Early signs of dry fowl pox - looking for added advice (like should I quarantine?)

[Cinnaminute]

Hi everyone,

After Hurricane Helene hit us, it brought a huge swarm of mosquitoes (and some very, absolutely large striped ones at that). I did as much as I could for the chickens with fans and whatnot, but they were still pretty swamped. Anyway, I had hoped we were in the clear since the mosquitoes have died down tremendously, but yesterday morning I found out that my Crevecoeur hen Leslie has a pus filled bump on her wattle.

It's a little difficult to see in the picture. She currently is moody about being handled and this was the best I can currently get (will try for a better one later - but it's essentially a yellow pus-looking lump on the bottom edge of her left wattle).


Nobody else seems to have any signs of dry fowl pox, that I'm aware of (I'll be checking mouths for signs of wet tonight when they're on the roost). I have two separate flocks of chickens. Leslie is with the cresteds and honestly, besides Helga & the rooster, no one else has much of any wattles or combs. I don't see any bumps on faces.

My non-crested flock does have a few hens with scabs on their combs but I'm pretty sure those are from our rooster since I check everyone daily and those hens will one minute have no marks at all on their combs/wattles and then suddenly have a big ugly scab an hour later.

Steps Taken
So far I've removed the extra water pan because Leslie's wattles dip into that water when she drinks. They have a big 4 gallon bucket with cups and due to the size of the cups, her wattles don't seem to go in the water. I'm hoping that'll help a lot. I also scrubbed the bucket with Dawn antibacterial and I'll do so every day to keep it clean.

Plans
I plan on fully cleaning the coop & run bi-weekly starting today. I have Wee Away Coop Cleaner and of course vinegar I can use to clean. I'll also be applying Betadine to Leslie's pus bump, and maybe even everyone's scabs just in case. Of course, I'll be giving everyone electrolytes and extra vitamins & protein. I was thinking of grabbing one of these in case things get worse:

https://jedds.com/products/triple-c-vetafarm?_pos=1&_sid=7f0fbd45b&_ss=r
https://jedds.com/products/medivital-medpet?_pos=2&_sid=7f0fbd45b&_ss=r

Questions

• Should I separate Leslie from everyone until she gets over this? Or should I leave her since it doesn't seem severe?
• Should I get a more powerful cleaner, like Oxine or bleach mixture instead to clean with?
• Anything other than vitamins & electrolytes I should add to the water just in case? Are one of those medicines from jedds worth having on hand/using as a preventative?
• Should I pickup some regular Iodine instead of Betadine?

Thank you!

 

[Debbie292d]

Boy, you have this covered. I've never had fowlpox but I'd love to read this post if I ever do!

Yes, your other birds can be infected by birds with fowlpox, so I'd separate Leslie and any others that may show a sign of it from the rest. Maybe you'll spare them of it.

I would choose Betadine over iodine, but if iodine is what you have on hand, that'd be fine. I would put a dab of triple antibiotic ointment like Neosporine on the sores.

I use Odoban for cleaning incubators/coops as it like Lysol in what it kills, and is poultry safe; however, 50/50 solution of vinegar/water would kill quite a bit too.

For vitamins, we use Poultry Cell or Nutra Drench and yes, I'd give them some vitamin water just for the boost. For probiotics, we ferment grain, but also have used the probiotic powders like Hydro Hen for their water.

 

[Cinnaminute]

@Debbie292d Thank you so much for the info. I had no idea Odoban was safe for coops! I'll have to grab some up this week. I have Betadine on hand. I've also got Neosporin. And Vetericyn. Goodness knows, with the bumblefoot I've dealt with this year, I've pretty much got it all in my first aid kit for the chickens. haha But I grabbed some Iodine from the store yesterday just in case. I read some people add it to the water (1/2 teaspoon per gallon) but I'm going to hold off unless I see half the flock come down with fowl pox. Seeing that "caution: poison - do not ingest" on the label is definitely spooky.

I've got Nutridrench and some Sav-A-Chick probiotics and electrolytes so I'll rotate those out for her. Fermenting grain seems interesting to do! I've always been nervous to try it for fear of messing it up, but I hear it's really good for them.

Thank you again for taking the time to comment and for your advice! I greatly appreciate it!

-

Yesterday I raked out the runs and scrubbed coops, waterers, etc. down. Need to finish the roost bars and feeders today.

I'm currently getting the dog carrier cleaned out this morning to bring Leslie in. I put some Betadine on her bump yesterday night while on the roost and the swelling appears to have already gone down some this morning. Hopefully she has a very mild case that she gets over quickly.

 

[FrostRanger]

Odoban is good stuff, I clean my house with it and bleach
I would separate Leslie if she's the only one sick. Provided it's just dry pox she should be fine in a few weeks. There's also a vaccine you can order from valley vet to prevent the others from getting it as well

 

[Debbie292d]

@Debbie292d Thank you so much for the info. I had no idea Odoban was safe for coops! I'll have to grab some up this week. I have Betadine on hand. I've also got Neosporin. And Vetericyn. Goodness knows, with the bumblefoot I've dealt with this year, I've pretty much got it all in my first aid kit for the chickens. haha But I grabbed some Iodine from the store yesterday just in case. I read some people add it to the water (1/2 teaspoon per gallon) but I'm going to hold off unless I see half the flock come down with fowl pox. Seeing that "caution: poison - do not ingest" on the label is definitely spooky.

I've got Nutridrench and some Sav-A-Chick probiotics and electrolytes so I'll rotate those out for her. Fermenting grain seems interesting to do! I've always been nervous to try it for fear of messing it up, but I hear it's really good for them.

Thank you again for taking the time to comment and for your advice! I greatly appreciate it!

-

Yesterday I raked out the runs and scrubbed coops, waterers, etc. down. Need to finish the roost bars and feeders today.

I'm currently getting the dog carrier cleaned out this morning to bring Leslie in. I put some Betadine on her bump yesterday night while on the roost and the swelling appears to have already gone down some this morning. Hopefully she has a very mild case that she gets over quickly.

Odoban is used in a lot of hatcheries and hospitals.

Fermenting is very easy. I did not like fermenting their feed because it gets like mush. If I want mush, I'll make them mash with a little water added to a dish of crumbles.

I had posted this elsewhere and saved it so I didn't have to keep retyping it:

I ferment grains. 1/2 Kalmbach's Henhouse Reserve (get from Chewy) to 1/4 hard red winter wheat and 1/4 whole oats (get from our local feed mill in 50# bags), a tblsp each of chia seeds and fennel.

I use 3 wide top quart jars.

Day 1: I fill one jar half full of the grain mix, then add non-chlorinated water almost to the top. I stir that and cover it with a screened lid I bought on Amazon, but used to rubberband cheesecloth around the top. It has to breathe but keep out gnats or flies. Set out of the sun. I mark my jars with the day of the month I prepared them with a perm magic marker. That scrubs off with a scrunchy.

Day 2: I fill the 2nd jar same as above. Stir the 1st jar, and add water to cover it so it won't mold.

Day 3: I fill the 3rd jar same as above, Stir the 1st and 2nd jar.

Day 4: I drain the 1st jar and serve in silicone loaf pans. (They usually can't tip those over.)

If you don't want it every day, just start it any day you want and know that on the 4th day, you'll be serving it. I put the date I made it on the jar with magic marker. It scrubs off.

Here's my review of the silicone pans. There's a link there if you want to try those.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Could be Fowl Pox.

I usually don't do anything and just monitor the bird(s) to make sure they are eating/drinking well and let the virus run its course over several weeks.

Looks like you have a detailed treatment plan, let us know how it goes.

 

[Cinnaminute]

@FrostRanger Thank you for the info! I brought her in yesterday, against her will. She is not pleased at all. Even the scrambled egg and oats haven't made up for my transgression.



@Debbie292d Thank you for the recipe and the link! I'll have to try this out one day. It sounds simple enough. And I definitely get what you mean about the feed. I often offer it as mash during extreme weather or sickness when I'm worried about hydration, and yeah, that stuff can become practically soup. Thanks again!

@Wyorp Rock Thank you for your insight! BYC is full of so much great info and people, it's often pretty easy to find out what to do! I honestly would probably do exactly as you said, just monitor. Especially considering Leslie is perfectly fine health-wise and that one lesion is all I've seen so far. But her eating is a little on the low side (as most of them are right now) due to molting. So I figured a little extra TLC would be good for her. I'm also really scared of anyone getting the wet version of fowl pox and with how stressful things have been from the storm, I'm likely being overly cautious. I'll definitely keep this post up to date as things progress.

-

On that note, so far this morning I don't see any signs of any other hens having fowl pox. So that's good.

Leslie's lesion is now bloody-looking. So I assume that should be scabbing over soon. I don't see any more lesions forming and she's eating fine, so I think once that's healed and the scab falls off, I can probably put her back with everyone.

I've been taking her outside to stretch her legs, sunbathe, and to peck around for a bit.

 

[Cinnaminute]

Quick update:

Leslie's comb has gotten very swollen overnight. It's about 1.5x longer than normal and a lot thicker. I've applying Betadine about 4 times per day so far (twice at night since she's less likely to rinse it off in her water). But she's peppy, active, and fussy as always. Might start applying a rotation of Vetericyn & Betadine.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Quick update:

Leslie's comb has gotten very swollen overnight. It's about 1.5x longer than normal and a lot thicker. I've applying Betadine about 4 times per day so far (twice at night since she's less likely to rinse it off in her water). But she's peppy, active, and fussy as always. Might start applying a rotation of Vetericyn & Betadine.

View attachment 3973713View attachment 3973714

Hmmm, now it doesn't look like a Fowl Pox lesion.

Is the swelling hard or does it feel like it has pus or fluid?

If vet care is an option, it would be good to have her seen. This may be injury or a bite that has become infected instead of Fowl Pox.

If vet care is not an option, then if she were mine, I'd consider removing the scab, seeing if there's fluid or pus that needs to be removed, flush generously with Chlorhexidine or Betadine, then apply triple antibiotic ointment.

I'll tag in @Eggcessive to have a look, she may see something different or have better suggestions.

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree with Wyorp Rock. It looks more like a peck or bite with swelling.