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That is a good roo! Like a guard chicken! too funny!
I don't even know what I would do with things like fowl pox and the like. For the most part here there is not much to worry about...its really a matter of keeping the coops clean, keepin them wormed (they loooove pumpkin) and keep other parasites like mites and such down. No real other dangers for diseases since I don't let people wander down to the pens. I hope your birchens come out of it alright. How long does it usually take to get over FP?
Yeah FP is bad here due to the mosquitos that spread it. Unless you can get rid of all the mosquitos which is pretty much impossible in FL due to the rain, ditches, rivers, water reclaimation reservoirs, warm winters that don't really kill off the mosquito populations etc. The best you can do is get rid of standing water in your own yard and use mosquito dunks in your pond...but then they just fly in from the next property, ditch, etc.. lol It usually occurs in the fall because the mosquitos will go into the coops at night to stay warm. I tried putting screen on the windows last year but then they just go in through the door during the day and stay in there so kinda worthless.
FP is naturally occuring and usually not too hard on the birds unless thier get wet pox in thier throat and make it difficult to eat and breath. This is especially bad for younger chicks. The good thing is, once they get it they will be immune but any new birds or chicks can get it. If you had a large flock of chickens in several coops, then the FP can take a month or so getting passed around to the other birds. Also, If a bird pecks another birds pox area then that bird can catch it fron the infected bird. The infection seems to only last a week or two at the most for each bird unless they have some sort of complication. If I get any with wet pox or close to thier eyes, I will put them on an antibiotic but other than that there isn't really a treatment neccessary except possibly isolation if only one bird has it but usually due to mosquitos they all will if they are outside.. I never had fowl pox in any of my birds before I moved to FL and I've had chickens off and on since I was 5 lol.
Fowl Pox is one of the easiest disease's to vaccinate for and very little stress related to the vaccine. I have always did mine in october when I do the fall Worming and lice removal. Much easier that trying to keep fowl alive after they have Pox, the wet pox is no fun period.
