Fowl Pox In Backyard Chickens: What The Symptoms Are And How To Treat Them

What Is Fowl Pox?

Fowl pox, also called avian pox, is a viral disease that affects many species of wild birds and pet birds. Fowl pox is spread by mosquitoes and other biting insects, and is usually found in chickens and turkeys but can infect most bird species around the world.  Fowl pox is a slow-spreading viral disease of chickens characterized by wart-like scabs (dry pox) on the unfeathered skin areas such as wattles, comb, legs and (wet pox) eyelids, and/or mucous membranes of the oral cavity, larynx, or trachea.  There are two types of fowl pox, dry pox and wet pox.

See more at: https://poultrydvm.com/condition/fowl-pox

Dry Pox

Dry pox is the cutaneous (skin) form of fowl pox and is the most common outbreak in all birds.  Dry pox typically occurs during the warmer months when mosquitoes and other biting insects are prevelant.  It can spread throughout the flock through pecking wounds (fighting), dubbing, or cannibalism.  It will generally run its course in about 4-5 weeks.

Chickens with dry fowl pox will experience mild to severe skin scabs. These can start as small, individual scabs that become raised and crusted and expand from the initial scab/lesion. The scabs will turn red in color and blacken. Lesions will appear over unfeathered areas on the bird’s body such as the face and feet.  

Wet Pox

Wet pox or diphtheritic lesions can be found in the eyes and eyelids, sinuses, oral cavity, nasal cavity, upper esophagus and respiratory system.  Birds with wet pox may have small white or gray nodules in these locations. The nodules can spread to cover most of the area with a thick membrane.  

Treatment

Once a bird has had fowl pox and recovers from it, that bird is immune to it.  A bird who is vaccinated against the fowl pox is immune as well.  It is important to note that fowl pox does not spread from birds to humans.  If one or more of your chickens has fowl pox you can slow down the spread of it by getting the whole flock vaccinated.  Otherwise, you can vaccinate before fowl pox enters your flock.  When you see fowl pox scabs you can use a cotton swab to apply Betadine to the sores daily to help reduce the risk of infection at the scab site.  Dry pox is usually temporary and resolves on its own.  Wet pox could sometimes become more serious and result in death.  If there are wet pox sore around the mouth preventing the chicken from eating, you can use a warm saline wound solution on a cotton swab to gently remove the sore.  Keep the rest of their living quarters clean and sanitary.  Use Oxine (linked just below) to clean food and water bowls, as well as their perch bars.  After the flock has healed, repeat cleaning and disinfecting their environment for the next 4 weeks, being diligent to remove the scabs that fell off the chickens.

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Karole Spencer

I fell in love with chickens and bees from the very first moment I got started with them. But I did not have any mentors to help me troubleshoot issues as they would arise. So, I did my own research from credible sources to get the facts needed to keep a healthy flock and apiary. My website is all about sharing my research for everyone else to enjoy and benefit from.

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