My poor hen may be loseing her battle with pox i found her hutched and eyes closed please send good thought's. Her sister has overcome it but i fear she isn't going to make it.
I'm loseing a hen to pox.
Sending her healing, Harmony. Let us know.
She was okay yesterday but in my morning check i found her like this.
All i know is this is the hardest thing i have ever been through and it really hurts not only me but my poor little lady Too
OH! it just breaks my heart and my chicks what will become of them will i have to see them suffer too.
I have tried everything i know to stop this and nothing has done any good no bleach no disinfectant
has so much as slowed it down.
All my attempts seem fruitless and i feel helpless. :(
Harmony, so sorry to hear this and see your poor hen. I hope she will pull through for you. Keep your chin up - you have learned a lot and taught us all a lot through this experience. You are very brave to deal with it all and have outdone yourself in caring for your birds. Keep up with the treatments and just do what you have been doing - it is the best that anyone can do.
{{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
Claire
I'm tired and weary and just standing with my hands in the air and just not knowing what or how to do it.
I have dealt with coccidiosis and won.......look respitory in the face and told it where to go......Gave feather mites their walking papers...........set traps and caught things that want to harm my birds........Built this small business from the ground up and ran it by myself........Yet i sit helpless as a newborn kitten and at the mercy of this and not knowing what might be..............and all i see is them looking at me and asking with their eyes for help...........
This is probably a dumb question, but can you help soothe them with calamine lotion, like people use on chicken pox for kids?
Harmony...you made me cry
Harmony I am so sorry.
MollyD
Oh Harmony,
I'm so sorry. You and your birds are in my thoughts....
{{{{{Hugs}}}}}}}
What is pox? It sounds terrible. My first chickens... Well I'm just not getting that close with any more chickens. That's a lie. Can you tell me what's POX?
Avian pox or fowl pox is a virus that affects birds and can be fatal. There is a lot of information on this thread here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/911310/
It is a viral avian disease--not usually very serious, but sometimes, as in Harmony's case, it takes a "wet" or "diptheric" form where the lesions form in the birds mouth, throat and even lungs. This is much more serious and takes a lot of nursing. The virus can persist in the scabs and debris from the chickens skin--but once a chicken has recovered it is immune to the disease and is not a carrier. There are vaccines you can give chicks to prevent them from getting it. It is spread by contact with infected birds, and things in their enviornment that have become contaminated (feeders, waterers, bedding with scabs and feathers) and what is very unfortunate is that mosquitoes can transfer it from bird to bird even a month after feeding on an infected one (who knew mosquitoes lived that long?).
It is not contagious to people and most birds recover--but it can cause young birds to be stunted and layers to quit laying for a while. Just a nasty disease--about like humans catching chicken pox--not usually fatal--but occasionally very severe. It lasts for about 2-3 weeks. And it spreads slowly--so poor Harmony keeps getting new birds coming down with it even after she has nursed some back to health. And she has a very bad strain of it, so her birds are really suffering and need special care and treatment. She has been very strong about fighting for them.
Here are 2 more informative threads. I only know because 3 of my Seramas just came down with it.
Harmony is losing a lot of her babies...she has the "wet" pox which effects the mucous memabranes...and is nasty. I have been lucky so far (knock on wood) because mine are ALL dry, but my roo now has another pox on his eye's edge that is almost in the eye...once it gets in there, I am worried :(
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/912287/ (shows many pics of dry pox and advise from Harmony)
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/911575/ (shows many pics of wet pox and some informative information on battling it, that I found from U of F.
~music
http://www.natural-health-remedies-and-more.com/chicken-pox.html
This is for chickenpox, not chicken pox, but it contains a list of anti-virals. It may not help this sweet baby, but might not hurt to keep in mind for later. It could be that spraying down the coop with apple cider vinegar would help kill it? Anybody?
GOOD NEWS SHE IS UP! went down for the morning feed and there she was standing looking at me "I said you a tuff old bird after all"
Once i learn about this vaccination stuff and get that going it's looking good!
that is great news
Way to keep at it Har!! 3 Cheers!!!
Hurrah!!!
Oh goodness, I am so thrilled to hear this. Just made me get teary-eyed. So happy for you Harmony. After all you have been through, you deserve this so much!
I can barely see from the tears too.... Dear Harmony... You are such a fantastic mom to these birds. There is so much power in prayer.. may sound silly to someone to pray for a chicken... but let em come and talk to me...
I love chickens... and I hate what we have to go through sometimes. You are strong and brave Harmony.
This too will pass.
I'm so happy to hear your darling hen is picking up.
Huggggs and best wishes.
WOOOHOOO!!
I don't know how I missed this post this morning, but it sure makes it feel like there really IS a light at the end of the tunnel!
I am soooooooooooooo happy for you....so, so happy :) :) :)
~music
Yes Music there is light at the end of the tunnel and "It's Getting Brighter"!
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone....
I can see aaaalllll obstacles in my way......
Here is the rainbow I've been praying for......
It's gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day!
Harmony, so glad to hear you are having some success. I know how frustrating this is. I am still treating the girl that was a gift to me from a friend. She is starting to show some signs of improvement. The swelling is going down in her throat after daily iodine swabbing. She is still so skinny, not sure if she will ever make it back.
Still so glad your girl is coming around. Praise God.
InnBetween Is she eating at all try some vegies or something she really likes.
When i was 10 i came down with the big red measles and i had a high fever and stopped eating couldn't even keep soup down.
Mama called the doctor and said she hasn't eaten a bite in 4 days and i'm scared and the doctor said find something she can eat and let her eat it no matter what it is and the only thing i could keep down was ice cream bars and ice cold ginger ale. So for a week all i ate was ice cream bars and drank lots of cold ginger ale.
So feed that hen anything she will eat and she will be right as rain in no time.
Mmmm...now I want measles!
No Claire it almost took my life i don't remember what i told you here i only repeated what mama told me i had a rageing fever and most of that week is a blur to me i'm thankful i survived.
Oh, OK, I'm sorry to hear about that. I didn't know it could be that serious. I just wanted the ginger ale and ice cream bars for a week without feeling guilty about it!
Oh go ahead eat us women spend to much time worrin about what we eat. I will eat anything that can't out run me! LOL
Harmony, she has been eating. I have been offering her veggies and mac and cheese and rice and protein shakes. She is eating, but is still nothing but skin and bones.
Mine eats too but stays real thin :-(
Harmony I had measles when I was about 4 years old. Mumps twice. Chicken pox as an infant. Left me a tiny scar by my eye where I managed to scratch one pox. Kids had many more serious illnesses in the days before all these vaccinations came about.
MollyD
My hubby and I were talking about scurvy the other day. Mouth and gum sores. Etc. Doesn't it sound something like it? I would try little bits of Granny Smith apples and oranges. Wouldn't hurt to try.
I'm so glad she's up, Harmony!!!
Yes and singin like a bird these chickens amaze me how one day they are callin up heaven and bookin a flight to being up and movin around the next.
Just Plain Amazing!