Have you experienced fowl pox in your flock?

Vicki B.

Songster
6 Years
Oct 10, 2017
57
52
124
Northern California
Can anyone share with me their experience with fowl pox ? I had bantam wild rooster that was attacked by another rooster and was nearly blind so I put him in with my chickens turns out he had wet pox. I tried to feed him with a syringe because he was basically blind but he didn't make it. Now 2 of 7 the chickens he was with have pox. I understand it started with a mosquito bite but what I am reading is really scaring me in regards to mortality rate of wet pox being 50 to 60% loss.
 
Can anyone share with me their experience with fowl pox ? I had bantam wild rooster that was attacked by another rooster and was nearly blind so I put him in with my chickens turns out he had wet pox. I tried to feed him with a syringe because he was basically blind but he didn't make it. Now 2 of 7 the chickens he was with have pox. I understand it started with a mosquito bite but what I am reading is really scaring me in regards to mortality rate of wet pox being 50 to 60% loss.

We recently went through the dry version of fowl pox and 6 of our 7 chickens had it. Luckily it went away without problems after about 2-3 weeks. I'm sorry about your flock contracting wet pox. :-( From what I've read, the high mortality rate comes from them not eating/drinking because of the pox getting down their throat. I'd recommend keeping an eye on your flock and watching them when they eat. I'd also recommend putting some nutri-drench in their water.
 
Most chickens who get pox rarely get wet or diphtheritic fowl pox. That causes lesions that can be inside the beak, throat, airway, esophagus, and crop. Can you post any pictures of your affected birds? Most birds get the dry form with scabs on the face, combs, wattles, and around eyes. There is no treatment, but when there are scabs near eyes, it can help to use Terramycin eye ointment in the eyes to prevent a secondary bacterial infection. Dry pox generally lasts several weeks, and most get better. With wet pox, feeding and watering is the most important thing.
 
I didn't take any pictures of the rooster before he died. His face looked like all the pictures I have found online it was a very extreme case covering his eyes and he had the pox in his mouth.When I first caught him after the rooster fight, he had fresh injuries around his eyes and they were bloody and swollen I thought it was only from the fight. I put him in with my 2 month old chicks so he was safe from being chased. After about a week the scabby injuries grew until it covered his eyes. I feel really sad that my ignorance will probably cost my 7 chicks their lives.One Jersey Giant chick started wheezing 2 days ago then yesterday she was gasping for breath and died last night . One other shows pox on the eye lid and all of them are not eating very well.I gave then shredded broccoli and boiled egg and some meal worms they all ate some of that. They are not eating much of the chick starter crumbles.I put Nutri-Drench in the water and they have a heat lamp on 24/7 for heat. I have a wood coop and gravel and dirt floors . I ordered some Oxine AH and I understand it is one of the few cleaners that kill virus on surfaces besides bleach. The rest of my flock are separated by chicken wire from this part of the coop so I don't know if this is going to spread through the air to all the chickens!
 
I posted a picture here in another thread of one of my roosters and hens taken in November I just noticed when I enlarge the picture it looks like dry pox on the rooster and the Buff hen in front??? I did not know what pox was until now and looking at that picture, I think they have/had it.
rooster.jpg
 
Sorry for your loss. I would look for signs of respiratory disease in the chicks as well. Signs are watery/foamy eyes, nasal drainage, sometimes swollen eyelids, sneezing, and gasping. Pox can be hard on chicks, but if there is a respiratory disease going around, that could be bad. Add water to a small amount of chick feed to make it watery. Most chickens like that and chopped egg. If the eyes are scabby or gunky, get some Terrramycin eye ointment from a feed store to put into affected eyes twice a day. Separating sick birds can help control the spread.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom