The Chicken Dilemma

For the past few weeks I've noticed that one of my hens has not been doing very well. She appeared to have mites, but upon dusting her, and not improving her condition I decided it was something else, but since I wasn't sure she was going to make it anyway I didn't bother researching anything. But when he newly hatched chick began to have swollen eyelids and nostrils I began to think something else was wrong, and way wrong! I began doing research in which I was startled that my chickens might have infectious coryza ( pronounced corzia). Coryza is not curable and once a bird is infected they are carriers for life. Something which scared me along with the fact that it can be transmitted to the embryo in the egg. Most people cull their entire flock and start over again.

To my relief my flock does not have infectious coryza, but fowl pox. Something typically non lethal and once infected they can never have it again. It's very similar to chicken pox in humans. It cannot be transmitted to the egg, and it also cannot affect other birds they come in contact with after they are healed. The biggest concern is wet pox, the same as fowl pox but just another form of it, it's internal and causes lesions internally, thus causing death. My little chick doesn't have any signs of wet pox, I haven't checked her mother but I doubt that I will, old heathen screams bloody murder if I dare touch her! For both our safety she will be left alone, with proper medication and pro-biotics she should be alright.

I'll try and post some pictures as soon as I can for future reference.