Fowl pox killing chicks, more dying by the day

[Chicharron]

I am not 100% sure this is pox but fairly certain. Dry pox I think, as I haven't seen any lesions inside the mouths. I hatched 24 chicks, three weeks old now, and whatever this disease it, it's killed 8 so far.
It all started when I noticed a weird bump on the eyelid of a chick that was maybe 2 days old. A couple of days later the lump had grown, and now two others had lumps on their eyes. Since then the illness has spread to almost every single chick in varying degrees.
Many of them have huge, bloody scabs over their eyes, some over both eyes, so they are totally blind. I don't even know if they have eyes anymore, it's just a gory mess. Most also have lesions on their beaks although not covering their nostrils, yet.
The first deaths happened on Saturday. I found two chicks, fully blind, in the brooder just standing there fluffed up. One would eat a little when alerted to food. Neither wanted to drink. I brought them in to monitor. Both chirped loudly for a few hours, then went quiet, and were dead by morning.
Since that day I've been losing chicks daily. I tried many things: iodine on the scabs, terramycin, Nutri-Drench, but they just die before any of it has a chance to work. I tried warm water to loosen the scabs from the eyes, but they were so thick and hard it did nothing, and the poor chicks shrieked in pain so I stopped.
In all that died, they go downhill very fast. In the morning, they seem OK, and are eating, pecking around with the others and all, even not being able to see. By afternoon they're on death's door.
I'm at a total loss. At this rate I'll lose almost every chick. Is there anything I can do to help them pull through this?

 

[Debbie292d]

How did they catch fowlpox at this young age? Do you have older chickens with it? Are they where mosquitoes can bite them? They look so pathetic. I'm so sorry! They can't hatch with fowlpox but if you were seeing symptoms at two days old, how did they get it?

Is there a possibility a rat did this?

I would put triple antibiotic aka Neosporine (without painkiller) on the sores. Those who can still see will pick at those and should be separated. Any others without symptoms I'd separate out.

Vitamin water can help keep them strong and give them a little boost. We use Poultry Cell or Nutra Drench.

Are they getting heat? Two-week-old chicks should be at around 85F, especially when ill.

 

[Chicharron]

Hi Debbie. I live in Texas where the mosquitoes are a nonstop problem. I started brooding them outdoors in a separate pen from day 1 since it was so hot outside when they were born. A mistake, I now know! They did have brooder plates for extra warmth.
I doubt a rat did it, since the scabs start out so small and grow bigger by the day. They also have scabs on their beaks.

 

[Kbantams]

How are your babies doing now? I’m in Texas as well and have it running through my flock. I only have 1 surviving 7 week old chick out of the batch my broody hen hatched

 

[JEA]

How are your babies doing now? I’m in Texas as well and have it running through my flock. I only have 1 surviving 7 week old chick out of the batch my broody hen hatched

I wonder if anybody has tried 1 drop of ivomec cattleinjectable1% on thier back. At the rate theyre dying i'd try it. Excellent antiviral & anti parasit

 

[Eggcessive]

I wonder if anybody has tried 1 drop of ivomec cattleinjectable1% on thier back. At the rate theyre dying i'd try it. Excellent antiviral & anti parasit

That would not have prevented fowl pox. Raising them inside until the fowl pox vaccine could be given at 6 weeks old would be something I would do in an area with heavy mosquitoes. Texas, FLorida, and other southern or tropical area have a lot more serious fowl pox than what most of us see.