What is this in her mouth?

[cicipitcher7]

So this morning I went to go check on my girls and I found one in the coop dead! Yesterday she was doing some mouth breathing but it’s been super hot here like 95 degrees here in Texas so I thought she was just trying to cool herself off. I did open her mouth and found some white stuff in there and I just need to know what it is and if that’s possibly how she died.

 

[Mrs J]

This looks like Canker or Thrush to me, but I have no experience of it. Does she have a mucky vent or is this the only sign? Maybe @casportpony could give you some suggestions, sorry I can’t be of any help.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I'm so sorry for your loss!

Is that canker? Maybe thrush? Canker is viral and is a sign of wet fowl pox. The canker can block the airway. Pox is contagious, so you might wanna take a look at your other birds' mouths/throats just in case. Thrush is fungal and can be treated with something like Medistatin.

 

[cicipitcher7]

This looks like Canker or Thrush to me, but I have no experience of it. Does she have a mucky vent or is this the only sign? Maybe @casportpony could give you some suggestions, sorry I can’t be of any help.

I'm so sorry for your loss!

Is that canker? Maybe thrush? Canker is viral and is a sign of wet fowl pox. The canker can block the airway. Pox is contagious, so you might wanna take a look at your other birds' mouths/throats just in case. Thrush is fungal and can be treated with something like Medistatin.

This is the first I’ve never seen it in any of my other birds but I will check. What do they use to treat wet fowl pox or canker or thrush? Im sorry I’m not an expert by any means but I don’t want any of my other ladies to have a problem.

 

[Aunt Angus]

This is the first I’ve never seen it in any of my other birds but I will check. What do they use to treat wet fowl pox or canker or thrush? Im sorry I’m not an expert by any means but I don’t want any of my other ladies to have a problem.

Pox = viral, so there is no treatment. They usually get over it in a few weeks, but you can remove cankers from the mouth to prevent blockage. If lesions appear on the comb or wattles, you can dab iodine on them to help dry them up.

Thrush = fungal. Medistatin is what I have used, though there are others. Most average-sized chickens would get 1/2 tsp of Medistatin powder mixed with a tiny bit of water directly to the beak 2x/day for about a week.

 

[cicipitcher7]

Okay thank you. I’m gonna check my other girls today when my husband gets home so he can help me so I can get a real good look in the mouths and look at the from head to toe. I’m so sad she was one of my sweet girls. I was sad finding her

 

[Aunt Angus]

Okay thank you. I’m gonna check my other girls today when my husband gets home so he can help me so I can get a real good look in the mouths and look at the from head to toe. I’m so sad she was one of my sweet girls. I was sad finding her

I am so sorry. It must have been shocking.

I *think* that's what we are looking at. I am not an expert, either, but my flock has had pox. I didn't lose any, but I know that these kinds of infections can sometimes be a secondary problem. An illness might weaken their immune system and allow other things to sneak in.

If you still have her, you can send her for a necropsy. It will let you know what happened and if there is anything potentially contagious in your flock.

 

[Mrs J]

Okay thank you. I’m gonna check my other girls today when my husband gets home so he can help me so I can get a real good look in the mouths and look at the from head to toe. I’m so sad she was one of my sweet girls. I was sad finding her

So sorry for your loss

 

[EggSighted4Life]

What do they use to treat wet fowl pox

Sorry for your loss.

Maybe not the same as treatment but support flock immunity (during times of stress) by supplementing with Poultry Nutri drench or Rooster Booster (brand) Poultry Cell Or Poultry Booster. Also feed a balanced, formulated poultry ration not diminished by excess treats (which provide energy but often diminish nutrients).

No supplement should be given more than 10 days in a row.

Contact info for TX, in case you still have her body and want to get a necropsy done to determine if it was infectious to others..

https://tvmdl.tamu.edu/tests/necropsy-poultry/

Hope the rest continue to thrive!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

So this morning I went to go check on my girls and I found one in the coop dead! Yesterday she was doing some mouth breathing but it’s been super hot here like 95 degrees here in Texas so I thought she was just trying to cool herself off. I did open her mouth and found some white stuff in there and I just need to know what it is and if that’s possibly how she died.

You had respiratory illness within your flock at the end of March, did that resolve completely? The vet gave you meds, what were they?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/sick-chickens.1517280/

Was there a bad odor?

She has crusts around the eyes as well, so I would make an assumption based solely on the photo that she also had an eye infection?
The material inside the beak could be mucous or lesions from whatever respiratory disease you are dealing with.

Fowl Pox, which is a Virus is possible, but I think you would have noticed lesions on the outside of the beak and comb. The eye crusts don't look quite like Fowl Pox. There is no odor with Fowl Pox.

Thrush (Candidiasis) is a yeast/fungal infection, you may have detected a sour or yeasty smell, but normally there's no eye crusts that accompany Thrush unless there's secondary infection.

Canker (Trichomonosis) is caused by a protozoa, it's not a virus, but it is highly contagious.

The very best way to know what you are dealing with is to refrigerate the body and send it to your state lab for testing. Once you get more info, then you will know how to treat.