaning the coop tomorrow morning. I'm also going to order vaccine tomorrow hey, do you know if I can give it to everyone or only the ones that I am positive have not had it?

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes, that looks to be the dry form of fowl pox. It is a virus carried by mosquitoes that lasts about 3 weeks. When the scabs dry up and fall off, they can become dusty and can be breathed in which can keep spreading the virus over several months. Once chickens get it, they are usually immune to it later. The fowl pox vaccine should only be given to chickens who do not show symptoms of the lesions or scabs. Here is some reading:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/fowl-pox-prevention-treatmen/

http://extension.msstate.edu/publications/fowl-pox-backyard-flocks

 

[MinniesMomma]

Yes, that looks to be the dry form of fowl pox. It is a virus carried by mosquitoes that lasts about 3 weeks. When the scabs dry up and fall off, they can become dusty and can be breathed in which can keep spreading the virus over several months. Once chickens get it, they are usually immune to it later. The fowl pox vaccine should only be given to chickens who do not show symptoms of the lesions or scabs. Here is some reading:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/fowl-pox-prevention-treatmen/

http://extension.msstate.edu/publications/fowl-pox-backyard-flocks

Thank you so much for all of your help, I truly appreciate it!

 

[TropicalBabies]

Hi, The feral "mango flock" next door to me had it really, really bad at the end of January/February. The wild chicks were sick with crustations everywhere and sneaking in my run to eat and drink after their moms abandoned them. I was scared for my flock 12 hens and 4 chicks. It was nearly impossible to keep them away so I would capture them and put them in a screened brooder with vitamins and feed. They had it horrifically bad and most all chicks died but to my surprise, only two of my chicks got mild cases, no hens, a few bumps and both are fine. I'd say get them on some vitamins and keep them as mosquito free as possible. Nutrition seems very important and I sprayed my chickens butts, roosts and structure with Eco fly/mosquito spray and it worked great but my coop is very open.
Best of luck and keep us posted.