Fowl pox in poultry Treatment and prevention

 Fowl Pox in poultry Treatment and Prevention :

Fowl pox

Fowl pox is the most common bacterial infection in poultry that causes painful sores on the skin of the poultry .

Also called Avian Pox, Sorehead, Avian Diphtheria and Chicken Pox, it is not related to the human chicken pox and cannot be transmitted to humans from birds.

Fowl pox comes in two forms, Dry and Wet pox and while there is no cure, Fowl Pox can be prevented and treated symptomatically .

Causes & Transmission fowl pox in poultry :

Dry Fowl Pox is a viral infection that affects poultry skin in areas without regular feathers like, comb, warts, face and eyelashes.

Wet Fowl Pox affects the bird's upper respiratory system, eyes, mouth and throat and can put lives at risk.

The virus is transmitted to poultry in the yard by biting insects, especially mosquitoes.

The virus is transmitted to other poultry birds within the herd through infected birds feathers, feather debris, skin dander, sloughed-off crust, scab fluid and blood (collectively referred to as "hot waste").

Fowl Pox is highly contagious and spreads slowly from poultry bird to poultry bird inside the herd. The virus can persist in a herd for months, sometimes years, in hot litter.

Poultry birds which are at risk can become infected by ingesting hot feces, inhaling or in contact with skin lesions or mucous membranes (eyes and mouth).

The first stages of Dry Fowl Pox include ash color, raised sores or blisters on the comb, face and battles. The blisters turn into large bumps, yellow and finally, dark brown, crabs that look like warts.

Eventually the scabs will be resolve and there will be scars .

Some chickens get infected, but some may come back in times of stress.

 Symptoms:

Chickens with Fowl Pox often show a decrease in egg production, loss of appetite and / or weight loss over sores on the skin (dry fowl pox) or sores on the inside of the mouth and throat (wet fowl pox). Symptoms usually persist for a few weeks in the bird and in a few months in the herd.

Treatment:

There is no cure for fowl pox , but there are other ways to comfort infected chickens and to prevent infections.

Affected birds can be vaccinated during an outbreak.

Give tetracycline antibiotics to the water to help control secondary infections.

Terramycin in drinking water for three days is followed by a vitamin supplement in the water.

Treat the crust with a diluted iodine solution.

Add oil to soften the crabs. (Mix two tablespoons of sulfur powder with 1/2 cup of Vaseline. Apply to affected areas daily until the wound has healed.)

Clean the shed and run with the intention of removing hot debris from buildings.

Prevention:

To avoid introducing fowl pox to your healthy flocks from an infected flock by your clothes, equipment or shoes practice good bio-security.

Properly quarantine the members of the new herd accordingly .

Control mosquitoes if possible.

Against fowl pox day old chicks and unaffected adults can be vaccinate . The wing-stick method is easy to make and very cheap. Once the chickens have been vaccinated, they are permanently protected.

During an outbreak, to prevent the spread of the virus, clean and sanitize daily drinking water and the waterers on daily basis .

Following the outbreak, clean and sanitize the chicken coop weekly for a month.