# pox AGAIN



## Ranch (May 26, 2014)

I have been gone for a week taking care of my mother. I come home and am bombarded with a very sad looking flock. I find Dovey (AG/Leghorn) sitting on eggs and looking horrid. My two AG girls are in the rafters and I am told they haven't been down for a few days. Strutter (AG roo) is thin and just wondering around. I have lost two babies and am down to four chicks. Roadrunner (AG) looks healthy though. I get Dovey off the nest and she is limping and I see her legs and mouth. POX AGAIN. then I get in the loft of the barn and check out my other girls and same thing. 
Silkies and polish have them too. so this morning I go to feed and find a new bag of feed has been bought by my hb. I turn and ask where he bought it. The same place that I got it last time they contracted this. I am nooooooooooot a happy camper. I have already called the feed store and informed them of the situation. 
My kids are upset and thinking that they did a poor job taking care of them. I told them it was not their faults and there was nothing different they could have done. But my daughter was crying as she was telling all the things that had happened with the birds. They did a great job, I am proud of them for even attempting to give the snacks and play and clean up things. 
But, this is not good. Two weeks to help them and keep them from getting worse. they are really horrible looking, pox marks are all over, thin and not moving well. Poor Goldy flew down for me this morning and did a face dive. she was fine, embarrassed but fine. Still it was a first, she normally my best flyer. 
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Ranch, pox is caused by mosquitoes not feed. Something might be going on that isn't pox. Once they've had it they shouldn't get it again because an immunity has been developed. 

I have to leave for town. If you have any chance of getting a couple of pics up that would helpful.

Hope things are going well again for you Mother.


----------



## Ranch (May 26, 2014)

robin416 said:


> Ranch, pox is caused by mosquitoes not feed. Something might be going on that isn't pox. Once they've had it they shouldn't get it again because an immunity has been developed.
> 
> I have to leave for town. If you have any chance of getting a couple of pics up that would helpful.
> 
> Hope things are going well again for you Mother.


Everything I read last time and this says the same thing. But the marks on dovey look just like last time. And the others didn't get it last time just dovey and momma. the rest were unaffected it my memory serves correct. Maybe something else was in the feed, I am heading to town to get their regular feed. I will try and get some pics of a few of them but you know how the camera and I are not friends when it comes to injury pics. Thanks Robin. I will look at them again and try and research some more of what it could be. they just look so bad this time. No read left in the combs all light pink and dotted.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Pox is a virus, they can not get it from their feed. The virus is transmitted to the birds from mosquito bites.

Dovey and Momma should not be susceptible to a second round because of the immunity they developed from the first round. Like us when we got chicken pox or measles. The others? If they didn't have it before and were not immunized, then yes, they can get it.

Have you checked with KY to see what it would take for a necropsy?


----------



## Ranch (May 26, 2014)

Okay I will concede to the pox again then. But, something has gotten in their systems. It has to be in the feed because my penned group has it too and they have no contact with the free rangers except the same feed. The appearance of them has changed. they appear to be a lot thinner than when I left. The combs are light pink and their legs are not very yellow, more of an off white. Their spurs are appearing to be peeling/ flakey, and one of Doveys legs looks to be hurt.. Yet when I grab her there is no apparent reason for this other than the small dotty boo boos. their poo is not runny persay just not firm like normal and all of them have a little on their bottoms like when it came out some was a little runny. I keep making them go in the yard to try and eat but they all want to sit and not move. The AG's appear worse than the silkies. The silkies are moving around but are showing their skin under the chin area as though they have picked at it until all the feathers are gone. Checked for bugs and none to be found. They are at least eating but not much. 
Should I add something to their water to help boost their appetites back. I tried tomatoes and watermelon this morning but only the silkie pen would eat it. the AG's wouldn't touch any thing I offered. 
I know that this isn't much to go off of, but with me not being here than I am not sure when it started and how fast they have declined to be in this condition. They were fed and watered everyday. I had cut their treats up ahead of time and the kids gave them to them. The waters are all clean and fresh. 

The only bunch that seems to be unaffected are the babies and Roadrunner. They don't stay in the barn and eat different feed. They are running around like normal and doing their usual thing.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I truly don't know what might be going on. You shouldn't be seeing such a decline with pox. There might be a secondary bacterial infection going on and they might benefit from a broad spectrum antibiotic. But with the AG's that might be hard to do unless you can lock them up. 

An outside pen will not keep mosquitoes at bay. They are just as susceptible as those that free range.


----------



## Ranch (May 26, 2014)

Today is better but not by much. TSC gave me wyzine I think and told me to try that. Since it has to go in the water and I can't promise they will drink it, then I have been soaking their fruits in the water solution and then giving them each a piece, plus putting it in the run and barn water. They are not happy. But, at least they are eating something. There were no nose dives into the ground this morning and Since I am back and they know I don't take no for an answer they are leaving the barn when I go out there. But, color is still the same and Dovey is still limping. I know it will take awhile for them to look and feel better. Maybe a week and all will be normal.
Figured out why Roadrunner and the babies don't appear to be sick. She is no longer going anywhere near the barn. Not to sleep or eat. the babies and her are sleeping in the unfinished part of my large coop. They eat only free range and no given food except the fruit since I left, the fruit they get on their own at my grape vines. I have two that hang low by my design and they can have them. I am worried about the ones that are gone. No one knows what happened to them. I did check her over as much as could yesterday, she saw me with her grapes and brought her little crew with her. 
Got rid of feed and cleaned all containers, cleaned barn and small coop and run. Cleaned all feed dishes and waterers again this am. It may be small progress but the fact that any of them are moving around is better than it was. Up until I came home no one had been down for couple of days.


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

What TSC probably sold you was Wazine, its a wormer for round worms. 

And as I'm reading, I am wondering if the feed didn't play a part in their physical decline. Bad feed can do a lot of bad things to them, including death. But the Pox? That's still mosquito related. 

The limping is probably a strain and will clear if she doesn't get too wild and crazy.

I don't care what anyone says, no one can do the job that the full time care taker does. We see, hear, feel things that others miss because they're not familiar. 

I had to leave for a week when my Mother got sick. I warned my husband, make sure Max hears you coming. Max was my old horse, he stood over 17 hands and at 25 was losing his hearing. Bob listened but not well enough. He "thought" Max knew he was there right up until the moment he started to pour the feed in Max's feeder. That huge head swung around and sent my 200 pound hubs flying. To let Max know I was there I did a loud whistle, when his head came up I knew he was alerted. Turns out my hubs whistle can only be heard if you're standing next to him.


----------



## Ranch (May 26, 2014)

robin416 said:


> What TSC probably sold you was Wazine, its a wormer for round worms.
> 
> And as I'm reading, I am wondering if the feed didn't play a part in their physical decline. Bad feed can do a lot of bad things to them, including death. But the Pox? That's still mosquito related.
> 
> ...


 I told the man several times that I thought it was just for worms and that I am not having a worm issue. But, he was so persistant that I finally gave in and used it. I even told him that if it was for worms and mine happen to be dehydrated than wouldn't it do more harm than good.

Your poor hubby, he tried.

I am hoping the return of me and their feed will help. I am not scared of them and making them mad. My children are scared of Strutter, but even he seems fine with me picking up Dovey right now. She seems the worse, but she is the runt of my flock. 
Do you think I should empty all the bowls and not use the wormer? And for future use......what should I pick-up at the store for the hens. Maybe I can teach them something. they still think I am weird for having mine as long as I have. Silly men


----------



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

And your experience at TSC is more the norm than not. Most of those people know next to nothing about chickens and just a tad bit more about large livestock. 

A tetracycline antibiotic is an example of broad spectrum but for now I'm going to say don't give it to them. If they are already beginning to show signs of perking up I would wait and see. 

Go ahead and finish the worming, it won't hurt and will clear them if they have any extra build up while they were down. 

And is a prime example of why there is not substitute for those full timers. No matter how hard they try they just can't replace those that know each individual bird and when something alerts us to a problem with one bird out of many.

There was a young woman some years ago posting on the other place in an absolute panic. She was watching her Mom's chickens while her Mom was away. One of the hens was flat out on the ground and wouldn't move. Several of us right away posted that she was probably dust bathing. A little bit later she posted back that the bird was fine and probably doing as we suggested.


----------



## Barredrockmom (Jun 27, 2014)

I did not read all the posts but when I was a wild bird rehabber this was a real problem. Most of the birds that were getting pox (wet or dry) were California Towhies, Towhies and Robin's and American Finches. It can also be spread by out door watering containers. In this case it is important to bleach out all dishes and containers holding water daily. Keep them out of wild bird access. It is such a pain to treat. It means locking up your infected birds as they will also infect the wild bird population as well. We used Baytril and applied a topical antibiotic for birds on infected areas. Mainly around the nares, and head.


----------

