Fowl Pox Question

[jak2002003]

My birds are coming down with Fowl / Avian Pox. They are all fit, fat, healthy birds (apart from one) and I think they should get over the virus OK.

Does anyone know, once the birds are recovered, do they then have resistance to the virus, or can they get the disease again?

Also I have some hens with 3 week old chicks. Are the chicks likely to die if they get the pox virus at this age?

Lastly, will the scabs and dry spots leave any scars on the birds combs? I sometimes show my Japanese Bantams and am worried they will have unsightly marks on them.

Here you can see the start of the pox on at the base of her comb. 2 other hens have this now and its almost covered all the comb and the other birds have the classic black spots too. Its looks so dry. Can I put vasoline on it or will it make it worse?


Thanks in advance guys and girls!

 

[jak2002003]

Anyone?

 

[klmclain1]

I'm sure someone who knows the answers to your questions will get back with you - many are at work so give everyone until later this evening before you give up!

 

[blackred]

Once a bird contracts Fowl Pox it does not reoccur. There are varying degrees of fowl pox with wet pox being the worst. Fowl Pox like you have, if it is fowl pox, is slight and should not do any damage for showing.

You do not say where you are but this is an unlikely time of the year for fowl pox in adults unless you live along the warm wet Gulf coast.
Chicks can be harmed by fowl pox if you have a bad mosquito problem. I know in the Houston Texas area they have to vaccinate their chicks or the fowl pox can get so bad it can kill them.

It is best to vaccinate your flock of young birds at about 10-12 weeks and then you don't have to do it again. If you vaccinate young chicks you are suppose to do it again at 12 weeks.

Bob

 

[dawg53]

Fowl pox will go away on its own in time. They will be immune to it afterwards unless they get pigeon pox or canary pox in which the symptoms are the same....basically the same virus, different strain. They will be immune to those strains after it passes, just like regular fowl pox. Time will heal the scars. You can put iodine on the scabs to help dry them up, be very careful NOT to get iodine in their eyes. Some people use black shoe polish, I've never used it. Your chicks will be ok if they get the disease. Your only problem would be if any of your birds would get wet pox. It affects the insides of the mouth, trachea, affecting swallowing feed. Here's a link to respiratory diseases in poultry. You can read about Fowl Pox if you wish:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[jak2002003]

Thanks everyone.

I am glad that the dry fowl pox does not seem too serious.

Sadly I just got 3 silkie hens that were in a real bad state when I got them. They are emaciated and can not put on weight, despite de worming them and feeding them up. One died this morning as I think the fowl pox was too much for the already sick bird.

All my other chickens are very fat and healthy and they don't seem to be acting any differently. They are even still laying eggs! They just have a few black spots on their combs and some have that crusty white dry stuff over they combs too, but they are not scratching at it or anything.

I am so happy to know that they will get immunity after the disease.

I am in Thailand and this is the hot dry season with temps in the shade up to 40 C. I have lots of mosquitoes here. We have to be careful ourselves not to get bitten and run the risk or malaria or dengue fever. There is no way to control the nasty little insects outside.

Thanks again for your advise. I researched on the internet about the disease, but no site mentioned if they got resistance to it after they recovered. I had visions of them getting it over and over again!

 

[dawg53]

Mosquitos are the main carrier of fowl pox and many other diseases like you mentioned. If there's standing water around, it would be best to eliminate it. You can change the water out in your waterers frequently to prevent mosquito eggs from hatching, this will help keep the skeeter population down. You can put screen on the vents of your coop, even drop some flexible screen down the entrance to the coop like I do, it's effective.

 

[jak2002003]

Yes... that is a great idea about the screening. I will buy some tomorrow and cover their cages with it at night! Why I never thought about that!

I can not get rid of the standing water. We are surrounded with rice fields full of water, and also ditches and canals to irrigate them. But the mosquitoes are not a problem in the daytime.