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Fowl Pox in Poultry: What It Is, How It Spreads, and How to Protect Your Flock
•Rip Stalvey•Season 3•Episode 110
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It’s mosquito season—and that means your birds may be at higher risk of Fowl Pox, a viral disease that spreads rapidly through bites, contact, and contaminated surfaces.
In this bonus episode of The Poultry Keepers Podcast, host Rip Stalvey breaks down:
What fowl pox is and how to recognize it
How it spreads in your flock
What treatments help reduce symptoms and secondary infections
The best ways to prevent outbreaks before they start
Whether you’re a backyard hobbyist or a seasoned breeder, this 15-minute segment gives you practical, up-to-date advice to keep your flock healthy and productive.
Be sure to subscribe for weekly episodes and bonus content on poultry health, nutrition, and flock management.
Hi, and welcome to Coop Wisdom bonus content of the Poultry Keepers podcast. I'm your host Rip Stalvey, and today we're tackling a timely and important topic, fowl pox in poultry, and what it is, and how to protect your flock. It's summer and that means it's mosquito season. I'm seeing an increase in questions and cases of this viral disease. Whether you raise birds for eggs, meat, or show, fowl pox can have a serious impact on your birds' health and productivity. So let's break down exactly what is, how it spreads and how you can treat it. Most importantly, how you can help prevent it. Now fowl pox is a viral disease that affects chickens, turkeys, and other birds. It's caused by the avian pox virus and presents in two primary forms. The first is dry px. It appears as wart like lesions, as scabs on the comb, wattles, eyelids, and other non feathered areas of the bird's body. The next is wet pox. Now that causes lesions inside the mouth, throat, trachea, and sometimes the esophagus. This form is far more dangerous and can interfere with breathing and eating. Dry Pox is a much more common form and tends to be less fatal, though it still slows growth, egg production, and fertility in breeding males. We pox, on the other hand, can be fatal if it leads to suffocation or severe secondary infections now. Now don't freak out. Now don't freak out. Now don't freak out. Fowl Pox is not the same as Avian influenza or Newcastle Disease. Fowl Pox is completely different virus and it does not pose a threat to you. The most common way Fowl Pox is transmitted is through the bite of mosquitoes. That's why outbreaks spike in the warmer months when mosquito populations explode. But mosquitoes aren't the only way the virus can be spread. The virus can also be spread by direct contact with infected birds. From contaminated equipment or surfaces, even from the dust scabs and feathers from infected birds. Also open wounds, allowing the virus to enter the skin. Now, once it's in your flock, it can move slowly but steadily from bird to bird, the incubation period is usually four to 14 days, and lesions may last from two to four weeks. Individual birds can take from. Individual birds can take from two to four weeks to recover from dry Pox and four to six weeks to recover from wet Pox. Once a bird recovers from a Fowl Pox infection, it will typically have a lifelong immunity. Infected birds are not contagious to people, but they can spread the virus to other poultry. Recognizing Fowl Pox early can help you manage it more effectively. Now, here's a common science to look for for dry pox. You'll see white or yellow bumps on the comb, wattles, or around the eyes, lesions that turn into dark crusty scabs, and they'll be mildly lethargic. Or even lose appetite. Now for wet px, watch for birds now for wet px. Watch for birds that have difficulty breathing. They might be drooling or making gurgling sounds. Yellow plaques or cheesy deposits inside the mouth may be visible and they'll typically experience it. Weight or might even refuse to eat. If your birds show symptoms of wet pox. It's important to act quickly because it can become serious very fast. Unfortunately, there is no direct cure for fowl pox. Because it's a viral infection and like most viruses, it has to run its course. However, you can support your birds to help them through it and prevent secondary infections. Here's how you can help infected birds. You wanna isolate infected birds until they're further recovered to prevent further spread of the disease. Keep the coop clean and dry, especially around feeders and waterers. Apply antiseptic ointment like iodine or diluted povidone iodine to external lesions to prevent any secondary bacterial infections. You should offer high protein feed with optimized levels of nutritional elements that supports the bird's immune system. These are vitamins like A, D, E, and C, as well as minerals like zinc, selenium, and manganese. Additionally, essential amino acids and feed additives like probiotics and prebiotics also play a role. In other words, avoid cheap feeds. For wet pox, a veterinarian may recommend antibiotics to prevent secondary bacterial infection, but these don't treat the fowl pox virus itself. Prevention is where you can be most effective, especially now that mosquito season is in full swing. The first thing you can do is work on mosquito control. Be sure you eliminate standing water around a coop where mosquitoes may congregate and reproduce. Use screens on windows and vents, hang mosquito netting, or deploy natural repellents like citronella. Remember, mosquitoes won't reproduce in moving water, so you can add a water recirculation pump, a small water fountain, or an air bubbler in stock tanks and water troughs to keep the water moving. Vaccination is another good thing I. A Fowl Pox vaccine is available and it's quite effective. You administer the vaccine by stabbing the wing web using a double needle applicator that's been dipped in the vaccine solution. Vaccination is best done on birds between the ages of six to 10 weeks of age and often only once in their lifetime. Vaccination is recommended for flocks and warm humid mosquito heavy regions. Many feed stores carry the vaccine or you can order it online. And don't forget biosecurity. Remember to quarantine new birds for at least two weeks. Be sure you disinfect tools and boots when you go into the coop and limit access to visitors or outside birds. Don't forget nutrition. Remember that a well fed healthy bird is more resilient to diseases. Keep your flock on a consistent high quality diet with optimized levels of vitamins and minerals and fresh, clean water. Okay, let's recap. Fowl Pox is a serious but manageable viral disease. It's not something you can treat with antibiotics, but you can keep it from spreading. You can help your birds recover, and most importantly, you can prevent it through vaccination, mosquito control, and good flock management. If you found today's episode helpful, do me a favor, share it with fellow poultry keepers. By doing that, you can help someone else protect their flock this summer. And if you haven't yet, subscribe to the Poultry Keepers Podcast. We publish new full podcast episodes every Tuesday and bonus content like this on Thursdays and Saturdays. You can also visit us at www.thepoultrykeeperspodcast.com. You can access all of our podcast episodes plus more resources, downloads, and other helpful information. Until next time, keep learning, keep improving, and by all means, keep enjoying the birds you love.
