Bantam losing skin and feathers

[awarmrainyday]

I have a 3 year old Bantam hen who is covered in lumps and scabs that flake off leaving raw pink skin underneath them. The skin seems to split open easily over the lumps. She's been treated for mites with ivermectin and seven dust. I've tried a round of penicillin and a round of baytril and nothing is helping her. She's currently in a small coop with two disabled birds so she's not being picked on. She seems to eat and drink well but has lost some weight and appears yellowish. It seems to be mostly on her neck and back, under her wings and along the inside of her legs. No one else is exhibiting any symptoms. I'm at a loss. Any suggestions?

 

[Banana01]

I have a 3 year old Bantam hen who is covered in lumps and scabs that flake off leaving raw pink skin underneath them. The skin seems to split open easily over the lumps. She's been treated for mites with ivermectin and seven dust. I've tried a round of penicillin and a round of baytril and nothing is helping her. She's currently in a small coop with two disabled birds so she's not being picked on. She seems to eat and drink well but has lost some weight and appears yellowish. It seems to be mostly on her neck and back, under her wings and along the inside of her legs. No one else is exhibiting any symptoms. I'm at a loss. Any suggestions?

Apply generous coconut oil on the wounds twice a day. It has antiseptic capabilities with the benefit it will kill external parasites as well.

It also may be necessary to give an internal antibiotic if available, but coconut oil has antibiotic properties for the external wound. The sores could be the result of an internal infection, I have seen similar side effects from ivermectin before in the form of an internal infection sores following dosage. Whether it was coincidence or the ivermectin caused it is unknown.

If penicillan and baytril did not work, try the coconut oil a while and they should scab over in two days. If there is no improvement, may need a different antibiotic.

 

[Banana01]

Edit: Ceftriaxone is the antibiotic that I saw treat a similar breakout. It is a cephalosporin type, which penicillan falls under. Make sure you gave penicillan for the correct dosage length.

 

[awarmrainyday]

Edit: Ceftriaxone is the antibiotic that I saw treat a similar breakout. It is a cephalosporin type, which penicillan falls under. Make sure you gave penicillan for the correct dosage length.

Thank you so much for your response! I will try the coconut oil and she has been off antibiotics for a few days, maybe I'll try another round of penicillin. I also have cephalexin I could try instead.

 

[Eggcessive]

Be careful overusing antibiotics since you do not know what is wrong. Give her some probiotics to get her gut flora back to normal. Can you see a vet? Are the sores from pecking? Mareks disease has a type that causes skin lesions. Was she vaccinated? Hopefully you can figure out what is going on. Hydrocortisone cream (the generic) is fairly inexpensive, and can be applied to clean skin.

 

[awarmrainyday]

Be careful overusing antibiotics since you do not know what is wrong. Give her some probiotics to get her gut flora back to normal. Can you see a vet? Are the sores from pecking? Mareks disease has a type that causes skin lesions. Was she vaccinated? Hopefully you can figure out what is going on. Hydrocortisone cream (the generic) is fairly inexpensive, and can be applied to clean skin.

Unfortunately none of the vets in my area see chickens. She hasn't been pecked, she's been confined with 2 disabled chickens that are very calm and friendly and cant move as fast as her (1 is wheelchair bound and the other only has 1 leg). I don't believe she was vaccinated for mareks. No one else in the flock is showing any similar symptoms. It seems like a skin infection that slowly moves around her body. The skin gets crusty and the feathers fall out, its raw and then scabs and the scabs come off and it sometimes starts over again and other times seems to heal.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is a picture of ulcers and sores of the skin form of Mareks disease:
https://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/avian_atlas_assets/MD-018A x750.jpg

In this link below you can click on “gross lesions” to see picyptures of different types of Mareks symptoms:
https://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/avian-atlas/#/disease/Marek's_Disease

 

[awarmrainyday]

Here is a picture of ulcers and sores of the skin form of Mareks disease:
https://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/avian_atlas_assets/MD-018A x750.jpg

In this link below you can click on “gross lesions” to see picyptures of different types of Mareks symptoms:
https://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/avian-atlas/#/disease/Marek's_Disease

I suppose it's possible she has leukosis. She does have fatty like lumps that want to break through the skin if you put pressure around them. She seems to bruise very easily in the affected areas as well. Maybe I should isolate her from the birds she's currently with. They both appear perfectly healthy aside from their disabilities.

 

[Eggcessive]

It is hard to know, and you may not know without testing or a necropsy if she dies. RAL a lab in TX can send you materials to collect a small blood sample to test for Mareks. I don’t know about any test for leukosis, but someone else may. Here is the link for contacting if you are interested:
https://www.vetdna.com/application/forms/aviansubmittalform.pdf

 

[awarmrainyday]

It is hard to know, and you may not know without testing or a necropsy if she dies. RAL a lab in TX can send you materials to collect a small blood sample to test for Mareks. I don’t know about any test for leukosis, but someone else may. Here is the link for contacting if you are interested:
https://www.vetdna.com/application/forms/aviansubmittalform.pdf

Thank you!