Oh Crap...I think I've got a case of dry pox! In the winter?

[DawnB]

So...I've been reading and looking at pics and I'm almost sure that it's dry pox. My lot look exactly like the pics of everybody else's who've gotten them. Luckily, everyone's eating, drinking and pooping well...egg production is down a bit, but that may be because of the frigid temps around here too.

Now..it may have been that it's been lurking and I didn't recognize this before now. But I noticed a couple of spots on my lead roo...and then (like finding morel mushrooms) once I spotted it on him, I'm seeing it on a few of my hens...nothing bad, just there.

I've read that its passed by mosquitos, but it's January in MI (although it has been a really weird winter, you never can tell! haha!). I also read that it can hang around a while and infect birds that weren't infected prior. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say these birds have never been vaccinated for anything (their prior conditions were awful). And I've read that it just needs to run its course. I know what to look for to stay on top of things...

But my question is...are dry pox possible in the dead of winter? If not...should I be looking at something else? I have had no contact with any other chickens except my own. Neither have my husband or boys...

Just looking for a little confidence boost. So long as they're acting well, I'll assume dry pox and monitor.

Thanks!

Dawn

 

[gritsar]

Can you post a pic? I suspect what you are seeing is the black scars that chickens get from normal pecking around and sticking their heads in places they don't belong.

 

[DawnB]

It could be...we had a week of below zero weather with wicked wind chills...I kept them all in the coop with it closed up to keep out the majority of the snow. I'll see if they'll stand still long enough in the morning...

 

[DawnB]

Well, between my birds being skittish and my phone not cooperating in the cold this morning, I didn't get picks. I did do a good once-over on them and it may just be sniping. The larger spots that hens yesterday and the day before are gone, so maybe it was just scabbed over and fell off. My roo has one larger spot, but I'm going to treat them all tonight with vasaline just because it's gonna hit negative teens tonight or lower.

We'll see how they make out. I'll throw another couple of heads of cabbage in there too to keep them occupied...I'll see how it goes...