# What are these lumps



## Maryellen

Her one wattle is longer then the other and has these lumps on them


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## Maryellen

Fowl pox wtf


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## dawg53

I'm not sure if it's pox, need a closer pic.
Have you had freezing temps? It's possible she may have dipped her wattles in water while drinking and the tips of the wattles may have frostbite or froze. Not much you can do about it if that's the case.


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## Maryellen

I've had her since Oct 28. Temps one night were 30. The one wattle is twice as long as the other and the 2 lumps are huge. If you save the pic then open it and make it bigger the lumps are easier to see. She won't stay still for me to get a good shot of them. She was acting off today so I seperated her to the other side of the yard in the other coop


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## Maryellen

The night the temps went down I put the water heater on so the water wouldn't freeze


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## Maryellen




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## seminole wind

Looks like pox.


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## chickenqueen

I have a hen and her offspring with a short crinkled wattle and a long ,smooth one.Genetics.As for the lumps,is it spreading?


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## Maryellen

So it is the beginning of fowl.pox?. I got this hen and 2 pullets oct 28. They were driven up.here by a woman who was showing her chickens in the poultry show. 
All I've been reading says incubation 4-10 days , some say 3-10 weeks. All I've read says stress , mosquitos and wild birds can have it come out. 
None of my other chickens have it. I removed her and she is in a coop across the yard. I read there is nothing that can be done and it has to run its course. I read dry is better as the wet pox can kill.


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## Wilbur's Mom

goodness ME, I have no clue..hope it's not contagious??


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## Maryellen

It's very contagious


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## Wilbur's Mom

oh no!!!


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## Maryellen

All the pics I took from the time I picked them up to yesterday show it starting


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## seminole wind

I don't recall any of my chickens giving another chicken pox. It's mosquitos. Out of 29 chickens, I'll get one or two that get pox and that's about it. And if 2, they are usually not in the same group . Normally it just runs it's course. I have had problems with a few that due to their immune system their pox was really bad.


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## Maryellen

I have no mosquitos, I went over all the pics I took and the hen had it starting the day I got them. And I didn't notice it. I took 100 pics of the hens from the day I picked them up. My fault for not seeing it as it got bigger


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## seminole wind

I would not want to scare you with my silkie roo who had horrible pox growing off his face. It was totally horrible. I'm sure his immune system was shot prior to getting pox. It did teach me a few things. I've had 2 dry pox and 2 wet pox all at different times and were singularly suffering. There's really nothing I could do with any of them but provide supportive care and hope they get over it (as my vet said). There is a vaccine I have given and have another vial in the fridge. It can help anyone that's not symptomatic.


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## Maryellen

I saw pics online of how bad it can get. This hen was stressed when I picked them up and in the pics I took that day the pox was already starting.


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## chickenqueen

I don't know what to say except good luck,I hope it clears up.


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## Maryellen

I need to find out if all my chickens are now going to be carriers. If so this ruins everything I wanted to do


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## Nm156

Take it to a vet for a lab sample.


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## Maryellen

I am calling the vet today to get her in after work if possible


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## Maryellen

Vet appt tomorrow night 6pm . It's the earliest I can get her in unfortunately to my chicken vet


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## seminole wind

Well it's great that you are taking her to a vet and finding out what that is. Anxiety over not knowing is awful.


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## Maryellen

It's going to cost me $60 to walk in the door . Then whatever a biopsy cost. Ugh. But I'll have piece of mind depending on what it is


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## chickenqueen

That's a small price for your future endeavors.I've got my fingers crossed it's not contagious.


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## seminole wind

Fingers crossed it's nothing. We will all be waiting.


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## Maryellen

$74 for vet tonight. Definitely fowl pox. She took a sample so tomorrow when she calls the one lab she will find out the cost to see what else if anything it is. I'll get a phone call tomorrow as they want to find out the price before they send it in.


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## seminole wind

Hefty sum but I've been there. I would not spend more money for lab analysis. The vet told me with mine to eliminate bugs or worms, vitamins, and good food. Pox are really really slow to get over. You can also vaccinate your other chickens


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## Maryellen

Im so mad it's not funny


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## Maryellen

I can't sell any birds in good faith due to this now. I had another breda cockeral to sell plus my rir langshan roo too. Now no one can leave for the next 5 weeks plus I had barnyard mix pullets sold and I had to refund everyone and tell them they can't get their birds


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## chickenqueen

That's terrible but bear in mind,all new businesses have problems.Fingers crossed didn't help so I'm going to pray that it clears up and there are no lingering consequences.I've never dealt with pox so I have no advice to offer on it.I hope you have a good chicken vet,they're so hard to find, and they find a treatment.


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## Maryellen

I know. I'm just kicking myself for not noticing it right away.
The farm vet I use is really good which helps


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## seminole wind

I have not heard you say that more chickens are showing up with pox. If not, I don't think you have a problem and I would not worry about thinking it's serious. I get isolated cases every year and have never seen it pass to a pen-mate.


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## Maryellen

So far so good karen, no one else has shown it , I'm checking everyone morning and night. I'm hoping that the one hen is an isolated case and the other 2 pullets she came with are not going to be affected


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## nannypattyrn

ME, I had one EE that got pox and no one else ever developed them. I will never know where she got them, because I had her over a year before she got the sores. She got well and had no other symptoms. My only guess was wild birds or mice.


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## Maryellen

I'm hoping it's just this one. She was pretty stressed when I got her which brought it out
.


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## dawg53

Dry fowl pox will go away on its own in a couple of months. Your birds will be immune to it afterwards, unless a different strain infects your flock. 
Mosquitos are the main carrier of the virus, eliminate standing water on your property. I've dealt with it in my birds. Supportive care is all you can do. Alot of folks down here vaccinate, I dont.
Egg production will slow or may stop. Eggs are safe to eat.


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## seminole wind

Here was Strudel with his pox. He died but no one else got them. This was a case of probable no immune system activity.


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## seminole wind

I accidentally poked hubs with the vaccine and he asked if it would cause him pox and I said no but Dawg begged to differ


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## Maryellen

Thank you everyone. I feel alot better now. I will keep her seperated until it goes away then work on putting her back with everyone geadually


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## Maryellen

Ugh a couple of months to heal?I read 5 weeks. Yikes. I have her with one rooster to keep warm as the temps here are in the teens to 30's this week. The coop has a radiant heater too. I lock then in at night to retain heat as well. I figure she gas company and isn't by herself. I can't bring her inside my vet said my cockatiels and parakeets can catch dry fowl pox . I wanted to bring her in the house for the winter but now I cant


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## chickenqueen

I always worry about my birds catching a chicken disease.Precious comes in the house and goes to the bird room to eat seed the birds knock to the ground.I check her for bugs before she goes in but illnesses are hidden by the flock so I worry.There's always something to worry about.....


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## dawg53

seminolewind said:


> I accidentally poked hubs with the vaccine and he asked if it would cause him pox and I said no but Dawg begged to differ
> View attachment 28718


HAHAHAHA!


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## dawg53

Maryellen, fowl pox course time varies. I've seen it last in a flock in as little as 3 weeks and have seen it string out as long as 3 months depending on the "strength" of the viral strain and flock size.
That said, wart like lesions may be minimal or may be very intense and nasty looking.
Look for lesions around the eyes, birds can scratch the lesions which can cause bacterial infection in and around the eye which must be treated with an antibiotic ointment until healed.
You can put black shoe polish or iodine on the lesions to help dry them up quicker. Avoid either around the eyes. Lesions will eventually fall off onto the soil and are very infective to other birds. It can easily spread throughout a flock as I've mentioned before.
You can provide avian vitamins and minerals to bolster their immune system; limited use of poultry nutri drench (for no more than 7 days) and avian super pack come to mind.
Dry fowl pox is NOT a big deal, really. However if there are lesions in the mouth it is wet pox and will eventually cause death due to starvation. There is a way to treat wet pox IF it's only located in the mouth and not in the trachea or further down internally. You'll see dark in color canker-like lesions in the mouth if it's wet pox.


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## dawg53

Maryellen, since your coop(s) are heated, inspect inside your coops for mosquitos and kill them.


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## Maryellen

Dawg only the infirmary coop is heated only when the temps go below 30 when the radiant heater is plugged in . Right now it's not plugged in. I have the hen away from the other 23 chickens, I have betadine, and other vitamins in case I need them, I see her eating and drinking so far, and at the vet she weighed 5.4 lbs. The vet said she looked good even with one wattle with the scabs on it. 
I'm glad you said how long the pox can last, this is why I love this place you all have soooo much knowledge .
She will stay seperated until she is healed, then she goes on the porch and my rooster goes in another cage on the porch then I disinfect the infirmary coop. I will be taking out all the dirt in the run, and all the sand in the coop, what should I use to spray the coop itself and run and all roosts etc?
I'm hoping the others don't get it, so I'm taking it day by day. The vet looked in her mouth and didn't see anything so far, so that's good. 
I do spray permithin.muxed with a bit of water all on the walls,nest boxes and inside of coops for bug control in the warm months too.


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## dawg53

Very quick kill for bacteria, virus, fungus to include insects and poultry external parasites in coops, I mix up a batch of clorox and water and spray the inside of coops including nest boxes and roosts....1/2 cup clorox to 1 gallon of hot water does the trick.
Bleach is effective against bacteria, virus and fungus. Bleach is ineffective in treating soil or sand against bacteria, virus, fungus. Natural sunlight is best for soil.

Once everything inside the coop is dry, that's when I apply permethrin dust or permethrin liquid for longer lasting protection against insects and external parasites.


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## Maryellen

What if I use a cup of bleach to a gallon of water? Or is a 1/2 cup ok?


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## dawg53

You can use one cup of bleach to a gallon of water if you wish. Ensure there is good ventilation.


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## Maryellen

I can hook up a fan an open all the windows. When the chickens are outside I would do it, then set up a fan to get all the fumes out and windows open. Once this is all healed I'll bleach /water the infirmary coop ,put new sand /dirt in and let it all sit empty for a long time. I lent out all my cages so I had no choice but to put her in the infirmary coop, I would have rathered.put her in the cage on the porch or garage


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## seminole wind

I use this nozzle that holds liquid soap that sprays out with the hose water. It's great for getting ceilings . I still use Virkon. $30 for the tub and it's lasted 7 years already. It's industrial strength stuff for livestock and poultry houses.


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## Maryellen

Yeah I have one of those sprayer things too, it's great for getting in all the nooks and crannies


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## Maryellen

So I just looked at lucy, I bleach my shoes when I go from new coop to infirmary and vice versa. Her one lesion on her lower wattle fell off and her wattle area where it was looks really good, nice and healthy red. The other lesion above the bottom one is bigger and looks like it might fall off in a couple of days. She is getting meat bird crumble /laying crumble/scratch grains/BOSS/poly visol no iron/ electrolytes. I'm keeping her as stress free as possible too, and she is alot more calmer. I'm not handling her at all unless needed then taking off my clothes on the porch (brrrr - boxers and bra on of course) and bleaching my coop shoes that I wear only at that coop to hopefully prevent cross contamination and bleaching /washing my hands as well. I hate the bleach smell lol


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## dawg53

Dont give her too much BOSS. I recommend that you give it sparingly.


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## Maryellen

She gets a handful every few days is that ok?


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## dawg53

A small handful once a week would be better. 
Too much oil coats intestinal lining preventing proper absorption of nutrients.


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## Maryellen

Ok once a week it is thank you!!


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## Maryellen

Dawg this is a good sign one lesion came off clean and there is no open wound on her wattle correct?it's a nice healthy section, no open wound


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## nannypattyrn

ME, it means she is healing well. That's the way it happened when one of mine had it.


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## chickenqueen

I'm happy to see it's clearing up.Have you thought about medical wear and shoe covers?They make water-proof clothes to wear over your clothes to avoid contamination.PS-I thought I was the only female that wore boxers...........


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## Maryellen

I have slippers specific for the infirmary coop, and throw away cheap sweats. 
Yeah I love boxers, I stole them from my husband lol.then bought my own. They are super comfy. As soon as I get home from work the boxers and sweats go on lol


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## Maryellen

Oh Patty that is awesome to hear. I hope the other spot heals just as well


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## Maryellen

The other spot is still hanging on. I want to pick it off so bad but know better. I'll let it fall off on its own. She is much more alert, eating and drinking good.


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## seminole wind

Yeah , my vet had said not to take them off. Glad she'said doing better. No signs in the other ones?


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## Maryellen

Yep, no one else is showing anything. I inspect everyone in the morning and night with a flashlight and each one gets looked over


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## Maryellen

And winner winner!! Pullet #2 that came with the cuckoo hen has a fowl pox spot on her wattle today.....wtf...


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## dawg53

Congratulations! Remember, I mentioned it would spread...it's viral.
You're fortunate it's not a severe strain. Once it goes through a flock, birds will be immune to that particular strain forever.


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## Maryellen

I was soooo hoping the other 2 she came with would be in the clear. 
I do remember, you always give great advise and are so knowledgeable, I can never thank you and everyone else for all your knowledge


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## Maryellen

Lumps not fowl pox. 2nd test came back negative.


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## dawg53

Maryellen said:


> Lumps not fowl pox. 2nd test came back negative.


 I got it wrong, sorry ME. Probably got pecked on, but I'd still be vigilant if I were you. Keep up the good work.,


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## seminole wind

We all help eachother, ME.


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## Maryellen

Hell. At least this crap can help someone else lol.. that's why I post the issues, this way it might help someone else. 
Worse case all my birds are euthanized and I start over in spring once I sterilize the coop and run


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## Sylvester017

My 6*1/2* -year-old Partridge Silkie got dry pox and looked terrible. It was around both eyes, ears, walnut comb, and top and bottom of beak -- anywhere there was skin or protein beak to create crusts -- my research said that some cases can show around the vent area or feet too but we were lucky that didn't happen. Poor thing looked horrible and I thought I would have to put her down but vet said she'd be ok. He checked her every week for 3 weeks to make sure it stayed in dry pox rather than wet form and it was another 3 weeks before the last pox crust fell off the top of her beak.

We next noticed a pox crust under the eye of one of our *then* 3-mo-old Dominique chicks but it fell off in a couple days. The veterinarian gave us a special ophthalmic antibiotic ointment so that the antibiotic didn't irritate the eyes. The vet said the ointment wouldn't "cure" the viral dry pox but that it prevented secondary infections from the chicken scratching at the itchy dry pox and to absolutely not pull off the crusts -- let them fall off on their own naturally and be sure to apply ointment to the crusts twice daily. We didn't pull off the crusts but the chicken will scratch at the irritating crusts so the antibiotic ointment was good to use as a preventative from secondary infections. The vet said to isolate the Silkie from the flock because when the crusty pox fall off into the soil the crust retains the pox virus. So we kept her isolated for 6 weeks until the final pox fell off the top of her beak and after her healthy appetite returned to normal.

The infected Silkie's immune system was low because of molting, she was lethargic, and low appetite as happens during molt so she was a weakened candidate for contracting the pox or any other virus that could happen along. The 3-month-old Dominique chicks on the other hand were on a very healthy, appetite-healthy diet and didn't contract the pox. Neither did our Cuckoo Breda who had already finished her molt and was ingesting a healthy quantity of feed and nutrients so her immune system was good.

I know that the popular consensus is that mosquitoes are the suspected culprit for spreading fowl pox and I don't dispute that it may be the most prevalent cause -- but pox is a virus after all and can be picked up anywhere -- from soil, from another infected chicken, from wildlife birds visiting in the backyard, or as a latent carrier within the chicken herself who may never show symptoms of the pox her whole life as long as her immune system is healthy. You just never know where it's hiding. After going through dry pox for 6 weeks I can say it is much easier than the wet pox symptoms I've researched online.

My Silkie stayed hiding while in molt, with no appetite, and lots of crusty pox bumps









It was hard to get a good pic of all the bumps on her eyes, ears, walnut comb and beak. She had a hard time keeping her eyes open and a couple days they were swollen shut. We didn't hassle her with close-up pics while she was miserable. 








The opthalmic antibiotic ointment made a mess of her molting crest feathers








She had crusts forming around both eyes, ears, top and bottom of beak








We called her "Witch Hazel" for 3 weeks until the last nose "wart" fell off









Compared to the days when both of her eyes were swollen shut from the crusty pox, this picture is showing her oily but OPEN eyes after a couple weeks of treatment. 









That big crusty bump on the beak was the final crust to fall off and it took 3 more weeks to come off after all the other facial pox were gone. The crusts are dry and whitish in color but the antibiotic ointment causes the crust to change to an ugly brown.


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## Sylvester017

Ooops! Forgot to post the pics of our Partridge Silkie's "after dry pox" pics! Back to outdoor normal as top hen again. However, we had to isolate the Cuckoo Breda who attacked the little Silkie she didn't recognize after 6 weeks. Now we hope the Breda will be isolated enough to go down in the pecking order after re-introduction next week.


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## dawg53

Sylvester. You are lucky to have such a great vet. I'm glad your birds are recovering nicely.
Just for your information; fowl pox doesnt make chickens carriers. As a matter of fact your birds will be immune to fowl pox for the rest of their lives.
However they can subject to a different strain.


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## Sylvester017

dawg53 said:


> Sylvester. You are lucky to have such a great vet. I'm glad your birds are recovering nicely.
> Just for your information; fowl pox doesnt make chickens carriers. As a matter of fact your birds will be immune to fowl pox for the rest of their lives.
> However they can subject to a different strain.


Yes, perhaps I should have said after being exposed to the dry pox virus a healthy chicken is "exposed" (not a carrier) but fights off the symptoms because of a healthy immune system -- obviously I had other hardier healthier birds exposed to the sick chicken but they didn't contract the pox.

Yes, TY, I was extremely fortunate to find a veterinarian that had worked in the poultry industry prior to opening his practice treating primarily dogs and cats in the city -- our park rangers in the mountains behind us began bringing him injured and sick wildlife like deer, foxes, jackrabbits, owls, etc etc. He even treats rodents and reptiles. But his heart is with poultry and loves our little Silkie when we bring her in. He likes all our chicken breeds but he's been seeing our Silkie for years now. I've recommended him to a couple BYC'ers very impressed w/ him as their poultry vet. I have a backup vet who will see birds when my vet goes on vacation but doesn't have the expertise of our primary poultry vet. Our poultry vet does his own animal surgeries also -- rare here in the city where my experience has been that vets refer complicated surgeries to other specialist surgeons. Last time I saw him he told me he had to amputate the mutilated wing of someone's Leghorn and then operated to delicately remove a kidney stone from a dog's urethra. Doctors are so incredibly amazing!


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