White Lesions on Sneezing Chicken

[Samloveschicks]

Hi everyone,
I had a previous post running about my hens ocassionally sneezing, and I am currently waiting for BHI tubes to arrive from MD Animal Diagnostics Labratory to send off swabs to test for IB, IL, AI, MG, Newcastle's, and IC. I was trying not to treat the girls until these tubes arrived, and I could swab the girls for testing. Now, their sneezing seems more frequent, and my barred rock and buff orpington have white lesions on their comb as of this morning. The buff only has one spot, the barnevelder none, but my poor barred rock seems to have tons of it and her comb is discolored. After a lot of activity (running after me excitedly), she pales out as well. Also, she has some dark spots on her feet? Might have always been there, and I could have not noticed, but I figured its discolored looking ao I should at least upload a picture.
Is there anything I can do while waiting for this testing material to come in? I am very worried with the barred rock since she has the most lesions. We do have lots of mosquitos here, so Im worried about fowl pox. I also added new hay to their coop that they have been digging around in.
Right now I have electrolytes in their water and they are still eating, but there is a decrease in egg laying the last two days.
Any advice is appreciated!!
Samantha

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm not seeing anything that concerning with her comb, the couple of white spots I see could be scarring/discoloration from a previous wound/scab or possibly the beginning of Fowl Pox. I would just observe the see if it stays the same, gets better/worse.

The dark spot on the toe looks like some type of injury, she may have bumped it. That too, I would just leave alone and observe.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Ok thanks so much! Like i said, one of the white spots got that characteristic yellow, fluidy raised look to it this morning so Im prrtty sure this is going to be dry fowl pox. There are no lesions in any of their mouths/throats and they are still acting fine, each actually layed an egg yesterday. I was reading that you can treat the lesions with various antiseptics, so I have been dabbing those spots with some Vetericyn VF spray.

I would be careful with applying ointment/antiseptics, the scabs/lesions don't need to be disturbed since that can help the spread. Iodine can be used to help dry them up if you feel you need to put something on them.

 

[aart]

We use Vetericyn to dry up similar lesions in small animal medicine, but I can use iodine instead. Do you dilute it to look like dark tea?

If it's Dry Pox... just leave it alone....it's virus and can spread if messed with.
My birds have had DP and often sneeze when dust bathing or of at a vigorous feed.
No need to make mountains out of skeeter bites and dust up the nose.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It may be the start of fowl pox, time will tell. Nothing you can do about it if they do. As far as the sneezing, what type of bedding are you using? How well ventilated is your coop?

 

[Samloveschicks]

I'd leave it but watch it. If it gets wet you may want to remove it. Is it a wet sneeze or a dry sneeze? I guess if you aren't seeing any goopy mucous, in eyes nostrils or beak it may just be some irritant in the area. You look like you live in the suburbs? Have neighbors been spraying for anything? Do you use DE?

Their sneezing has always been a dry sneeze. It happens unprovoked sometimes, though, and has started once I introduced two of the chickens to my original who had never sneezed. A month was not enough quarentine time, since I did not see sneezing in the new two during quarentine.
I do live in an urban area. Right smack in the middle of New Orleans to be specific. So our air quality isnt the best. My neighbors always tell me if they need to spray or put out anything because I have a dog that has had reactions to Sevin dust and caught poisioned rats, so nothing as far as that goes. No DE.
More importantly, every week there is a truck that comes around and sprays a crap ton of poision into the air to kill mosquitos. Ive always worried about this but there is nothing you can do to atop the city from doing it. It really messes with the bees that come to my garden (they are disoriented). Ive tried calling, people I know who keep bees have tried calling, but they value preventing human health issues like malaria, zika, ect more than our pollenators and individual concerns. I dont know if anyone has experience with this?

Tomorrow my BHI tubes will be coming in from Maryland Dept. Of Ag, so I will be sending off a tracheal swab on Tuesday and hopefully have some answers soon on the sneezing that has been going on.

 

[Samloveschicks]

I hope you get an answer. Sometimes birds can carry stuff but not come down with it. That's why quarantine isn't a guarantee of not introducing new stuff to your flock. Hopefully your birds build immunity to it eventually.

I will never understand humans myself. They are killing off that which gives us a lot of our foods, bees, in order for a few humans to not have to take their own responsibility for mosquitoes borne illness, and prevention of that illness It doesn't make sense to me either.

Yeah, in the future I will start with chicks. I just didnt have time to this time around and feel terrible for bringing in birds that made my original girl sick. At least she is happy for the company!
I totally agree Statistically, what we spray does not make much of a difference in mosquito populations. It just ends up creating issues for other insects. Its a shame, and I cant wait to move somewhere where this practice doesnt take place!

 

[aart]

What is DP?

Dry Pox.

 

[Samloveschicks]

It may be the start of fowl pox, time will tell. Nothing you can do about it if they do. As far as the sneezing, what type of bedding are you using? How well ventilated is your coop?

I think this is gonna be fowl pox. This morning the largest white spot on her comb is a yellow blister and the white spots seem more prominent on both chickens.
As far as the coop goes, here is a picture. I lay down a bit of hay and remove all poop daily. They free range so not much ends up in there anyways. The ventilation is great, literally all hardware cloth but they are protected from rain. Ill surely have to insulate it in the winter when it decides to get cold this year. Last year we barely reacher 40F. No diatamaceous earth or anything irritating respiratory wise that I can think of. Im thinking they have myco that is being irritated by the fowl pox onset

 

[Samloveschicks]

I'm not seeing anything that concerning with her comb, the couple of white spots I see could be scarring/discoloration from a previous wound/scab or possibly the beginning of Fowl Pox. I would just observe the see if it stays the same, gets better/worse.

The dark spot on the toe looks like some type of injury, she may have bumped it. That too, I would just leave alone and observe.

Ok thanks so much! Like i said, one of the white spots got that characteristic yellow, fluidy raised look to it this morning so Im prrtty sure this is going to be dry fowl pox. There are no lesions in any of their mouths/throats and they are still acting fine, each actually layed an egg yesterday. I was reading that you can treat the lesions with various antiseptics, so I have been dabbing those spots with some Vetericyn VF spray.