Can dogs eat birds with fowl pox?

[Kennas_Kritters]

My flock has been infected with fowl pox. I need to butcher them before it spreads to the rest of my poultry. Can they be fed to the dogs or will the dogs get sick? I'm pretty sure it's dry pox but I guess I'll know for sure when I butcher them?

 

[Kennas_Kritters]

Birds will recover from fowl pox in a few weeks. Why are you culling them?
It wouldn't hurt the dogs to eat them.

I have given them a few weeks and it just keeps coming back.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Culling isn't required for fowl pox. It'll run it's coarse over about 3 weeks, they'll be immune for life. Dry form.


Wet form is one to watch out for, since it can be deadly for the birds, & requires abit of treatment.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I have given them a few weeks and it just keeps coming back.

Pictures of your birds please?

 

[Kennas_Kritters]

It pops up on the face first then the legs and feet. Its went away 3 times and came back.

 

[MysteryChicken]

It pops up on the face first then the legs and feet. Its went away 3 times and came back.

Those are Turkeys.

 

[MysteryChicken]

It looks like fowl pox. But not 100% sure.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

SO, EVEN IF you cull them, it will continue to come back if its one of the avian pox virii. As it turns out, the virii are found in the dry scabs on the skin lesions, which fall off of infected birds and there remain in the environment until they break down, which can take months.

During that period, uninfected birds, digging thru the run, bedding, etc doing their dustbathe thing, or their scratch thing, can come in contact with the virii-carrying scabs and become infected themselves. That's why avian pox in a flock transmits so slowly, but often completely, thru the birds on the premises - aided by mosquitos who can carry it (depending upon your preferred info source anwhere from several hundred feet to a quarter mile away).

Fortunately, the various avian pox (assuming dry form) are very rarely fatal. Apart from rather unattractive birds and reduced rate of lay for a while, there are generally no long term repercussions, except that your flock will now have immunity to that variant (and closely related variants) for the rest of their natural lives.

Most avian pox varieties are species specific, rarely transmitting symptomatic outbreaks across species - though a few species can serve as carriers for varieties that produce symptomatic infection in other species.

tl;dr - don't cull, wait it out, offer palliative care as needed. Its going to take "a while". Even if you cull all your birds, then replace flocks, chances are high the new flock will become infected itself, and start the process all over.

And yes, still safe for you - or your dog - to eat.

 

[Kennas_Kritters]

SO, EVEN IF you cull them, it will continue to come back if its one of the avian pox virii. As it turns out, the virii are found in the dry scabs on the skin lesions, which fall off of infected birds and there remain in the environment until they break down, which can take months.

During that period, uninfected birds, digging thru the run, bedding, etc doing their dustbathe thing, or their scratch thing, can come in contact with the virii-carrying scabs and become infected themselves. That's why avian pox in a flock transmits so slowly, but often completely, thru the birds on the premises - aided by mosquitos who can carry it (depending upon your preferred info source anwhere from several hundred feet to a quarter mile away).

Fortunately, the various avian pox (assuming dry form) are very rarely fatal. Apart from rather unattractive birds and reduced rate of lay for a while, there are generally no long term repercussions, except that your flock will now have immunity to that variant (and closely related variants) for the rest of their natural lives.

Most avian pox varieties are species specific, rarely transmitting symptomatic outbreaks across species - though a few species can serve as carriers for varieties that produce symptomatic infection in other species.

tl;dr - don't cull, wait it out, offer palliative care as needed. Its going to take "a while". Even if you cull all your birds, then replace flocks, chances are high the new flock will become infected itself, and start the process all over.

And yes, still safe for you - or your dog - to eat.

I went ahead and butchered them. Turns out it was wet pox. the chicken that was with the turkeys had it the worst. Her eyes were swollen shut and she was just suffering. I had them all in a coop away from the rest of my flock so hopefully they won't get infected to. Would it be safe to put rabbits in the pen they were in? It really sucks that this happened. 3 of the turkeys died from it when this first started happening. I then had only 3 left out of 6. I will be keeping the exposed birds quarantined in their own coop and I'll keep all my healthy birds away from them.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I went ahead and butchered them. Turns out it was wet pox. the chicken that was with the turkeys had it the worst. Her eyes were swollen shut and she was just suffering. I had them all in a coop away from the rest of my flock so hopefully they won't get infected to. Would it be safe to put rabbits in the pen they were in? It really sucks that this happened. 3 of the turkeys died from it when this first started happening. I then had only 3 left out of 6. I will be keeping the exposed birds quarantined in their own coop and I'll keep all my healthy birds away from them.

Yes, it won't transmit to rabbits - the species are too unrelated. My sincere condolences on the wet pox, you did the right thing putting them down.

I will hope for the best that your separation successfully quarantines the seemingly uninfected birds. Give it a few months, if you can, before they re-enter the old area. And give serious consideration to a complete clean out of run and bedding.

That's all I've got. Thankfully, have never faced pox on my property, but wild turkey wander thru, I've ducks and chickens, numerous nearby ponds - and *once* thought I had an exposure. MUCH reading later, its the only poultry disease I feel I have some working knowledge of. Just (thankfully) no direct experience.