I don’t know what this is, please help.

[Australorp Chook]

Hi everybody, for a few days now my chickens have had some spots on the wattles and combs. But it seems like it’s gotten worse, their combs and wattles have got paler, and one has a brown wart on her earlobe and I’m not sure what’s causing it or what to do. Here are photos of four chickens (one was in the nest box when I took these pics yesterday, didn’t want to disturb her).

 

[Eggcessive]

It could be peck wounds, but since you are in summer now in NZ, it could be fowl pox, a virus spread by mosquitoes. It lasts about 3-4 weeks. Most chickens get over it without treatment. Do you think it might be peck wounds from another chicken?

 

[Australorp Chook]

It could be peck wounds, but since you are in summer now in NZ, it could be fowl pox, a virus spread by mosquitoes. It lasts about 3-4 weeks. Most chickens get over it without treatment. Do you think it might be peck wounds from another chicken?

I’m starting to think it’s fowl pox too, we do have a few mosquitoes. No, I don’t think it’s peck wounds, they’re very friendly with each other. The only time I’ve seen one peck the other, is when I’ve offered them food, and one is too close to the other for the others liking. But apart from that they don’t peck each other.

If it is fowl pox, it doesn’t seem to be affecting them at the moment, they’re eating and laying normally, they’re not lethargic, and they still chase the cat But if it gets worse, what do you suggest I do?

Also, thank you for your reply

 

[The Chick Addict]

I’m starting to think it’s fowl pox too, we do have a few mosquitoes. No, I don’t think it’s peck wounds, they’re very friendly with each other. The only time I’ve seen one peck the other, is when I’ve offered them food, and one is too close to the other for the others liking. But apart from that they don’t peck each other.

If it is fowl pox, it doesn’t seem to be affecting them at the moment, they’re eating and laying normally, they’re not lethargic, and they still chase the cat But if it gets worse, what do you suggest I do?

Also, thank you for your reply

Hi! Like Eggcessive said, it looks very well like it could be Fowl Pox. My chickens have had Fowl Pox in the past, so I know a little bit about it. There are two kinds of Fowl Pox, wet and dry pox. From what the photos and what you said, it looks like your chickens have dry pox, but if you notice pale marks inside their mouths, it would be wet pox, which affects the mucous membranes. Like Eggcessive said, it usually heals and goes away by itself. But if it begins to get worse, here are some things you can do:

• Applications of a topical antiseptic (e.g. Betadine) or tomato and lime juice can be used directly on the pox to heal the sores on his comb.
• Warm saline solution can soften mouth sores, which you would find with wet pox (yellow cheesy stuff), so you can remove them to enable eating.
• Adding a tablespoon of vinegar per gallon of water will help sanitize shared water sources within your flock.
• Administer tetracycline antibiotics for three days to the infected birds to help keep secondary infections at bay
• Add vitamin supplements to the rest of your flock's drinking water to boost their immunity
• Dilute iodine solution in water and use it to clean the scabs
• Mix the sulfur powder in an ointment or petroleum jelly like Vaseline and apply it to the comb scabs to soften them
• Sanitize the drinking water by adding a diluted iodine solution to it (1% per gallon of water) until the outbreak subsides
• Don’t change their usual diet as this may shock their digestive system and make them more susceptible to opportunistic infections

Some things I would suggest you do right now to help strengthen their systems it to provide them with some vitamins. Vitamin E, Vitamin D and Vitamin A. These oil vitamins will work best when you give it to them in liquid form. And once your flock has Fowl Pox, they will be immune to it and cannot get it again.

I hope this helps, and good luck with your flock!