Can fowl pox kill chickens?

[BantammChick]

I think my chickens might have fowl pox.Just a few days ago,my hen Lucille died.Could it have been fowl pox?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Yes it can but rare. Usually 2% of the flock or less.
I imagine birds that were otherwise healthy wouldn't succumb to it.
I'd send your bird off to the Mizzou vet school for necropsy and lab work if it is important to you to know what killed the hen.
There are 2 labs in MO.

Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory

University of Missouri

810 E. Campus Loop

Columbia, Missouri 65211-0001

Phone: 573-882-6811



Missouri Department of Agriculture Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory

701 North Miller Avenue

Springfield, Missouri 65802-6460

Phone: 417-895

 

[ronott1]

I am sorry you lost one!

Follow chicken canoe's advice and get her tested

 

[casportpony]

Sorry for your loss. Yes, fowl pox can kill them. If you find more with pox, place them in isolation, weigh them daily, and monitor their food and water intake. A bird with pox that does not eat or drink enough will probably die without intervention.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you see any scabs on combs, wattles or faces? Yellow plaques inside the beak and throat can indicate wet pox. Pictures can help. Fowl pox is more of a problem during warmer weather when mosquitoes are about. Unless there has been pox in the area or from new chickens where it has been a problem, it can linger in the environment on shed scabs for months. Wet pox is much more lethal, and involves yellow patches inside the throat, airway, and digestive tract.
During winter weather in cold states like yours, I would look at other possible causes. A necropsy performed by your state poultry lab would be a food way to get answers ona cause of death. Sorry for your loss.