wet & dry pox!- which of hodge podge, non-commercial flock to vaccinate/treat?

[jjjennejjj]

So, I am a newbie and apparently have done it all wrong. First off, by going big instead of going home; I started with 45 birds. I did finally finish my permanent coop, way after I had to build an intermediary pen bcuz the chicks grew astronomically seemingly overnight, but now that they are finally safe from racoons, hawks, and my own livestock guardian dogs, my first mixed flock (a combo of day old hatchery chicks & 3 local breeders) have a respiratory infection. After 3 deaths I did two necropsies and am confident the ones that died had wet pox because of the white bumps along the trachea and the very enlarged tissue at the top of it. The others I originally identified seem to have dry pox and many are already improving. How do i know who to vaccinate for fowl pox? The ones that don't seem sick? Is it ok to vaccinate after they recover/have been exposed? I have 12 juveniles and 15 two day old baby chicks (also separated from each other.) How should i treat/vaccinate my hodge podge??? I so wish i was just posting the "which gender is this" pics that drew me to this site.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

@Eggcessive has a lot of wonderful information about vaccines. I wish you the best

 

[dawg53]

There is no need to vaccinate birds that have, or have had fowl pox. They will be immune to the fowl pox strain once they get over the virus.

Only vaccinate birds that dont show fowl pox symptoms. Ensure to inspect them closely for the telltale lesions externally, including legs and feet as well as combs and wattles.
Inspect them for wet pox, inside their mouth and esophagus as best as you can. Do this prior to vaccinating.
If no lesions are found, go ahead and vaccinate them.
https://www.jefferspet.com/products/fowl-pox-vaccine-1000-d

 

[jjjennejjj]

Thank y'all for your help. I got in touch with two of the breeders I bought my chickens from and they both recommended antibiotics to help with any possible secondary infections. After the first LA-200 injections, the ones that seemed really sick perked up a lot. They are still sick, but I'm way more hopeful. The first ones to show the dry pox lesions seem to be recovered, I'm only treating the ones that are lethargic, snotty, or have a swollen eye. If they have yucky scabs but seem normal otherwise, I am just letting the virus run its course and simply massage their combs & beaks with VetRx and put toothpaste on any big scabs or warts. They also all have ACV, garlic, and electrolytes added to their water, and I give them mealworms soaked in elderberry and oregano oil.
Of the chickens in the big coop that have all been exposed, only 5 of the older hens still seem unaffected despite many weeks of exposure, and 7 of the others are just now getting scabs, so I am not going to vaccinate any of the ones in my big coop.
I am going to vaccinate the babies I have as they turn 6 weeks and will revaccinate any that don't show that they "take" and then keep them fully separated until I am confident my older ones feel better. I live outside of Houston, Texas and have been advised by local breeders to consider the AE-poxine vaccine mandatory for our mosquito ridden wetlands.
I'll keep updating for anyone else's future interest.

 

[Banana01]

Thank y'all for your help. I got in touch with two of the breeders I bought my chickens from and they both recommended antibiotics to help with any possible secondary infections. After the first LA-200 injections, the ones that seemed really sick perked up a lot. They are still sick, but I'm way more hopeful. The first ones to show the dry pox lesions seem to be recovered, I'm only treating the ones that are lethargic, snotty, or have a swollen eye. If they have yucky scabs but seem normal otherwise, I am just letting the virus run its course and simply massage their combs & beaks with VetRx and put toothpaste on any big scabs or warts. They also all have ACV, garlic, and electrolytes added to their water, and I give them mealworms soaked in elderberry and oregano oil.
Of the chickens in the big coop that have all been exposed, only 5 of the older hens still seem unaffected despite many weeks of exposure, and 7 of the others are just now getting scabs, so I am not going to vaccinate any of the ones in my big coop.
I am going to vaccinate the babies I have as they turn 6 weeks and will revaccinate any that don't show that they "take" and then keep them fully separated until I am confident my older ones feel better. I live outside of Houston, Texas and have been advised by local breeders to consider the AE-poxine vaccine mandatory for our mosquito ridden wetlands.
I'll keep updating for anyone else's future interest.

Depending on age of the bird, pox sometimes appear and spread when they have worms. I have been raising chickens two years and found after losing a lot of birds that at a certain age, if they start to show pox and they arent healing then I treat for worms and the pox clears after a few days.

So if the pox are not clearing, it could be their immune system is weakened by the worms.

 

[jjjennejjj]

Depending on age of the bird, pox sometimes appear and spread when they have worms. I have been raising chickens two years and found after losing a lot of birds that at a certain age, if they start to show pox and they arent healing then I treat for worms and the pox clears after a few days.

So if the pox are not clearing, it could be their immune system is weakened by the worms.

Ugh. So how long do I wait, or how do I determine whether its worms? How would i treat that? Their poop seems normal based on what I have read.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Depending on age of the bird, pox sometimes appear and spread when they have worms. I have been raising chickens two years and found after losing a lot of birds that at a certain age, if they start to show pox and they arent healing then I treat for worms and the pox clears after a few days.

So if the pox are not clearing, it could be their immune system is weakened by the worms.

That's really interesting and makes sense. I wouldn't have thought of the two being connected. Thank you for sharing this

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Ugh. So how long do I wait, or how do I determine whether its worms? How would i treat that? Their poop seems normal based on what I have read.

It'd be a good idea to have a fecal float done. Any vet's office can do this. If you can't find anyone local, you may be able to ship in a sample to a lab for testing. Of course a fresh sample/local lab is best, but sometimes finding someone local isn't possible.

 

[Banana01]

Ugh. So how long do I wait, or how do I determine whether its worms? How would i treat that? Their poop seems normal based on what I have read.

You really dove right in with lots of birds.

The strategy you use for dealing with your dying birds depends on how you will be able to treat for worms. Unfortunately I give medication for worms that BYC community does not endorse, but I rely on Ivermectin because it clears the worms overnight and I can see how many they pass in their morning droppings. I don't have time nor ability for multiday treatments because my flock drinks water from many sources and Ivermectin drops in their beaks has worked for how I can treat. Plus I live outside the states, so the medicines are less available. I suggest worms is your problem and am not able to offer treatment advice, but just ask where you buy your medicines for what deworming is available and also read any of the BYC anti worming threads for the best advice.

Large adult birds can handle worms better than smaller or younger birds. But you can look at your 12 juveniles and see which ones are growing slower than the others or seemed to have stopped growing and are smaller, which ones have pox or look like they have been scratching at their head excesisvely. You can also check the crops at night and if most of juveniles have full crops and some are mostly watery, thats also a sign.

You just will have to plan to treat for worms your juveniles. There is a certain age and size of juvenile bird where they get worms and they become fragile to pox and other disease, but then when the worms are cleared, they continue to grow and quickly regain their health.

I know my flock gets worms and doesn't always show outward signs. But I keep an eye on sublte clues like their growth stopping, pox, diareah, watery crop at night, and sometimes lethargy and cold like symptoms. Worms basically rob your chickens of their vitamins, and stop their healthy development and only are treatable with anti worm medicine. Pox is far less lethal by itself and unlikely to be killing your birds alone unless your environment is just way different than mine. Worms however are very likely to kill if untreated.

 

[Kiki]

Can you send your next death to your state lab so they can test it to find out exactly which disease you are dealing with?
You might be dealing with something much nastier that just fowl pox.


Please do NOT rehome, sell or give away any birds...ever.

Close your flock until you get testing done.
Both of the people you bought birds from should do the same. Get their flock's tested immediately and stop selling until they do.