My Silky Hen's face is covered in lumps, Please help!

[BinaryChicken]

My silky hen who has 2 chicks, has suddenly in two weeks that I was away for, gotten tons of lumps on it! What could be wrong with her, she is also very thin and has lost weight over the two week I was away. Please Help!

 

[Eggcessive]

Where are the lumps, can you describe them, and could you post a picture?

 

[BinaryChicken]

Sorry, I Just put the place in the title, they are on her face, I will try and get a photo later. They are very ugly and reddish blue, not quite the normal silky skin colour.

 

[Eggcessive]

Have you seen pictures of fowl pox--could the lumps be that?

 

[BinaryChicken]

I will post photos in a bit, but I'm pretty sure it's fowl pox now. What would you recommend doing, especially since the hen has two chicks dependent on her?

 

[Eggcessive]

I think that is a hard one to decide on. I'm all for letting chicks stay with a broody hen. The chicks have been exposed already and may get it even if you take them away to a brooder. If they are a few weeks old, they might be okay on there own without her, but it is probably cold where you are. Fowl pox is contagious to the other birds, and usually not that serious unless it becomes wet fowl pox that can invade the inside of the throat and breathing passages. I would put some iodine on the spots for now until I decided whether or not to take the chicks away. If the chicks are quite valuable you might want to take them away, but I might be inclined to leave them. My experience with fowl pox has been a few very mild cases, but Casportpony on here has had a few terrible cases lately. Here is a link to pictures for you to look at to make sure of it (be sure to look at all of the pictures): http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/avian-atlas/search/disease/510

 

[BinaryChicken]

What does the iodine do?

 

[Eggcessive]

I haven't used it but I think the theory is that it will help them dry up and not get infected.

 

[BinaryChicken]

Thanks for all the advice!