Treating for possible gapeworm, while chickens have possible fowl pox?

[porokelle]

Hello all,

2 questions:

Is there any issue to treat for a possible gapeworm with FLUBENOL 5% if our girls also have fowl pox?
And if our girls have dry fowl pox, what do we look out for that would indicate it's become wet fowl pox?


Background:

We're in New Zealand and just coming out of the height of summer. The girls have all been acting a bit 'off' for about a month, but with nothing terribly wrong except for bumblefoot with one girl. We think 3 of the 5 might currently have dry fowl pox.
About two weeks ago we noticed a couple of white and black scabs on two of our girl's combs, which despite vaseline and betadine did not go away and increased. A third is starting to show the same spots. With the hot and humid weather, we've had some odd and aggressive mosquitos from up north make their way to us - so thinking the girls might have got bit and caught it from them.

Also about two months ago our black orpington who overheats constantly and is egg bound about once every two weeks even with calcium supplements - started honking. She sticks her head out, pants and wheezes, then honks. It seems to have calmed down a bit as the temperature slowly is decreasing, but to be on the safe side I bought some FLUBENOL 5% to put in their food in case it was gapeworm. But I just want to make sure there would be no contraindications if she also has fowl pox at the same time.

We're also treating with a nutrient boost in the water, some occasional garlic slices, and a tiny bit of yogurt from time to time.

Thank you

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Also about two months ago our black orpington who overheats constantly and is egg bound about once every two weeks even with calcium supplements - started honking. She sticks her head out, pants and wheezes, then honks. It seems to have calmed down a bit as the temperature slowly is decreasing, but to be on the safe side I bought some FLUBENOL 5% to put in their food in case it was gapeworm. But I just want to make sure there would be no contraindications if she also has fowl pox at the same time.

Do you have photos of the scabs on the combs?

Overheating and having trouble laying an egg could possibly cause the honking. Does her abdomen feel like it has fluid in it or is she bloated?
Is her crop emptying overnight?
If symptoms subside in cooler temps, then it's unlikely the cause of her distress is due to Gapeworm. Birds that have Gapeworm progressively decline and will constantly gape, cough and struggle, the don't eat/drink in later stages due to respiratory distress.

As for if it's safe to deworm while birds have Fowl Pox, I don't know if anyone can tell you 100% if it is or not. If you feel she needs to be treated, then deworm her.

 

[porokelle]

I will try to get better photos today - these aren't showing how many white spots there were. And these two girls seem to be getting better while our largest is starting to show them. The black Orpington, Sweetpea, is top of the pecking order, maybe getting very seldom pecked at from the bantam mother. And the blue (grey), Opal, is bottom of the pecking order, constantly being beat on, so a bit harder to tell if they're pecking wounds.

Sweetpea has a very weird system compared to the other 4, so we take everything she does as 'maybe that's just how her body works'. She seems fine aside from the eggs and honking - no crop issues, she's slender compared to our blues but still a good weight, no eating issues (other than being picky). We found she does have a bit of a smelly breath when she honks in your face, but not sour if you go up and smell it without the big honks.

The egg binding has been ongoing since she started laying around September - every two weeks, in an afternoon she stands off from the rest, won't eat, goes into a trance. So we bring her in, cool her down, give her some cold treats and dark indoor time, and in 2-3 hours an egg with a thin shell pops out. Next day she will lay a deformed egg. We experimented with/without calcium supplements and it made no difference. And last week she went 'trance-y' about an hour before bed, so we didn't bring her in and let her do her thing while in the coop - checked on her in the middle of the night and she had laid while on the perch. She just seems to have two eggs that get released at the same time every two weeks that gums up the works.

And they don't seem to time up with the honking. Honking only really started at height of summer, even if we were able to cool her down with fans, baths, and frozen goods. I bought the dewormer when she was worse, but if gapeworm only gets worse with time and she seems to be doing less honking - it's probably not what's going on with her.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Not sure if that's Fowl Pox, could just be places where scabs from picking and injury fell off.

Does Sweetpea have any yellow or white pasty material inside her beak? You mention smelly breath. I'd make sure her crop is emptying and look inside her beak.