How to Treat Fowlpox: Paano Gamutin ang Bulutong ng Manok

December 25, 2022 by Lauro Braganza

How to treat fowlpox is the most common question most chicken farmers always ask. Fowlpox (bulutong sa manok (Tagalog), buti or boti sang manok, or kalunggo (Ilonggo) is a virus affecting many chickens and can be deadly if not treated immediately. Experts say there is no cure yet but here in the Philippines, there is an over-the-counter poultry drug that can be used to treat this deadly virus. Fowlpox affects not only chickens but also other domesticated birds like ducks, turkeys, and even doves.

How to Prevent Chickens from Having Fowlpox

Although the most effective way to prevent your chickens from contracting fowlpox is through vaccination, having your chicken inside the chicken house is the best way possible. But if you can afford it, go to your nearest poultry supply and ask for a fowlpox vaccine.

For more than two years, none of our chickens got infected with fowlpox even without the vaccine. I think the reason is that they are inside the chicken house which is not accessible to wild birds and other chickens. Having your birds isolated is the best way to prevent not only fowlpox but other viral infections like coryza and avian flu.

How to Treat Fowlpox

There are three ways how to treat fowlpox – commercial drugs and home remedies. Below are one commercial and two home remedies that you can resort to in order to treat your chicken.

1. Thymol Fowl

Thymol Fowl is a commercial drug developed to specifically treat fowlpox. This is in tablet form and can be bought in any poultry and agrivet supply stores across the country. Thymol Fowl is currently the only known available fowlpox treatment drug in the country and is proven to be effective. This is sold per bottle but some smaller poultry supply stores sell per tablet. The dosage can be found in the box of the drug.

2. Chilli Pepper and Coconut Oil

Chilli Pepper (siling labuyo) combined with coconut oil (langis ng niyog) is an effective home remedy to treat fowlpox.

Direction:

Ground 5 pieces of chili peppers and mixed it with 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
Apply the mixture directly to the infected area of the chicken using cotton balls or a cotton swab
Repeat the process for 3 to 5 days and observe if changes are happening
Repeat the process until the infection is totally removed

3. Shrimp/Prawn

Shrimp is very powerful in treating fowlpox based on personal experience. There is no scientific backing for this method but since this has been used by people in our village in Negros Occidental for decades, it truly worked.

Direction

Get 2 medium-sized shrimp and sliced them without removing the skin.
Feed the sliced shrimp to your chicken (Isubo sa manok)
Repeat the process for 3 days and stop when the infection starts to heal.

Note: If shrimp or prawn is not available, alamang can be used.

There might be other home remedies used by other people on how to treat fowlpox but the 3 above are the only method we have experienced using and they are very effective so far. If you know other ways, you may leave a comment below.

How to treat fowlpox – Common questions answered

Is Fowlpox contagious?

Fowl pox is also spread from bird to bird through direct contact. The virus is airborne and can infect birds through their eyes or skin wounds or when they breathe. Although the disease is contagious, it spreads slowly.

How often do you give the fowl pox vaccine?

Broiler chicks hatched from August through November should be vaccinated for fowl pox by 14 days of age. In areas with high mosquito populations, turkeys should be vaccinated initially between 3 to 4 weeks of age followed by a second vaccination at 12 weeks of age to assure lasting immunity.

Can Antibiotics stop chicken pox?

A virus causes chickenpox, so antibiotics can’t treat it. But antibiotics are needed if bacteria infect the sores. This can happen when kids scratch and pick at the blisters. An antiviral medicine might be prescribed for people with chickenpox who are at risk for complications.

What is the best fowlpox vaccine?

Poxine® is recommended for vaccination against fowl pox in healthy chickens 6 weeks of age or older and in healthy turkeys 8 weeks of age or older. Store this vaccine at not above 45°F (7°C). Do not vaccinate within 21 days before slaughter.

What is the cause of fowlpox?

Fowlpox has a worldwide distribution and is caused by a DNA virus of the genus Avipoxvirus of the family Poxviridae (Tripathy, 1993; Tripathy & Reed, 2013). Its incidence is variable in different areas because of differences in climate, management, and hygiene or the practice of regular vaccination.

Can a chicken get fowl pox twice?

Once the fowlpox has fully cleared, infected birds get partial immunity from the same viral strain (just like humans do). They usually won’t get fowl pox again, but if they do, subsequent cases are likely to be less severe.

How do you give Fowlpox vaccine?

There are two conventional methods of vaccination against fowlpox. The virus is either inoculated into the skin usually using a bifurcated needle (wing web route) or feathers are plucked from the chicken, usually from the thigh, and the virus is brushed into the exposed follicles.

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