Is this fowl pox?

[ChickiesInTheCity]

My 3.5 year old ISA Brown has some black wart-like lumps on her comb and wattles. She doesn't show any signs of sickness otherwise, since she is still energetic and food-driven. I don't see these on any other hens. These bumps developed within the last week. What should I do to treat them? Should I quarantine her?

 

[Jener8or]

It looks like Fowl Pox to me. It is a virus spread by mosquitoes and the scabs themselves are infectious. It should run it's course in 4-6 weeks. The dry form (which is what it looks to be) is generally mild and chickens who contract it generally have a good prognosis.

I would think separating her from the flock would be more stressful than letting it run its course. They will have lifetime immunity from this strain afterward. You can put some betadine or iodine on the scabs to help them dry up (just don't agitate them too much to cause them to spread.)

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree that is dry fowl pox. Mosquitoes spread the virus and it lasts about 3-4 weeks. No treatment helps. Most chickens recover, but it is much harder on baby chicks, and some strains can be worse than others.

 

[ChickiesInTheCity]

Thank you so much for your help! I'm glad it wasn't necessarily life-threatening.