Fowl Pox

[BronteBlu]

If you look up Fowl Pox On the BackYardChicken.com there's a great article including photos. However, what's missing is whether a chicken that has gone through the pox is immune to future outbreaks?

The article says the birds who have gone through the pox and recuperated are NOT carriers, but I want to know if my chickens can get Fowl Pox again? Or, do I need to get them immunized?

Thank you!

 

[speckledhen]

I do believe that they are immune after they recover from an outbreak.

 

[BronteBlu]

I hope that was a definite answer??? If so, thank you so much! I've got 23 birds all in various stages of it. My worst case is my rooster that I had to hand feed because his eyes were fused shut. His eyes are opening enough now that he is eating and drinking on his own. I've been spoiling him with fresh tomatoes, scrambled eggs, warmed canned dog food with vitamins, as well as the regular chicken feed. He's doing so much better. We have a flood and the mosquito outbreak and subsequent fowl pox is awful. I also heard other biting insects other than mosquitoes can contribute to the pox. What a nightmare.

Thank you very much for responding so quickly!

 

[speckledhen]

Yes, I'm positive that they cannot contract it again.

From a textbook Hagan and Bruner's Microbiology and Infectious Diseases of Domestic Animals

Birds that have recovered from fowlpox are solidly immune thereafter​

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

yep, it's just like most virus' once over it, the body developes immunity to it. I would advise you vaccinate all other birds though, new hatches, new purchases, etc. It's real easy, just a wing stab application. Jeffer's.com has it in stock, I use it on all our birds just to be safe... Hope all get better. Do yours have the dry or wet pox? Dry is external, wet it internal and most fatal....

 

[Pine Grove]

Quote:
They are immune to the Fowl Pox virus from then on, But they can contract Quail Pox. Same symptoms/duration. There's no cross immunity between these two, Just like with Fowl Pox recoverd birds has lifetime immunity.

 

[BronteBlu]

Wow, I'm so excited....mine all have the dry pox, thank God. I have 2 new baby chicks, currently residing in my bathtub because of the flooding we recently had. I guess I'll get them immunized, because I certainly don't like what I'm seeing on my poor birds, they look miserable.

Thank you all so much!! What a great website!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

There are several closely related viruses. The level of immunity depends upon which virus they contracted. Fowl pox is the most virulent of them, and confers lifelong immunity. Vaccines tend to be made from the less virulent forms, and are not lifelong.