Not Fowl Pox Again?

[Myersarae90]

We have a small flock of four backyard chickens that free range all day. About 2-3 months ago they all had fowl pox (scabbed combs/faces, weight loss and stopped laying eggs). Since then three of them have fully recovered, but one has not. Her scabs healed and her comb looks healthy now, but she is still very skinny and never started laying again. For the past week or so her eyes have been having some clear discharge and this morning she woke up with one swollen shut. Could this be another bout of fowl pox or something different this time?

 

[Eggcessive]

Once they have fowl pox, they are immune to it in the future. Did she fully recover? Are there bubbles or foam in either eye? I would use some saline eye wash in her eye and put a dab of plain neosporin ointment or Terramycin eye ointment in her eyes twice a day. Pictures of her eye are helpful.

 

[Myersarae90]

Once they have fowl pox, they are immune to it in the future. Did she fully recover? Are there bubbles or foam in either eye? I would use some saline eye wash in her eye and put a dab of plain neosporin ointment or Terramycin eye ointment in her eyes twice a day. Pictures of her eye are helpful.

She recovered from the fowl pox scabs and her comb looks healthy now. But she has been noticeably thinner than the other chickens since then and never started laying eggs again. She is only 9 months old, so she was laying for 2-3 months before she got fowl pox and stopped. Her other eye does have clear discharge coming out of it too (so I don't think it's just an injury to the closed eye). I will try to get some pictures this morning.

 

[Myersarae90]

Once they have fowl pox, they are immune to it in the future. Did she fully recover? Are there bubbles or foam in either eye? I would use some saline eye wash in her eye and put a dab of plain neosporin ointment or Terramycin eye ointment in her eyes twice a day. Pictures of her eye are helpful.

Here are pictures of both of her eyes. The closed one is very swollen and protruding. I actually don't see any discharge right now coming from the other open eye, but there definitely has been clear fluid coming from both the past few days. I'm not sure what the black spot is below her open eye either?

 

[Eggcessive]

From the looks of her eyes, you could be dealing with a secondary infection mycoplasma gallisepticum or MG. I would try to get Tylan 50 injectable at your feed store, and give her 1.25 ml orally 3 times a day for 5 days. Also use the ointment in the eyes after cleaning them. If you can’t find Tylan 50 locally, I would get Tylosin powder for the water from Jedds, and use 1 tsp in her water. Treat only her, so she may need to be separated. Tylan 50 injectable is also found online. Here is a link for Jedds:
https://jedds.com/products/tylosin-powder

The scab could be a peck scab.

 

[Myersarae90]

From the looks of her eyes, you could be dealing with a secondary infection mycoplasma gallisepticum or MG. I would try to get Tylan 50 injectable at your feed store, and give her 1.25 ml orally 3 times a day for 5 days. Also use the ointment in the eyes after cleaning them. If you can’t find Tylan 50 locally, I would get Tylosin powder for the water from Jedds, and use 1 tsp in her water. Treat only her, so she may need to be separated. Tylan 50 injectable is also found online. Here is a link for Jedds:
https://jedds.com/products/tylosin-powder

The scab could be a peck scab.

Our chicken's eyes have both healed from the MG. We kept an eye on her for a few days in the beginning because she wasn't eating at all. Her appetite came back though and she seems to be eating a lot, however she's still very light and not gaining weight back. Would this still be due to the MG or is there something else we should be doing for her?

 

[Eggcessive]

It could be due to that. MG can cause a healthy chicken to be less thrifty and have decreased laying. It is a chronic, lifelong disease, though antibiotics may help treat symptoms if they come back. I would consider worming her, and offering some cooked egg or tuna, along with a balanced chicken feed. Some will love some wet chicken feed as a treat, and mine always act like little sharks when aI offer scrambled egg. Probiotics a couple of times a week are a good idea.

 

[Eggcessive]

I’m so glad that she has healed and is doing better. Here is an article about MG:
https://tvmdl.tamu.edu/2019/05/20/mycoplasmosis-in-backyard-chicken-flocks/

 

[Myersarae90]

It could be due to that. MG can cause a healthy chicken to be less thrifty and have decreased laying. It is a chronic, lifelong disease, though antibiotics may help treat symptoms if they come back. I would consider worming her, and offering some cooked egg or tuna, along with a balanced chicken feed. Some will love some wet chicken feed as a treat, and mine always act like little sharks when aI offer scrambled egg. Probiotics a couple of times a week are a good idea.

Ok thank you. Can I ask what you would recommend for deworming?

 

[Eggcessive]

Valbazen 1/2 ml for a 4-6 pound chicken given orally once, and repeated in 10 days. SafeGuard liquid goat wormer is also good. Dosage is 1/4 ml per pound given orally for 5 days. Those treat all chicken worms except for tapeworms.