maggieandotis
Songster
Hi,
I am a new chicken owner. I have (5) hens and (1) rooster that are 21 weeks old. Their dad was a RIR and the mom was a Buff Orpington.
About a week ago, I noticed a small black dot on my rooster's comb. Now his comb and wattles are littered with black dots/scabs and some of my hens also have black dots/bruises (it looks like bruising more than scabs in some ways). I have not seen the characteristic yellow lesion that I have seen in my research on fowl pox. Everyone in the flock is very active, eating well, drinking, etc. Beautiful coats. If it weren't for these markings on their combs and wattles, I would think they were very healthy. Because of this, I don't know if these are pecking injuries or fowl pox. Timeline is about a week ago, there was a small dot on my one rooster's comb and today there are these markings on pretty much all of the flock as shown in attached photos.
An important component that i feel is worth mentioning is that I have a coop that the manufacturer says accommodates 4-6 birds. I have learned this week that manufacturers WAY underestimate their coop sizes and the birds need more space. I have one hen who is a RIR and is very aggressive. Especially with the sweetest hen who also happens to be the only hen laying at this point. It also has been extremely hot this last week and tensions are high. My husband was going to build a yard enclosing the coop a month ago but because of a death in our family, he really has not had a single second to do it. It is becoming a rising priority and he has promised me that he is going to build it this week and understands the sense of urgency (fowl pox or not aside). I let them out every evening to free range for about an hour and a half when I get home from work but that is the only time they are out of the coop each day. I want to re-home the aggressive bird because I know it is not her fault and she just needs more space. This will also free up space for the others. She will go back to the woman I got the chicks from who is a wonderful person. Interestingly enough, she is the one hen who has very little black dots. I don't see her picking on the rooster, however, who has the most scabbing. That said, he just started mounting the hens this past week so wondering if the reason he has the most scabs is because of that...
I apologize for all of the information. I bring all of it up because I keep toggling back and forth: is this fowl pox or pecking marks? Another component is I live in Southern California and while we have an occasional mosquito, they are very few and far between. I have not been bit this summer. We do have something that will occasionally bite but it is not a mosquito.
If it IS fowl pox, it seems to have affected the entire flock in the last week so separating certain hens at this point does not seem to make sense. I also think it is a very mild form of the disease as there really are not any pussing lesions and activity level is quite normal. To make sure I give my birds the best chance to recover quickly, I went to the feed store today and got a probiotic and digestive enzyme powder for their water to give them an extra boost of nutrients. I also cleaned out the coop tonight and wiped everything down. Do I need to clean the coop like this every night until the virus passes? Anything else I should be doing if this is fowl pox? If it is the size of thecoop, I am hopeful that by giving the one RIR back and building the yard, this will help ease tensions.
Thank you for taking the time to read all of this and your advice. I really appreciate it.
Maggie
Fallbrook, CA
I am a new chicken owner. I have (5) hens and (1) rooster that are 21 weeks old. Their dad was a RIR and the mom was a Buff Orpington.
About a week ago, I noticed a small black dot on my rooster's comb. Now his comb and wattles are littered with black dots/scabs and some of my hens also have black dots/bruises (it looks like bruising more than scabs in some ways). I have not seen the characteristic yellow lesion that I have seen in my research on fowl pox. Everyone in the flock is very active, eating well, drinking, etc. Beautiful coats. If it weren't for these markings on their combs and wattles, I would think they were very healthy. Because of this, I don't know if these are pecking injuries or fowl pox. Timeline is about a week ago, there was a small dot on my one rooster's comb and today there are these markings on pretty much all of the flock as shown in attached photos.
An important component that i feel is worth mentioning is that I have a coop that the manufacturer says accommodates 4-6 birds. I have learned this week that manufacturers WAY underestimate their coop sizes and the birds need more space. I have one hen who is a RIR and is very aggressive. Especially with the sweetest hen who also happens to be the only hen laying at this point. It also has been extremely hot this last week and tensions are high. My husband was going to build a yard enclosing the coop a month ago but because of a death in our family, he really has not had a single second to do it. It is becoming a rising priority and he has promised me that he is going to build it this week and understands the sense of urgency (fowl pox or not aside). I let them out every evening to free range for about an hour and a half when I get home from work but that is the only time they are out of the coop each day. I want to re-home the aggressive bird because I know it is not her fault and she just needs more space. This will also free up space for the others. She will go back to the woman I got the chicks from who is a wonderful person. Interestingly enough, she is the one hen who has very little black dots. I don't see her picking on the rooster, however, who has the most scabbing. That said, he just started mounting the hens this past week so wondering if the reason he has the most scabs is because of that...
I apologize for all of the information. I bring all of it up because I keep toggling back and forth: is this fowl pox or pecking marks? Another component is I live in Southern California and while we have an occasional mosquito, they are very few and far between. I have not been bit this summer. We do have something that will occasionally bite but it is not a mosquito.
If it IS fowl pox, it seems to have affected the entire flock in the last week so separating certain hens at this point does not seem to make sense. I also think it is a very mild form of the disease as there really are not any pussing lesions and activity level is quite normal. To make sure I give my birds the best chance to recover quickly, I went to the feed store today and got a probiotic and digestive enzyme powder for their water to give them an extra boost of nutrients. I also cleaned out the coop tonight and wiped everything down. Do I need to clean the coop like this every night until the virus passes? Anything else I should be doing if this is fowl pox? If it is the size of thecoop, I am hopeful that by giving the one RIR back and building the yard, this will help ease tensions.
Thank you for taking the time to read all of this and your advice. I really appreciate it.
Maggie
Fallbrook, CA
