Canker sores in old hen

[darlingdarla]

I found a canker sore in my six year old EE hen's mouth today. She is exhibiting mild respiratory distress and general unhappiness, although she still active and has a good appetite despite choking on most of her food. I'm fairly certain it's canker, yellow cheesy lesions in her mouth, and the flocks water is in an area where wild birds can drink from it if they happen upon it (I've never seen it, a squirrel does frequently steal their food and water though). I've looked as far down her throat as I can and I think I see something yellowish back there, although it's hard to see with a light since she's one of the more flighty twitchy hens in my flock. I know there's a few in her mouth, I've scraped at them with tweezers to be sure they're not food particles and I'm sure.
I know copper sulfate is usually the treatment for canker, I'd like more information on what to buy and dosing if someone could help me.
Also, is it true that the birds are carriers now? Is that for life? Can I never give one of my birds away without spreading it to other flocks? Should I never add more birds to avoid giving them the disease? Can someone help me understand the long term implications? If someone could link an article about it or something that'd be wonderful.

 

[Weeg]

Does it look like this?

It sounds like wet fowl pox to me. @Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock what should treatment plan be? I really have no experience or idea on what to do here, but I can help you ID it. Can you get pictures? That will help us figure out what is going on. Hope this helps!

 

[darlingdarla]

Does it look like this?
View attachment 2473468
It sounds like wet fowl pox to me. @Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock what should treatment plan be? I really have no experience or idea on what to do here, but I can help you ID it. Can you get pictures? That will help us figure out what is going on. Hope this helps!

I gotta be honest, wet fowl pox didn't even cross my mind. It looks very similar to the fowl pox lesions, but I feel like it could just as easily be canker. There's no emergency right now, I suppose I can just offer supportive care until, if it is fowl pox, the virus runs it's course. That's about two weeks correct? It's my understanding that fowl pox is spread through mosquito bites, but I haven't seen a mosquito in two or three months (although it has been especially warm and wet the last week or so).
I can try to get pictures but I'm alone here and she's wild, we'll see.
Thank you for the help.

 

[dawg53]

If there is a foul odor coming from her mouth, it's canker. Open her mouth and get close, take a whiff.
See post #2 in this link on how to treat canker. The acidified copper sulfate will treat it without the metronidazole.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/canker.1416647/#post-23269135

 

[Eggcessive]

If your chickens have not had dry fowl pox in late summer or fall, it is more likely to be canker. It would be interesting to know if they develop a bad odor in their beaks. Certain respiratory diseases can also cause smaller plaques in the throat and trachea.

Canker is treated with drugs such Metronidazole (sold online without a prescription called Fish Zole) 250 mg daily for 5 days. Ronidazole, a medicine for pigeons, is also used to treat the protozoan disease canker.

Some use acidified copper sulfate in the water for 3 days each month to help prevent the spread of canker to the other chickens. Be sure to use acidified copper sulfate, not copper sulfate which is dangerous. Your feeders and waterers should be disinfected and cleaned often, and try to prevent chickens from drinking out of puddles.

 

[darlingdarla]

If there is a foul odor coming from her mouth, it's canker. Open her mouth and get close, take a whiff.
See post #2 in this link on how to treat canker. The acidified copper sulfate will treat it without the metronidazole.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/canker.1416647/#post-23269135

If your chickens have not had dry fowl pox in late summer or fall, it is more likely to be canker. It would be interesting to know if they develop a bad odor in their beaks. Certain respiratory diseases can also cause smaller plaques in the throat and trachea.

Canker is treated with drugs such Metronidazole (sold online without a prescription called Fish Zole) 250 mg daily for 5 days. Ronidazole, a medicine for pigeons, is also used to treat the protozoan disease canker.

Some use acidified copper sulfate in the water for 3 days each month to help prevent the spread of canker to the other chickens. Be sure to use acidified copper sulfate, not copper sulfate which is dangerous. Your feeders and waterers should be disinfected and cleaned often, and try to prevent chickens from drinking out of puddles.

There's no outstanding odor coming from her mouth. Obviously chicken breath isn't minty but it's not the smell I'd expect from canker, it's more grass and wet food (which is what she's been eating).
Looking at it now it does seem more like fowl pox to me, just based on the pictures as I don't have experience with either. I haven't had a chance to look over the other birds yet, but no one else is acting off.
I went ahead and cleaned their waterer today. I'm ordering acidified copper sulfate and Metronidazole so I have it on hand, but since there's no immediate emergency I probably won't treat until I'm sure it's not fowl pox.
In the meantime what should I do? I know I can't do much for a virus but try to keep everyone healthy otherwise and protect against secondary infections. All of my birds are in good health.