Silkies with warts...???

hodgsonhorse

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Help!

After the loss of our old codger silkie cocky "Mr.Cocky" :cry: i've recently bought a young silkie cocky "Boris" to replace him & 2 young hens "Tiny Tina" & "Tiny Tina's Sister"!! (from seperate lines - the hens were to add new bloodlines to my stick) all from the same breeder. We've had them since febuary now & all in all they seem to get along quite well with my others & seem to have settled in well...until recently!!!

2 weeks ago 1 of the hens "Tiny Tina" developed a warty growth just at the back of her beak - at the "joint" part, where the face splits into the top beak & bottom beak, so having never come across this problem before, i washed it with warm water, put a dollop of Aloe Vera on it & summond her to the rabbit hutch (isolation box!) with ACV'd water, basic feed & a cosy bed! The wart came up very quickly - she was a very nosey chuckle, always happy to be picked up, so any problems were quickly noticed & the wart seemed to appear within maximum 12hours...although only 12hours after isolating her, she pegged out on us! :cry: :!: :!: :?: :?:

So after the death & cremation of Tiny Tina, we simply put it down to experience & scrubbed out all the houses she'd been in incase it was a viral/infectious problem...until...

Tonight while putting the silkies away, i've noticed that young Boris now has a wart on his neck :o :?: :?: :?:

I've been over all of the basics - clean well ventilated houses, mites & other nasty bugs, any substances chemicals etc, pecking that may trigger it off, diet, worming...& absolutely anything else that could cause it! All of our houses are cleaned out minimum once a week (as soon as they need it) are washed out with a mild poultry friendly disinfectant that is watered down - floor, walls & ceilings, all of my silkies are free range with no other breeds in a 4acre field with several large houses (32 hens, 2 old cockys & Boris - bantams only) i've checked & double checked the field for any chemical spillage etc, they're all powdered in louse powder on a regular occasion, given AVC in their water each month & wormed regular, any new birds are kept in isolation for minimum 2 weeks (the flock is too large to be having health problems!!!) & every little area has been checked & quadrouple checked just to make sure they're healthy! & i've checked every last bird thoroughly & so far it's only these 2 birds from the same breeder that have warts! Maybe i'm a little over obsessed but this is annoying me now!

Any ideas :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?:

Amy - very confused :? & alarmed :shock:
 
I can fully understand your concern and alarm.It isn't a problem I've ever heard of,could you give the breeder a ring,and ask for their help.If it is infectious,maybe some of their other birds have also developed warts,or maybe they know what it is and how to treat it.
The only other thing I can suggest,is a phone call or visit to your local poultry friendly vet.Sorry I can't tell you what causes it,or the cure.
Hope Boris doesn't die.
 
Hi HH - just a thought ----- as one of the affected birds has died. (maybe unrelated to the wart) - would think it may be worth considering the possibility of cutaneous Mareks if more develop problems?Ros.
 
I was sure i hadn't gone mad...it's not just me that doesn't have a clue what they are!

I forgot to add those bits of info to my 1st post -

I phoned the breeder only to be told that they didn't want to know! I won't name them & shame them as i don't know if they're on here, (they're large breeders of Silkies in Durham, who had an advert in the Darlington & Stockton Times - they had a few hundred when i went!) but they quite plainly told me that it was my responsibility! So that was a great help! :?
& my vet was clueless - makes a change, that'll teach him to listen in future when i try & have my say & he looks at me as if i'm stupid! He offered to "do the cockeril in" & then do a post mortem :o Typical of him :roll: - he came to see a pregnant mare so didn't quite expect to be handed a little white ball of not impressed fluff!
So i'm still no better off! :?

From here i'm planning on seeing what happens! I've already moved him well away from the others so he's in complete isolation & just as precaution i've also isolated the other hen that came with him...

The 2 things though that are slightly confusing are firstly, why has it taken so long for any form of symptom to show in any of them? & secondly, i'm not entirely blaming the death of Tiny Tina on the wart - she lived up to her name (don't worry i didn't pay anything for her - i got given her with the other 2 as she was so tiny!) & certainly was the smallest 24week bantam hen i've ever seen! So anything wrong was sure to kill her off...it might not have had anything to do with the wart! Ideally i should have had a post mortem done on her :roll:

Many thanks for the help though & if anyone else has any further ideas please share them! I'll keep you all posted & will try to get some pictures of coky's wart!
 
hmmn,it is very decent of you not to name and shame the breeder's/sellers.An enquiry for help with a problem after a sale imo should always be treated with respect,honesty and genuine help if that is possible.
Politeness costs nothing,but often appears to be in short supply with some people.
True,Tiny Tina's death may be nothing to do with the wart,but,there should be no harm caused by trying to find out.
We all learn and benefit when other poultry keeper's share their own experiences.Hope your new boy is well, and doesn't have further problems.I,as well as other forum member's will appreciate your updates.
 
A long shot but I was reading Fancy Fowl (US edition) last night and there was an article on Fowl pox which is spread in wet weather by mosquitos - not sure whether this even exisits in the UK - I've never heard of it - but the symptoms are warts as you describe.

You can preview this edition of FF US (now called the poultry magazine) here - it's about 3/4 of the way through.
 
Well,we have had very wet weather,it does seem possible H.H.'s warts are fowl pox,well not H.H.'s warts ;) ,Boris's.
 

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