HELP! Silkie with fowl pox - could it actually be favus?

[NarrawalleeChickens]

My Silkie roo Nugget (9 months old)

Started acting out of sorts and lethargic with diarrhoea 7 weeks ago.

6 weeks ago (Sept 16) taken to vet who thought it might be fowl pox and prescribed pain killers and an antibiotic (for secondary infection).

around 4 weeks ago - his eyes had completely crusted over with scabs - could not see
Started using Chlorsig to prevent secondary bacterial eye infection

Have been hand feeding him

around 1 week ago scabs came off his eyes with a little help and he has perked up but has lost lots of his feathers and is covered in yellow-ish scabs/crust

Its been 6 weeks and he has worsened and has only just started to improve slightly (he is more active now and can eat of his own accord.

Advice please!! What should I do???!

Could it be favus - should I treat him with an anti-fungal cream.

He is isolated from other hens

 

[Dottie the Chicken]

Oh, no! Poor birdie!

@aart @Eggcessive @azygous @Wyorp Rock

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Looking at your other THREAD I would tend to agree with the post that @Eggcessive made and suggested that it's a good possibility of Scaly Face Mites and maybe a fungal infection of the skin.

Did you try using Ivermectin as suggested along with an anti-fungal? Your vet could probably take some scrapings and send them off to see if those are a problem.
If that's not possible, then I would try Ivermectin and an anti-fungal cream to see if that helps.

 

[Eggcessive]

That could be a bad case of favus, but I wonder a bit about mites as well. Favus on silkies looks more ashen and grey than the white chaulky appearance on other birds. Scaly face mites would be a third thing to look for. I am wondering why the vet did not scrape some skin for a slide, and look at it under a microscope. Favus is treated with antifungal creams, such as miconazole (Monistat cream) or clotrimazole and others. Mites can be treated with Ivermectin 0.2 ml pour on applied to the back of the neck along the spine. Scaly face mites are treated with vaseline or ointment to smother them. Do you see any mites on his skin or raised scales on his legs?

 

[Eggcessive]

I didn’t realize there was an earlier thread about the silkie. Good catch @Wyorp Rock . Have you done anything so far for him, since it looks much worse now?

 

[NarrawalleeChickens]

Thanks @Wyorp Rock and @Eggcessive for the replies. Sorry I forgot to mention earlier post! I've checked him pretty thoroughly and couldn't see any mite or lice I dont think. But I have given him a spray with a mite and lite permethrin spray a week ago, as well as his coop to ward off any pests. We have used chlorsig on his eyes for a while when they were really bad. Otherwise we haven't done much except make sure he is eating and drinking as we were told it was fowl pox and we just had to let it run its course. We did help the scabs off from his eyes a bit as we were concerned that he couldn't see to eat and drink. He does not sleep on his perch at night, always on the floor. I will send some more photos to see if that helps diagnose him.

Thanks so much guys, I love Nugget, he is such a sweet chicken but am worried he is in pain and want him to get better asap.

 

[NarrawalleeChickens]

More photos, including pics of his legs. Maybe it is scaly mites. His wings have lost some feathers and the feather follicles seem to be be scabbed at the base, Like you can see from feathers in pic 1 in my initial post. Any idea where I can access Ivermectin in Australia, I can't find it anywhere?

 

[Eggcessive]

Fowl pox would not be very common in Australia this time of year. Mosquitoes carry and spread the virus, and is seen more in late summer. Ivermectin is found in oral, topical, and IV forms. Your vet may sell it to you in oral form. Cattle and livestock farmers may use the topical or IV form. Your vet office may be able to help locate some. Some horse wormers contain ivermectin as well. If you can find some ivermectin and start using an antifungal cream, one of those should help. Here is a thread that shows favus in a silkie:
https://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/Favus/Favus.html

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I've checked him pretty thoroughly and couldn't see any mite or lice I dont think. But I have given him a spray with a mite and lite permethrin spray a week ago

Maybe it is scaly mites. His wings have lost some feathers and the feather follicles seem to be be scabbed at the base

Any idea where I can access Ivermectin in Australia, I can't find it anywhere?

If you can't find the Ivermectin in a store, then ask your vet.

Scaly Leg and Scaly Face mites, you would not be able to see them, they are too small.
For his legs I would work some vaseline underneath and into the scales of the legs to help with healing, this will smother SLM too, but I would still try to find the Ivermectin.

For the face and neck you can try vaseline there too - it won't take care of it if it's Favus, but it may help loosen those crusts. An anti-fungal cream would help treat Favus if that's what's going on there. Either one you chose may help soothe the skin, I would apply at least every other day.

Let us know how he gets along.

 

[frostic]

https://www.amazon.com.au/Duramectin-Ivermectin-Paste-1-87-Horses/dp/B003T4DMPO

ivermectin paste. amazon has it in australia.