Fowl pox? See pics

[rbc-bow-chicka]

I have a young hen.. roughly 20 weeks give or take.

She has been coming down every morning.... behaving seemingly normally... until she wasn't.

Happened to be in the coop early today (still dark) and saw her standing aside, breathing with her mouth open.

Grabbed her up and brought out to hospital cage.

Got a good look at her and I am suspicious this is wet fowl pox.

There is what looks to be a FP lesion/ back scab on her right wattle. Her mouth is filled with gray/creamy material. Unable to eat or drink that i can tell.. She is very light as though she hasn't been eating for a while.

Not even sure there is anything I can do at this point. Any suggestions?

Thank you.

 

[Eggcessive]

It probably is wet fowl pox also called diphtheritic fowl pox. Is there a bad odor inside her beak? There is no cure for wet pox, since it is a virus, only supportive care. That would include help with eating, and they may also have trouble breathing. Here is some reading:
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/fowlpox/fowlpox-in-chickens-and-turkeys#Diagnosis_v3341411

 

[rbc-bow-chicka]

Yes. There is an odor coming from her mouth.

 

[Eggcessive]

Have you seen pigeons around or are there wild birds drinking from their waterers? Canker, a protozoan infection, does smell bad. I haven’t seen that or wet fowl pox, so I am not sure that wet pox smells bad, but I didn’t think it did. Usually when we see dry pox, wet pox seems likely with the gunk inside the beak.

 

[rbc-bow-chicka]

No wild birds... they are contained in a coop w enclosed run. We are in FL and there are a ton of wild birds... so I could have tracked something in.... but I go through a coop/run to get into this one, so I would be tracking all over the place, including other runs.

I warm compressed the edges of her mouth with diluted iodine and tried to pull some of the cheesy stuff out.... and I have to say... I have done some pretty gross stuff w chickens... and that was absolutely nauseating. I put some Vaseline on any external scabs near her mouth... I am really at a loss.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

No wild birds... they are contained in a coop w enclosed run. We are in FL and there are a ton of wild birds... so I could have tracked something in.... but I go through a coop/run to get into this one, so I would be tracking all over the place, including other runs.

I warm compressed the edges of her mouth with diluted iodine and tried to pull some of the cheesy stuff out.... and I have to say... I have done some pretty gross stuff w chickens... and that was absolutely nauseating. I put some Vaseline on any external scabs near her mouth... I am really at a loss.

I agree, the lesions on the wattles and comb do look like Fowl Pox.

The lesions inside the beak and may be Wet Form of Fowl Pox, but with your mention of how badly it smells, I wonder if there's secondary Canker (trichomoniasis).

But what to treat with. You'll have to do some research.

Wet Fowl Pox can be treated for secondary infection with a Sulfa antibiotic or Baytril. REF

Canker on the other hand would be treated with Metronidazole or possibly Acidified Copper Sulfate.

So. What to do.

I'm not sure. Again, do some reading and see what conclusion you come to.

I still would continue with the Iodine like you did. Iodine can also be added to the water to help disinfect it. Oxine can be used in water too.

Iodine disinfectant added to the water in the face of a fowl pox outbreak can aid in reducing mortality and slowing the spread of infections. – 4-6 oz. iodine/gal (30–50 ml/L) stock solution, metered at 1 oz./gal (7.8 ml/L) of drinking water. REF

Do keep us posted on how she's doing.

 

[rbc-bow-chicka]

I agree, the lesions on the wattles and comb do look like Fowl Pox.

The lesions inside the beak and may be Wet Form of Fowl Pox, but with your mention of how badly it smells, I wonder if there's secondary Canker (trichomoniasis).

But what to treat with. You'll have to do some research.

Wet Fowl Pox can be treated for secondary infection with a Sulfa antibiotic or Baytril. REF

Canker on the other hand would be treated with Metronidazole or possibly Acidified Copper Sulfate.

So. What to do.

I'm not sure. Again, do some reading and see what conclusion you come to.

I still would continue with the Iodine like you did. Iodine can also be added to the water to help disinfect it. Oxine can be used in water too.

Iodine disinfectant added to the water in the face of a fowl pox outbreak can aid in reducing mortality and slowing the spread of infections. – 4-6 oz. iodine/gal (30–50 ml/L) stock solution, metered at 1 oz./gal (7.8 ml/L) of drinking water. REF

Do keep us posted on how she's doing.

It had briefly crossed my mind that this could be canker x wet pox simultaneously .... and immediately thought -- how could she get so unlucky? And then got hung up on what huge fowl pox scab.

I need to regroup, I think.

I have a couple of different -zoles... the Metronidazole and Ronidazole...

I have powdered baytril... and may have a sulfa, I have to check.

And oxine and acidified copper sulfate.

For either of these, i am not sure how I'm going to be able to get any liquid down the hatch.

 

[rbc-bow-chicka]

She died overnight. She was just too far gone. Thank you all for your help.

 

[Eggcessive]

I thought I had posted a response last evening, but sorry it did not get posted. Sorry for your loss. If you refrigerate her body inside 2 plastic bags, or keep it cold inside a cooler, you could get a diagnosis with a necropsy by the state vet lab. I would try and find out if it was canker or wet pox, since canker can affect your other chickens. Here is a list of state vet labs:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry...59MRGs7Vs69d5P0W7GQ_q5-dZ3boreZm0lOv-eyFwa564

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She died overnight. She was just too far gone. Thank you all for your help.

I'm sorry