Chicken Update: Avian Pox & Chicks

It has been a while since the whole chicken fiasco happened! My 3 chickens are doing well and, for the most part, healthy! Here are some updates:

Moka, my special egg warmer hen, has been laying on 8 eggs for two weeks now. I am so excited to have cute little chicks running around soon, but I am sad that I might not be there when they first hatch. I'll be in the states with my family... we will be there for over two weeks. We will be reconnecting with our church family, sharing at other churches and visiting Jon's parents. It will be a full two weeks! Anyway, back to Moka... she is laying on 1 blue egg, 3 brown eggs, 1 cream egg and four of her own eggs. We let her lay 8 eggs and switched them around with the other eggs. So, hopefully we will be getting a variety of chicks!

Fuego, my rooster, got the Avian Pox (basically like chicken pox) about two weeks ago. Thankfully it looks mild and he doesn't seem to be affected by it. To help him stay strong, I've been mixing garlic in their feed and they love it! Moka has it to, but you can barely tell. Again, it doesn't look serious. My friend has a few chickens and her rooster got a bad case of the Avian Pox. His is the "wet pox" where it is affecting his upper respiratory tract (coughing up slime, pussy wart-like spots. etc.), while mine only have the "dry pox" (wart-like spots). I am so grateful for this great source of chicken information: Back Yard Chickens and here's what I found on Avian Pox...

Avian pox is a relatively slow-spreading viral disease in birds, characterized by wart-like nodules on the skin and diphtheritic necrotic membranes lining the mouth and upper respiratory system. It has been present in birds since the earliest history. Mortality is not usually significant unless the respiratory involvement is marked. The disease may occur in any age of bird, at any time. Avian pox is caused by a virus of which there are at least three different strains or types; fowl pox virus, pigeon pox virus and canary pox virus. Although some workers include turkey pox virus as a distinct strain, many feel that is identical to fowl pox virus...

Dry pox starts as small whitish foci that develop into wart-like nodules. The nodules eventually are sloughed and scab formation precedes final healing. Lesions are most commonly seen on the featherless parts of the body (comb, wattles, ear lobes, eyes, and sometimes the feet).

Wet pox is associated with the oral cavity and the upper respiratory tract, particularly the larynx and trachea. The lesions are diphtheritic in character and involve the mucous membranes to such a degree that when removed, an ulcerated or eroded area is left.

Read the rest here

You can click on the picture below to get a closer look...

Now, my third chicken... Molly. Is doing great. She has grown so much and should hopefully start laying eggs soon. I don't have any pictures of her, but I will try to post some later.

I am enjoying my chickens and can't wait for my chicks to hatch! If I am not here for them... I will assign my dad to take pictures for me. He will also be building a box to protect the chicks when they start to go outside when they are about one week old.

More updates to come!