Please help! Is this Pox or something else?

[Jami72]

Hey guys I would appreciate any help SO much. Thank you so much for your time. I hatched this little hen back on April 26th from some fertilized eggs I purchased. She's just started laying and is a little sweetheart. I just noticed these spots today. What are they? I'm so worried. I'm in North Texas.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It does look like pox. The other option is peck wounds. Pox generally gets worse before it gets better. It will run it's course in 4-6 weeks.

 

[Jami72]

Thanks so much! What do I do?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Nothing you can do. It's a virus that will run it's course if it's fowl pox. It can spread through direct contact with the lesions or by mosquitoes. I personally just leave them be as long as it doesn't impede their ability to see.

 

[lysmandor]

Is anyone else picking on her? Do other birds have similar spots? Might help you tell the difference between fowl pox and pecking injuries. It does look suspiciously pox-y though.

 

[Jami72]

No, she isn't picked on at all. Thanks so much for you're info guys!!

 

[Eggcessive]

That looks like fowl pox for sure to me. Do not disturb the scabs. Make sure that all are eating and drinking normally. There is a vaccine available in pox prone areas. The pox can slowly spread through the flock over months, and there are milder and severe strains of the virus. Here is some reading:
http://extension.msstate.edu/publications/fowl-pox-backyard-flocks

https://the-chicken-chick.com/fowl-pox-prevention-treatmen/