Porcelain bantam roo with possible wet pox or respiratory illness

[LMcMichael]

Hi everyone! I have a porcelain bantam roo that has been lethargic since this morning, puffed up and has mucus around the edges of his beak. He does not have raspy or labored breathing that I can tell. He is 6 months old and was seemingly healthy last night when he went to roost. He ate well yesterday and was perky all day (it was the first warm day in 3-4 days). He has been eating All Flock as I have a mixed flock of roos and hens. I also have turkeys (in a separate pen) and for some reason, no one will eat pellets. He does seem lighter and more boney than my other bantams of the same age.

I separated him as soon as I saw him this morning and he just sits fluffed out. He has not eaten or drank as far as I know. I took pics of his face and inside his beak. I removed the “dried mucus” from his beak. My husband seems to think it is pieces of pine shavings but it was rubbery, almost the texture of the caulk you have around your sinks and tubs. He does not have bubbles in his eyes but the one seems swollen or irritated. There has been no runny poop in the run, so I would say his poop is normal. As far as any smell coming from him, my nose is blind to just about every smell except skunk and stink bugs and the only way I can explain his smell is that of a wet dog.

Flock history:

I am currently having issues with what we believe is fowl pox in the pen next to his, and some of those chickens were showing signs of respiratory illness, so a breeder friend of mine gave me some amoxicillin to treat any secondary infection that may have been accompanying the fowl pox. They have all seemed to have recovered from the respiratory issues. 2 of his flock mates (jerks who terrorize the full size chickens in the other pen through the fencing) also had black spots on almost the entirety of their comb (rose combs) and had a few bubbles in one eye. They have since recovered and the black spots are not very noticeable after being treated with amoxicillin at the same time as the adjoining pen. I know fowl pox is viral but I am not sure if black spots could be a sign of some kind of bacterial thing going on or if it was just from pestering each other and it was a coincidence it cleared up at the same time as antibiotic treatment.

Are we dealing with a bout of wet pox, coryza, mg or something else? I do not have a vet anywhere close to me and it will be Monday before I can send swabs off to have tested. He doesn’t seem like he will make it to get a diagnosis if I don’t start some kind of treatment as soon as possible. Thank you for any suggestions you have. I am hoping it’s not coryza or mg but I am prepared for that diagnosis too.

I am sorry about the pic of inside his beak, he did not want me messing with him at all to get pics and that was the best I could get.

 

[coach723]

I would suspect maybe it's canker (trichomonosis). That usually does have a foul smell. I've never dealt with it, but some say like rotten eggs. Treatment is usually metronidazole or acidified copper sulfate. I don't see any other signs of fowl pox on him, but if others have it, then it's certainly possible it's the wet form. Without seeing the spots on combs, I can't really say if that's what the others have. I have dealt with pox, so have seen that. I hope he makes it long enough that you can get it tested to be sure. If not, then I would have him necropsied so you know for sure if it's something that could affect the rest of the flock, or not. It's also possible that there is more than one thing going on in the flock, if there is illness it can weaken their immune systems and leave them more vulnerable to other things as well. I will attach a link on canker and if you search you will find lots of pictures, from mild to severe, for comparison. I will also attach a list of poultry labs, by state, in the event you need to do that. You can call your nearest for particulars. Many of the state poultry labs are more reasonable cost for necropsy than a vet would be, and sometimes if you are near enough you can drop off rather than ship.
https://poultrydvm.com/condition/canker

https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html