# AbbiesFly for sick chicken



## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

OP posted in the wrong place so I moved it here. 

Not sure if I'm posting this in the right section as I am new to this forum. However, here is my issue. I recently adopted 2 Welsummer hens (both 3 years old) from a woman who could no longer keep them. I have had them for about 5 weeks or so, and was about to get another hen, when just today I went out to feed them there morning greens, I noticed that one of them had scab looking things covering the top of her comb, and the rest of her head looked sorta thinned out and just not well. We have yet to have a problem with predators of any kind, it's def not a pecking problem as the two are the best of friends, and I swear when they were following me around in the yard the day before her comb appeared completely fine.
I don't think it could be an injury as it's actually very scabby and almost rotted looking and I check on them frequently throughout the week and would have seen a wound. 
Needless to say I'm now going to hold off on bringing in a new hen, but I'm clueless as to what is wrong. Currently the only treatment I've done is to add apple cider vinegar to their water, so any advice/thoughts would be very much appreciated. This is my first time owning chickens so any info anyone has would be awesome!
*Just a general history of their day to day care info: They free rant his urging the day and are closed in the coop at night, coop is VERY well ventilated. Their diet consists of free feed pellets, and twice a day I give dark romaine leaves, a few pieces of carrots, a small amount of broccoli, a couple basil leaves, and a sprinkling of a scratch and oat mixture. Twice a week I give them 3-4 mealworms each and some crushed eggshell, and then naturally of course whatever they forage in the yard. I change their water twice daily.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Maybe it could be pox? Did she get them after moving? It does sound like pox. It's not contagious but you are doing the right thing holding off on another hen until you know.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

I agree with Seminolewind, it sounds like fowl pox. It would be best if you post a couple of pics for us to see if in fact it is fowl pox. Then I could tell you what treatments to use. Scabs from fowl pox are very infective to other birds. Stop the ACV, it wont do anything but disrupt gut PH balance.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

dawg53 said:


> I agree with Seminolewind, it sounds like fowl pox. It would be best if you post a couple of pics for us to see if in fact it is fowl pox. Then I could tell you what treatments to use. Scabs from fowl pox are very infective to other birds. Stop the ACV, it wont do anything but disrupt gut PH balance.


I thought it was spread by mosquitoes, not chicken contact. My facts are off?


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

seminolewind said:


> I thought it was spread by mosquitoes, not chicken contact. My facts are off?


Fowl pox is spread by mosquitos. Infective scabs eventually drop off onto soil where other birds can pick them up spreading the disease in that manner or in coops where it can be spread in the air if there are enough fallen scabs. Open wounds no matter how small can spread the disease internally, primarily trachea and larynx.
Fortunately I've never had to deal with wet fowl pox, I'd most likely cull.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Wet pox is awful. They smell really bad and it does not seem to have anything to fight it. I haven't had one live thru it.


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