Fowl Pox?

[kengstro]

My beautiful Rooster has had symmetrical black (sometimes moist with blood) scabs on both sides of his comb near his nostrils for at least a month now. They have not seemed to cause any problems. But he has slowly been developing a wheeze - today it's really bad. Then I noticed he has more marks appearing on his comb as well. Here it is from both sides:




Extra info:
-Mouth, throat, scales, skin are clear and free of mites/abnormalities
-Still wheezes through mouth so it's probably not just blocked nostrils
-Free range but does not have contact with outsiders
-Very gentle and does not pick fights
-The flock is in molt, a few hens are really bad looking. One has had a wheeze since being attacked by dogs a year ago but it has never spread to any others.
-Egg production is low. Possibly related to the molt.
-Wheezing was first noticed when he was crowing loudly about a month ago but did not become noticeable during normal activities until the last few days
-A few hens have small black marks on their combs as well but that may well be from "fighting" (not much)

Recent(ish) changes:
-Added 2 Black Australorp hens a few months ago. They have never shown signs of sickness.
-Added 5 Muscovy ducks about 2 weeks ago (so after the scabs but before the wheezing) but did not let them out until a few days ago



PLEASE!! I could really, really use some opinions!

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome toBYC. That does not look like fowl pox scabs, but more like pecking or injury that has called bleeding to the comb. Respiratory diseases in chickens can be caused by viruses, bacteria or mycoplasma, and fungus. You can get testing done to identify the disease by contacting a vet or your local extension agent. Antibiotics such as Tylan or oxytetracycline may help in cases of bacterial or mycoplasma (MG) infections. Do you have wet or moldy conditions? Check your coop ventilation, make sure the coop is not too hot, and prevent dust and wet conditions that can lead to respiratory diseases.

 

[kengstro]

Thank you Eggcessive,

The coop is really quite clean and we run a fan to circulate air (and have ventilation on top of the coop). I'm wondering perhaps the new duck poop or the water getting a bit of algae? We change out the water if it starts looking a bit scummy...

Could the hen who was attacked have anything to do with his respiratory problems? Her breathing has never been that bad but she hasn't been the same since that one dog attack.