Scabby warty comb and wattle... plus red bump near eye. Help please!

[Paladare]

Hello everyone! If anyone has the time to take a look at this picture and help advise us what this ailment might be and how to fix, it would be much appreciated.

We got Cacciatore about a week ago and noticed she had some scabby bumps on the comb. In just a week, the scabby, warty growths have doubled plus we noticed a new growth on her wattle and now she had a red lump by her eye (so she closes it a lot). Everything else about her seems healthy (poop, diet) and she does not seem to be getting picked on so we are confounded.

Thank you!!! Sorry the pic is blurry, she's a little camera-shy.

 

[Chef]

She has chicken pox. Lots of info out there. Do a search. Looks like dry pox. Hope this helps.

PS and

Chef

 

[purpletree23]

Pooooor baby! I bet she is feeling icky. She does have pox. I believe it is transmitted by mosquitos. Keep her comfortable and make sure she eats and drinks. Give her treats like scrambled egg, sunflower seeds without the shell (25lb bags should be available at your feed store) and maybe some chopped up bits of apple, pear or grapes. Keep her usual food always available. You can go to the pharmacy and get the generic brand of liquid baby vitamins. Make SURE YOU GET THE FORMULA WITHOUT ADDED IRON. Give her 2 drops in the morning and two drops at night. You can 'hide' the drops on a piece of egg or other treat like well cooked pasta plain.

Hope this helps. She should be better in no time. Sounds like you really care for her. Buff Orpingtons always steal my heart.

 

[Paladare]

Thank you both for your quick diagnosis and recommendations!!

I read up on it a bit and it seems as there is "no cure" I think we will likely take the path of processing this chicken before nursing it back to health and risk it infecting the rest of the flock. Does anyone happen to know if it is still possible to eat the meat?

Dear Chef, my fiance is a chef too... therefore he named all the birds after potential dishes (ie. Pot Pie, Cacciatore, Mole, Dim Sum...) ha ha.

Thank you again!

 

[Judy]

There is no cure, but it usually goes away on its own, and then they are immune for life. As for the rest of the flock getting it, they probably will anyway; not much you can do about mosquitos. You don't actually have to treat the dry form at all. A little Neosporin to prevent a secondary infection is all I would do for the chicken in the pic.

Process if you wish, of course, but there's really no need, just because of fowl pox. It usually has a three week course, then just as suddenly as they appeared, the black places disappear.

When it went through my flock, I was in the middle of processing extra roos, and I did include one hen who really had an infected looking face and eyes from this. And, yes, we ate her.

 

[Judy]

Dry pox is a benign disease. Usually runs a course of 3 weeks. When it went through my flock I basically just let it run its course. The only thing you have to watch for is secondary infection. A little Neosporin is usually all you have to do if this happens. They will likely all get the black lesions anyway -- it is indeed carried by mosquitos.

When mine had it, I was in the middle of processing extra roos. One hen had a lot of lesions on her face and they got infected. She was being pecked by the rest, too. So I included her in the processing. And, yes, we ate her.

Oh, they are immune for life after it happens.

 

[chicmom]

Yep-sir! Fowl Pox. They get it from mosquito bites, I hear, and it has to run it's course and it will go away on it's own. Poor thing. There may be some things you can do to make her more comfortable, but I'm not sure what......Good luck with her!

 

[ChickyChickyBaby]

Quote:
x2 - agree with chicmom