Fowl pox what can be done to help with it?

[JakeC99]

My rooster has a serious case of fowl pox right now and I'm wondering what can be done to help him out. He's still eating and drinking fine

 

[seminolewind]

I had one with lots of black scabs on his face and I put Neosporin on them and they quickly went away. Then I have another 3 hens who got some pox but not a lot and they were fine, and I did nothing.

 

[JakeC99]

Thank you for the tips

 

[Eggcessive]

Posting a picture may help to tell how severe it is. There is dry pox on the comb and wattles mostly, and wet pox that can be inside the mouth and throat which can be very serious. Sometimes it gets around the eyes. Many people don't so anything for dry pox, or they will put some Betadine or iodine on the scabs to help dry them up. It may last up to 5 weeks. Here is one link to read about pox, and a second for pictures of varying severity: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/avian-pox-how-to-treat-your-chickens-for-avian-pox
http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/avian-atlas/search/disease/510

 

[welasharon]

As long as a chicken is eating, drinking and moving around fine I let them be. If they start to show issues then I would intervene. Fowl pox is one of those things that is usually just irritating and will go away.

 

[JakeC99]

This is what he looks like

 

[Eggcessive]

Oh my, that is a bad case. He may recover if you can get enough nutrition and fluid into him, since they can stop eating. I'm sure he feels miserable. Casportpony has treated many of her chickens in that condition, and she may be able to help you. First she will suggest weighing him on a gram scale to get a baseline weight, and you may want to get some tube feeding equipment ready if he stops eating. Aquarium tubing melted on one end with a lighter to soften it, along with a large syringe--35-60 ml--can work as a crop feeding apparatus. Here is her thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...x-xxx-rated-graphic-pictures-of-pus-and-scabs

 

[Eggcessive]

Two more links from Casportpony on tube feeding videos and supplies:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/805728/go-team-tube-feeding
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/915751/tube-feeding-supplies-and-where-to-get-them

 

[Eggcessive]

I would look inside his mouth and throat for any yellowish patches that shouldn't be there. The pressence of those is wet fowl pox, and those patches can block the airway, so they should be removed if possible. I sent Kathy a PM about your thread.

 

[casportpony]

I'd keep an eye on him and weigh him daily to monitor for weight loss. If the scabs/warts grow and he can't see, I'd pic them off and apply iodine to the wounds, not the eyes.

-Kathy