Favus or Thrush?

[juliamichell]

For a few months now my bantam has been looking dishevelled and losing feathers, mainly under her neck, she has a permanent bald spot directly beneath her beak, the feathers at the base of her tail are no longer smooth but slightly raised. Finding small, ball shaped crusts at the base of her feathers I imagined it was parasitic and have been treating her, on and off, ever since. 2 weeks ago it appeared to improve but today it has worsened. She is losing alot of her new chest feathers and I find the crusts at the follicle slightly blackened (this is not new and is I think a result of the ivermectin), but also around her vent I find a yellowish white, knobbly fungus, but not in her vent. This is also around the back of her neck. She has lost weight. She is active but appears a more nervous. She is still eating but kept backing away when I gave them some cooked rice. I haven't looked in her mouth yet. The first symptom I ever saw was a patch of white on the red gill? area which is still there that didn't rub off. Someone told me this was normal but I'm sure it wasn't there before and this has not worsened. Her sister is perfectly healthy. I shall post some pictures tomorrow. I would take her to the vet tomorrow if I had a car (in the repair shop). I know treatments are very different but wonder if I can try something now?

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you see moving tiny lice or mites on her skin under the vent and belly or under the wings and neck? Clumps at the base of feathers can be lice eggs. Lice or mites can be treated with permethrin spray or dust. We do need clear pictures of what you are seeing to help. The “patch of red on the gill” is probably the earlobe. Are both sides the same color? Favus is usually a white chaulky fungus on the comb, wattles, and face, but it can spread in bad cases. Thrush is a fungal infection that sometimes affects the inside of the beak and throat, or crop, especially after antibiotics. Here is some reading about lice and mite identification:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

 

[juliamichell]

Do you see moving tiny lice or mites on her skin under the vent and belly or under the wings and neck? Clumps at the base of feathers can be lice eggs. Lice or mites can be treated with permethrin spray or dust. We do need clear pictures of what you are seeing to help. The “patch of red on the gill” is probably the earlobe. Are both sides the same color? Favus is usually a white chaulky fungus on the comb, wattles, and face, but it can spread in bad cases. Thrush is a fungal infection that sometimes affects the inside of the beak and throat, or crop, especially after antibiotics. Here is some reading about lice and mite identification:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

I don't think it can be parasites although I did notice her allowing her sister to peck her as if she was removing something. The crusts at the follicles are small round hard balls attached to the skin and I thought they were eggs but now I am not sure they are, the pictures I have looked at are whiter and seem to spread along the leg whereas these are firmly at the base of the feather. When I crush them between my fingers they dissolve into a white powder. I have treated their living quarters which are not ideal as the wood has started to come away so there are alot of crevices and maybe some hidden damp. I have treated the hens with spray, dust and ivermectin, this last time twice in 4 weeks. I have never seen a parasite. It is hot and sunny most of the time here and they sunbathe which I thought cured ringworm but it is occurring in the right places. She has no discharge or inflammation just this film of white yellowish crust over her skin and yes the white on her earlobe looks chalky and as it was the first sign could it be this that has spread to her neck and to her tail area but nothing under the wings or on her back. I am confused.

 

[juliamichell]

I looked in her mouth this morning and there’s no obvious sign of anything but I need help to photo. The yellow stuff feels slightly greasy and she’s warm.

 

[juliamichell]

I looked in her mouth this morning and there’s no obvious sign of anything but I need help to photo. The yellow stuff feels slightly greasy and she’s warm.

I sprayed her with a clove oil parasite spray 2 days ago and she looks awful and is very afraid of me and hides. Her skin is stained yellow with the spray but it’s got very knobbly and she seems hot. There’s an abundance of new feather growth. Tonight and last night I applied a little anti fungal cream to her head and neck but I’m worried enough to take her to the vets as she’s so light and although active is eating less. Poop looks fine. But my cars in the repair shop so I can’t get us there. It’s the knobbly skin that I really don’t get? And if you see the picture above the ball on the base of the feather shaft doesn’t look like lice eggs does it? Would be so grateful for anymore advice. Remember the gross yellow staining is the clove oil spray although her skin did have a yellow appearance before?

 

[juliamichell]

Forgot pics

 

[Eggcessive]

Where are you located? I am not a vet nor an expert, but from the pale grey eye and the skin lesions, it reminds me of possible Mareks disease. There is a type that causes skin lesions and a type that causes eye changes and blindness. Is the pupil round or irregular in the third picture in post 6? I am going to tag a few others to look at this. @casportpony @Wyorp Rock @azygous
@microchick any thoughts on pics in post 4 and 6?

 

[azygous]

Looks like classic skin and eye Marek's . Here's a paper on Marek's symptoms, all you ever wanted to know or didn't wish to know about Marek's. https://veterinaryresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1297-9716-45-36

 

[juliamichell]

Where are you located? I am not a vet nor an expert, but from the pale grey eye and the skin lesions, it reminds me of possible Mareks disease. There is a type that causes skin lesions and a type that causes eye changes and blindness. Is the pupil round or irregular in the third picture in post 6? I am going to tag a few others to look at this. @casportpony @Wyorp Rock @azygous
@microchick any thoughts on pics in post 4 and 6?

We are in the Algarve in Portugal. Yes I see the eye colour now, it’s not irregular I think. Thanks so much for your help. She’s active this morning and eating but as I said earlier seems to back away from food? She’s certainly dangerously low in weight. She doesn’t want me to handle her at all and won’t come close to me which is unusual as she normal crouches when I go near her. What a horrid disease.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

I agree, looks like a form of Mareks.