Photos available for viewing on Raising Baby Chicks post I purchased 6 Buff O chicks 2 weeks ago, and forgot to inoculate them for Fowl Pox, they are 4 weeks old and show no signs of fatigue. Now it seems that 3 of them have skin conditions that reflect that they have it. I talked to a local vet and described the dark colored spots on the comb and near the beak, one small chick has the left eye swollen shut and discolored. He thought that it was FP, and said sometimes they survive. I asked an local farm supply store owner and they said the chicks eventually die. Now feeling really stupid and do not know what to do. Would really like some advice or imput from the forum. The chicks are located in Hawaii. Should I give the FP inoculation to the remaining 3 that do not exhibit overt symptoms? Should I give the vaccine to the 3 chicks with the spots on their skin that indicate that they have Fowl Pox? Are the chicks going to eventually die? Cpuld they possibly survive? What complications are possible? Could you please give me some advice, or information, or web site to check out. Please comment as soon as possible. I'm not sure how to get photos of the conditions on this forum. Thank you.
A close friend of mine has gone through fowl pox twice, so i feel like i have first hand knowledge. First of all, fowl pox, most often does not kill chickens. As to vaccinations, you can still vaccinate, and you can vaccinate the sick chicks too. My friend did this and had great results stopping the spread. I have several links in my bookmarks that i'll paste here so you can read up. The killer side of fowl box is if it develops into "wet pox," which will look like a cheesy substance inside the mouth. Info about that will be included in these links. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=228358 http://www.firststatevetsupply.com/poultry-health/fowl-pox.html http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/63/fowl-pox-pox-avian-pox http://search.ur.msstate.edu/cgi-bi....msstate.edu/dept/poultry/disviral.htm&fm=off https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=3122708#p3122708 That last link is my friend's story - as she posted on BYC while she was going through her fowl pox situation.
I agree with punkinpeep, we had a run of fowl pox this past spring, as long as it dosen't turn into wet pox you'll probably come through it ok, and then vaccinate for next year. Our hens stopped laying for a couple of weeks, but bounced back nicely, gave them some extra protein to give them a boost.... they really looked miserable...and one eye closed...i put warm compresses on it and then sprayed with Vetericyn...and everyone made it through ok. Good luck!!
