Avian pox treatment

[Aina]

hello, two of my hens (late Chica’s babies) get avian pox. The feed supply told me to put “shoyu” (soy sauce) on the crusts using a Qtip and also gave me over the counter antibiotic pills. I know antibiotics don’t work against viruses but do help reduce associated bacterial infections.
Anyway, one hen was severely affected and the other just started (third never showed any symptoms). The mildly infested fully recovered after 3 days and the badly diseased one is now doing much better! SO I’d like to share that this treatment REALLY WORKED and saved one eye affected... hoping that may help you! Aloha Anne

 

[EggSighted4Life]

hello, two of my hens (late Chica’s babies) get avian pox. The feed supply told me to put “shoyu” (soy sauce) on the crusts using a Qtip and also gave me over the counter antibiotic pills. I know antibiotics don’t work against viruses but do help reduce associated bacterial infections.
Anyway, one hen was severely affected and the other just started (third never showed any symptoms). The mildly infested fully recovered after 3 days and the badly diseased one is now doing much better! SO I’d like to share that this treatment REALLY WORKED and saved one eye affected... hoping that may help you! Aloha Anne

Hi.

It's awesome that your birds are showing recovery!

Gonna say soy sauce is a crap home ready. Saline or salt water would work just as good. Best thing to do is leave the scabs alone. Why not use beta-dine or something else that has actual medical uses?

Anti biotics also kills the good bacteria that are already fighting off the infection on their own. Simply BAD advice by yet another feed store employee that you are now perpetuating. Giving antibiotics is HARD on the system. Giving them to an already ailing bird may not treat any "secondary infection" because it may NOT exist, and could actually kill them! Plus over use of antibiotcs IS the exact reason why super bugs exist. So what, the next time you actually NEED to use it, it won't work because the bacteria had exposure to it and built resistance.

In my personal opinion, you had done just as well to offer some probiotics and maybe vitamin support.

Please tell me how the soy sauce saved the affected eye? Or was it anti biotics that may not have even been targeting the RIGHT type of bacteria to be beneficial?

I know I sound mean or judgmental here and I am sorry for coming off that way. What I really mean to do is not perpetuate what I consider to be misinformation and simply share other possibilities with you. I know that we all must do what makes sense to us. But I'm gonna say your birds would probably have recovered anyways.

Another thing, If salt killed all stuff we wouldn't have oceans teaming with life including bacteria that sometimes gets beaches closed down.

Touching the scabs, and going from one to another is a GREAT way to spread the disease even farther.

I'm sorry you had to deal with it and I am glad that your birds are coming through.

Best wishes!

 

[Aina]

Thank you very much for your post and reply...
Interestingly I am a Biologist with a Ph-D in Oceanography so I meant well aware about bacterial resistance to antibiotics and the downside about also killing the good bacteria. I rescued Chica, my hen’s mama 6 years ago in the side of the road. Took her to the vet which cost me hundred of $$ and a topical antibiotic to her eyes (she was blind). She eventually recovered one eye. She had a crooked leg so she was a one eye one valid leg hen I loved so dearly...
Anyway to get back to her babies: Leanna never showed any symptoms (most ne tesistant to it) Michaiah was treated early and recovered within 3 days and Julia is now almost fine: just a few bumps on one side and both her eyes are fine she sees well. As for th shoyu (soy sauce) the guy at the feed store told me that not only it contains a lot of salt but also sticks longer to the scab and - according to him- soy has healing properties... I put shoyu during the day and “aquaphor” skin protectant at night when Julia would not be in the sand. ALL I can say is that it worked very very well... Yes vitamins and electrolytes certainly helped as well. All I can say is that within 5 days Julia is fine... Again I am not a Vet nor a MD... I just wanted to share that those “home remedy” did work well in my situation: I only have 3 hens who are free roaming in my yard. Only Julia is kept in the coop until she fully recovers. Plus I give her lots of papaya which she loves! Aloha Aina

 

[Aina]

Thank you very much for your post and reply...
Interestingly I am a Biologist with a Ph-D in Oceanography so I meant well aware about bacterial resistance to antibiotics and the downside about also killing the good bacteria. I rescued Chica, my hen’s mama 6 years ago in the side of the road. Took her to the vet which cost me hundred of $$ and a topical antibiotic to her eyes (she was blind). She eventually recovered one eye. She had a crooked leg so she was a one eye one valid leg hen I loved so dearly...
Anyway to get back to her babies: Leanna never showed any symptoms (most ne tesistant to it) Michaiah was treated early and recovered within 3 days and Julia is now almost fine: just a few bumps on one side and both her eyes are fine she sees well. As for th shoyu (soy sauce) the guy at the feed store told me that not only it contains a lot of salt but also sticks longer to the scab and - according to him- soy has healing properties... I put shoyu during the day and “aquaphor” skin protectant at night when Julia would not be in the sand. ALL I can say is that it worked very very well... Yes vitamins and electrolytes certainly helped as well. All I can say is that within 5 days Julia is fine... Again I am not a Vet nor a MD... I just wanted to share that those “home remedy” did work well in my situation: I only have 3 hens who are free roaming in my yard. Only Julia is kept in the coop until she fully recovers. Plus I give her lots of papaya which she loves! Aloha Aina

 

[EggSighted4Life]

All I can say is that within 5 days Julia is fine

Sounds like you guys have been through the ringer. And that she very lucky to have you!

I can't help but wonder if like so many other wives tells her recovery was coincidental and attributed to the home remedy. Which by the way, of course I know some home remedies do work. But I still remember the days of putting butter on or burns to help them heal faster! Quack...

But it's true that we have been very dumbed down as a society and taught to rely heavily on the pharmaceutical companies. Getting back to roots of what our ancestors knew while having the newer medical technologies available to us... might change our lives in stead of just increasing the $ in the pocket of both the government and pharma companies. They do NOT want us to be self reliable.

As a biologist with a Ph-d, not likely much you will learn from me. All I have is reasoning on my side.

I'm glad you think it worked for you and that your willing to share what might be beneficial to others. (even if I disagree with it, we are all here to share our experiences)

I'm all about studies. What stinks is with such a small sample size, even though you tried using it on some birds and not others to see it's true efficacy... with varying immune systems and such it would be a possibly skewed result and not truly representative.

I see you are in HI.

I know some areas there can get humid and pox is transmitted by mosquitoes. As far as I know, your birds can't catch pox again. But being always vigilant to dump stagnant water, I'm sure you know is important.

Interesting, everybody has their own ways. Aquaphor is a great product, though I probably wouldn't use it in THIS instance.

Papaya might be enjoyed but should ONLY be given as a treat or snack at a rate of not more than 10%. of the total daily ration. It has very little protein and probably amino acids which are essential in the diet of chickens. Of course that might be the only snack you mentioned and you actually have it balanced. To me, nutrition is the KEY to a lot of chicken issues. You must be doing something right to have helped that hen recover from all those issues she had! Stew Pidasso, however dumped her!

Hope you have a great day!

 

[Aina]

Yes I live in Hawaii.
Thank you for your kind email.
All girls are fine!
I only give them papaya as treats! They have organic feed, I tried tomatoes but they don't like it!
And they are free roaming in my yard (and my neighbors' yards!) eating bugs and seeds here and there.
Yes I am far from an expert, yes you are right that might be a coincidence and YES you are still right that I can't make scientific conclusions with only two hens treated...
Now I do use Epsom salt on my horse's hoof when he has an abscess: that hyper-osmotic solution "pulls" out the bad stuff. I think Soy sauce (Shoyu) is highly concentrated in salt and because it is a bit sticky it might stay longer to prolonge the effect. Not too sure about healing properties of shoyu...
Finally, in addition to papayas as treats my hens keep coming up in my apartment to eat kibbles from my cats! They love it and I am not too sure if that is healthy for them, although a good protein source!
I should send you a video because it is indeed very funny to watch how they push my cats away to get to their food!
Aloha, Aina

 

[lazy gardener]

Interesting discussion from both sides. I'm of the mind set that we as a society have been truly dumbed down and taught that the only effective treatments come from a pharmacist or a doctor and must damage the wallet in order to be effective. No doubt the saline in the soy sauce may have had a drying effect. However, soy sauce is a fermented product, thus most likely has some antibiotic tendencies. Rather than the knee jerk reaction of stating that such an unorthodox treatment is snake oil, perhaps a hmmm... huh??? followed by a more open minded assessment might be in order. In the old days, wounds were treated with honey or sugar. Then, there was the blood letting caused by leaches. Interestingly enough, leaches are actually being used in modern medicine now. As for sugar or honey: both have healing properties. And what about using maggots to clean wounds? Ancient voodoo practice, yet, may have sound science behind such use.