Not amazingly , chicken get chicken pox too . Except in their sheath , it ’s called fowl pox and like the human version , it ’s a contagious viral disease with no therapeutic and no discussion , other than trying to keep morale up .
Both of my poulet are in the center of their molts , so I did n’t think too much of it when they started foraging less , play less , and lay less ( until the eggs ceased entirely two weeks ago ) .
A molt lease a lot out of a chicken and my poor Kimora is belong through a pretty harsh patch this year . She ’s dropping feathers much more heavily than she did last year , and the only thing that will get her to track down and jump is a smattering of dry mealworms ( which I ’ve been giving more often , as well as black oil sunflower source and scrambled orchis ) . Otherwise , she spend the day lounging in the sun , partaking in the occasional dust bath , wait for me to bring more treats . She is not a happy camper mightily now .
A couple weeks ago , I noticed little black excrescence of what face like dried - up descent on her comb and dismissed them as battle wounds from potential pecking . She was tranquil and lethargic , but I assign it to a very hard molt . She had also stopped laying , which did n’t seem unusual considering the season , though last yr she would still set an egg or two a week through the dark daytime of winter .
I noticed her rat were pop out to heal last workweek , becoming less spectacular , and she seemed to regain her energy a routine . But … I also noticed that Iman was getting those same bulge onhercomb ! The warty - expect nodules begin come along around the same time Kimora ’s were clearing .
alas for Iman , her fount of domestic fowl pox seems much more acute . In a twain of just three day , the bumps had manifold and become heavy in size . The first ones are starting to crust and scab over , leaving black swelling on her comb , wattle , ear , and face . She ’s moody and lazier , though she ’ll still skip up to me when she take heed the “ especial door ” on the coop opening … you sleep with , the door where scrumptious treats magically fall out .
Aside from the heavy molting and scabby pox ( poor little girl just ca n’t catch a break of serve this season ! ) , both chickens seem to be in decent health and average spirits … as much as a twain of sick chicken can be healthy and spirited , that is .
Fowl pox run its course in two to four weeks and the best discourse is to allow it do its thing . you may swob some iodine on the lesions to make them dry out up quicker , but I ’ve find out that they scab pretty readily . Once the fowl pox has full make , septic birds get partial unsusceptibility from the same viral strain ( just like humans do ) . They usually wo n’t get fowl lues venerea again , but if they do , subsequent cases are potential to be less severe .
My only vexation is secondary infection , when lesions appear inside the mouth and the respiratory tract , impact the oesophagus , pharynx , voice box , and trachea . This type of contagion is called fuddled syphilis , or diphtheritic fowl pox . Advanced soused syphilis can interfere with feeding or breathing as the lesions become enlarged , blocking the respiratory tract .
My volaille have dry syph , or dermal poultry pox . These rotund , provoke lesions ( usually with dark scabby centerfield ) only appear on field of the body with no feathers , generally the coxcomb , wattle , face , or feet . Dry pox is a nuisance , but seldom fateful . Neither forms of bird lues venerea are contagious to humankind or other animals .
The computer virus is communicate by mosquitoes , but can sometimes pass from bird to bird by speck or lice . Once a chicken is bite by a mosquito carrying the computer virus , it ’s almost certain that the rest of the flock will be infected as well . This usually happens if a mosquito continues to bite the other chickens , or if the infected chicken drinks from a water fountain and backwashes the virus into it . Other wimp then nibble up the virus by drinking from the same water .
septic chickens also put down infected faecal matter , so the computer virus can get in a nutrient or piddle source that ’s been contaminated by droppings . This includes the droppings from pigeons , true sparrow , and other raging snort that may be infect , as they all channel related to strains of the pox virus .
poultry pox computer virus can pull round in the surround for at least a twelvemonth ( through hackles or dried scab that have lessen off ) . It ’s a resistant and behind - moving computer virus , infect an entire flock over a menstruum of a calendar month or more . Just as you reckon your wimp are getting well , others begin to show symptoms . They ’ll slow or stop their egg laying , become unenrgetic , probably eat less … but they ’ll always have those telltale warty bumps .
While there ’s no tangible treatment for poultry syphilis , you may attempt to prevent reinfection by cleanse and changing out the urine supplying every day ; removing and supplant the bedding ; disinfecting nests , roosts , and other places where your chicken spend a lot of clip ; and generally keeping the environs corking and healthful . Eliminate any standing piss , and pay special attending after a pelting for puddles that mosquitoes might be breeding in .
I always add a little food - grade diatomaceous earthly concern to the Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin in their run ( raking it in evenly ) , as well as dust the nest and pine shavings with it . Diatomaceous dry land ( also recognise simply as DE ) controls jot and biting louse by dry out their exoskeleton as they scratch their fashion through the okay gunpowder ( made from the oppress - up fogy of hard - crush algae ) .
DE is a cheap and comfortable preventive measure that any chicken - steward should take , even without signs of plague . verify you use food for thought - grade DE — usually receive in garden nurseries or provender stores — and not the DE intended for swimming pools .
Prevention of fowl pox comes in the manikin of a unrecorded virus vaccinum . you’re able to postulate an avian ex-serviceman for it , or purchase the vaccinum from a poultry supplier and deal out it yourself . Only salubrious boo should be immunise , and birds that have already gone through fowl syphilis will not demand the inoculation as they ’ll develop immunity from it . TheMerck Veterinary Manualoffers more information about domestic fowl lues venerea ( which also affects Republic of Turkey ) .
As for my girls , Kimora seems to be heal well and I hope she ’ll go back fully in another week or so ( and maybe even start repose again … fingers cover ) . Iman might have another couple weeks to go with her dry pox , but so far the lesion do n’t seem to be bother her , despite one being very close to her eye .
I ’m not doing anything out of the ordinary for them , other than hold on them well-heeled through their ecdysis and up their protein intake . ( Find outhow to aid your chickens grow back beautiful plume before the cold sets in . )
Oh , Gallus gallus … always keeping me on my toe , that ’s for certain .
