Wet Pocks

[Diedie]

Please help! Four of my chicks have Wet Pocks. Is there a cure? What can I give them.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi,

I hope that this link helps.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/avian-pox-how-to-treat-your-chickens-for-avian-pox

CT

 

[Diedie]

Thanks. So basically there is no cure for wet or dry pox. I have Terramycin. Do you think if I inject them it might help?

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you describe what symptoms you are seeing, where the lesions are, and perhaps post a picture or two? That helps to see how bad it is. Antibiotics do not affect the pox since it is a virus, but secondary infections such as in the eyes or an abscess on the skin, may respond to antibiotics or antibiotics eye ointment, such as Terramycin.

 

[Diedie]

Lesions are on the eyes and beaks. One of the chicks one eye is totally closed. I will take photos and post them tomorrow.

 

[Eggcessive]

Wet pox is inside the beak, throat, trachea and esophagus, and looks yellowish. Dry pox is outside the beak. Since it is on the eyes, I would get some Vetericyn Eye Gel or Terramycin Eye Ointment at your feed store, but you may have to ask for them if they are locked up. Plain Neosporin will work if you can't get those, after cleansing the eye with saline for any drainage or crusts. Iodine applied to scabs away from eyes may help dry them out. Pox virus usually lasts around 2-3 weeks. Here is some reading:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/6/diseases-of-poultry/195/fowl-pox/
http://www.hyline.com/aspx/redbook/redbook.aspx?s=5&p=35

Wet pox in the trachea

 

[chickengr]

Lesions are on the eyes and beaks. One of the chicks one eye is totally closed. I will take photos and post them tomorrow.

clean their eyes and beaks. just push those lesions with q-tips, they fall off easily. put some antibiotic ointment in their infected eyes. you can put a drop of iodine in their mouth too. if they bleed a bit put some iodine. I did that and my pullet is 100% healthy now (she looked horrible, even my vet wasn't sure if she will survive).

 

[Diedie]

Will the lesions fall off or is this permanent? I have never seen this before and I am not sure what to do. I have given them Terramycin and I put some ointment on their lesions. How long does this last? Three of my chicks have this disease. I think this is dry pox and not wet pox. They still eat so I think it is dry pox.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Both wet and dry pox is caused by a virus. Antibiotics are intended to kill bacteria hence the name ANTI bacteria. Terramycin will have no effect on viruses. Try to keep mosquitoes from freely breeding on or near your property. Fowl pox is spread by mosquitoes. Chickens are never "CURED" of fowl pox. They always remain a carrier of the disease and are able to pass fowl pox on to healthy chickens via mosquitoes.

 

[Eggcessive]

Will the lesions fall off or is this permanent? I have never seen this before and I am not sure what to do. I have given them Terramycin and I put some ointment on their lesions. How long does this last? Three of my chicks have this disease. I think this is dry pox and not wet pox. They still eat so I think it is dry pox.

Did you read either of the links I gave you in post #6? They may help to explain the disease better. It is a virus spread by mosquitoes, and lasts about 2-3 weeks. The scabs will eventually heal, and the chicken is only infectious while they have the scabs, so don't remove or disturb them. After having pox, they will be immune to that particular strain of the pox virus, and they are not carriers. Antibiotics do not treat the virus, but the eye infections they can get include bacterial and mycoplasma as secondary infections, so antibiotic eye ointment can help prevent infection and blindness. Oral antibiotics don't have any effect against the virus. There is a vaccine for birds who haven't already been exposed. Here is another link to read: http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/63/fowl-pox-pox-avian-pox/