Not an Emergency...Marek's in the Flock

[Haunted55]

You can see the top of the nodule above her eye in the second picture. Under the round mark it is continuing to swell. She has a bad patch on her neck that you can't quite see. She is very squirmy. I am hoping it is fowl pox not marek's but I just don't know. I posted under diseases and I was directed to this thread.

I can't see the picture of the leg very well. How old is this chick? What are the symptoms? Fowl Pox can be just as bad in it's own way as Marek's, so please be careful what you wish for. Really need more info here to help, this may be a sinus infection that can be taken care of with an antibiotic but with out more information can't say for sure or even guess.

 

[Haunted55]

Duh!!! Just realized not a leg, but the head, different view. This doesn't look like Marek's but seriously, need more info.

 

[Haunted55]

You can see the top of the nodule above her eye in the second picture. Under the round mark it is continuing to swell. She has a bad patch on her neck that you can't quite see. She is very squirmy. I am hoping it is fowl pox not marek's but I just don't know. I posted under diseases and I was directed to this thread.

Not sure why you were directed here, but that's okay....we'll get you heading in the right direction. Like I said before, more info please!

 

[Chicks on DL]

She is a bantam and I am guessing by the feathering about 4 weeks old. I have had her for about 2 and it originally looked like just peck marks. She eats, drinks, and peeps a lot. She walks and stands and otherwise seems normal. The scab on her head has fallen off but there is still a little swelling. The big scab on her neck is dry and I am just waiting and watching. The farmer that gave her to me says fowl pox is rare in such a young chick and is worried about fowl pox going through his flock. He has never had his chicks vaccinated and never had problem.

 

[missnu01]

Fowl pox usually shows up on the featherless spots as well. Not always, but usually... Is it possible that she was in fact just badly pecked?

 

[Haunted55]

From the picture, it looks as if this little ones eyes are bugging out a bit. From that and the sore on the top of the head I would say some type of a sinus thing going on. I would treat for that first, Duramycin-10, 1/2 tbls. per gallon of water every 24 hrs., 7-14 days. The other scabs could very well be from fighting and pecking, it doesn't look like Fowl Pox to me. If you are worried about that, you can vaccinate the rest of your birds with Poxine or Chick-N-Pox. I get mine from Jeffers. Fowl Pox is one of those diseases that once you have it, you have it. There is no cure. It is very slow going through a flock so there is time to vaccinate to stop the spread. The dry form usually doesn't cause too many problems, the wet form, internal, is a different story all together. It can and many times will cause the death of the birds that get it. That's why I said earlier, be careful what you wish for.

If it ever does show up in your flock and you are lucky,?, enough to just have the dry form, use Blu-Kote on it. Spray a Q-Tip and paint it on if it is too close to the eyes to just spray it. This helps to keep the virus from spreading by the scabs being injested by the other birds.

 

[missnu01]

But dry fowl pox is about like chicken pox...it lasts a few weeks and then it's gone...but It takes awhile to pass from bird to bird. Luckily once the scabs are all gone and all the birds are healed then they are fine and don't remain carriers like what happens with a lot of other chicken diseases...

 

[missnu01]

Can't you tell a sinus infection in chickens by looking inside their mouths somehow?

 

[Haunted55]

Can't you tell a sinus infection in chickens by looking inside their mouths somehow?

Casportpony has some really good info with this. If it has been going on for a while you will be able to see pus built up in the top of the mouth. If this is just starting out and is agravated by pecking from other birds, you might not see that yet.

But dry fowl pox is about like chicken pox...it lasts a few weeks and then it's gone...but It takes awhile to pass from bird to bird. Luckily once the scabs are all gone and all the birds are healed then they are fine and don't remain carriers like what happens with a lot of other chicken diseases...

Not always....it can stay in the birds and they can shed the virus later. Just like humans with chicken pox getting shingles later. It's in there, it doesn't go away, they just may not show symptoms anymore.

 

[Chicks on DL]

She is by herself so it isn't pecking and I watched the scabs grow so that is why I thought it was pox or at least hoped. The scab on her head fell off and there is still swelling. The one on her neck is large but we will see what happens. She is quarantine and has not been aroud the others plus she is a chick. Thank you everyone.