Blackening skin on Brahma rooster's head

[Debbie292d]

@TwoCrows :

Thank you for telling me that.
I did not know you could hurt your birds with water from WELL...!!

TwoCrows isn't telling you that you can hurt your birds with well water. She's telling you that hers was too high in sodium for chickens.

Just get your well water tested. You can buy online tests you do yourself, or you can get ones you send your water in, or you can check with your county's health department as they may test it or give you resources to who does.

Our well water is fine but I still buy bottled water for newly hatched chicks for their first week or two as a precaution.

 

[Eggcessive]

How cold has it been there recently? Do the comb and wattles remain black all of the time?

 

[Papaye]

@TwoCrows :

I will!
I hope I can save my rooster.

@coach723 :

Yeah... don't know if that's true, but people also use garlic as dewormer for themselves.

I also read that chickens eating regularly garlic are less at risks of lice/mites infestation...? Affects the blood's smell, if I'm remembering right...?

For the taste of the eggs, that's right : garlic change the taste. I know some children don't like eggs from hens eating garlic... (Don't know if it the case for some adults too...?)
But I don't think garlic is the only herb/spice (actually a root vegetable, but whatever...!) that can affect the taste of eggs...
I feed various herbs and spices to my chickens, and everybody who eat their eggs tell me they are the best eggs they have eaten in their life...!
And I really don't think garlic is the (only) cause, since the eggs taste richer, but not "garlic richer". To my opinion, the spices - not the herbs - I feed my chickens are what is giving this taste to the eggs...?

@Debbie292d :

Oh... no : I don't have a well!
Well... not anymore!

I was just surprised. That was new information to me : I did not know water from well could be so high in sodium that could hurt chickens!


@Eggcessive :

Apart from today and yesterday, the temperature was negative from evenings to mornings.
In my locality, we have had -8°C (17,6 °C) three mornings ago... probably -10°C (14°F) at least when it was darker...?

But my chickens are warm in the nights : they sleep in two Eglu Cube (Omlet) covered by blankets specifically for Eglu Cube!

Here a picture :

In the doubt that Apache had blackening skin because of frostbite, I put Olive Oil on his comb during two days.

If his problem was caused by the cold, Olive Oil would have at least put an immediate end to the progression of the darkening of his skin... right?
But no : Olive Oil did sadly not work, so...
(And the Apache is really the only one of my chickens with a darkening skin...!!)

 

[Eggcessive]

Frostbite then may be a possibility after all. When they dip their wattles into water and the air temp is below freezing they can get that pattern of dark skin on the wattles. I hope that is just what this is. Frostbite on a pea combed chicken is not very serious. My rooster got a bit of it, and he healed fine. Wattles may become smaller when frostbitten. It certainly would be better for that than a heart problem.

 

[Papaye]

@Eggcessive :

So... it could be frosbite?!
Oh my God... I am so going to keep putting Olive Oil on his skin...!!
(But can frostbite concern only ONE chicken in a flock...?)

Thank you!
I don't know if it is really frostbite, but you still have reassured me by giving me some hope...
I will stay optimist and take good care of him!

 

[TwoCrows]

@TwoCrows :

I will!
I hope I can save my rooster.

@coach723 :

Yeah... don't know if that's true, but people also use garlic as dewormer for themselves.

I also read that chickens eating regularly garlic are less at risks of lice/mites infestation...? Affects the blood's smell, if I'm remembering right...?

For the taste of the eggs, that's right : garlic change the taste. I know some children don't like eggs from hens eating garlic... (Don't know if it the case for some adults too...?)
But I don't think garlic is the only herb/spice (actually a root vegetable, but whatever...!) that can affect the taste of eggs...
I feed various herbs and spices to my chickens, and everybody who eat their eggs tell me they are the best eggs they have eaten in their life...!
And I really don't think garlic is the (only) cause, since the eggs taste richer, but not "garlic richer". To my opinion, the spices - not the herbs - I feed my chickens are what is giving this taste to the eggs...?

@Debbie292d :

Oh... no : I don't have a well!
Well... not anymore!

I was just surprised. That was new information to me : I did not know water from well could be so high in sodium that could hurt chickens!


@Eggcessive :

Apart from today and yesterday, the temperature was negative from evenings to mornings.
In my locality, we have had -8°C (17,6 °C) three mornings ago... probably -10°C (14°F) at least when it was darker...?

But my chickens are warm in the nights : they sleep in two Eglu Cube (Omlet) covered by blankets specifically for Eglu Cube!

Here a picture :

View attachment 3699458

In the doubt that Apache had blackening skin because of frostbite, I put Olive Oil on his comb during two days.

If his problem was caused by the cold, Olive Oil would have at least put an immediate end to the progression of the darkening of his skin... right?
But no : Olive Oil did sadly not work, so...
(And the Apache is really the only one of my chickens with a darkening skin...!!)

@Eggcessive :

So... it could be frosbite?!
Oh my God... I am so going to keep putting Olive Oil on his skin...!!
(But can frostbite concern only ONE chicken in a flock...?)

Thank you!
I don't know if it is really frostbite, but you still have reassured me by giving me some hope...
I will stay optimist and take good care of him!

These Omlets are plastic, correct? They sweat very easily from all the moisture coming from breathing and pooping coupled with no ventilation. Generally frost bite isn't caused by cold temps alone, but from moisture rising from the breathing and pooping reaching the ceiling, having no place to go and it falls back down as frost on the combs and birds. Do you have vents in these coops? Each bird needs at least 1/2 to 1 square foot of vent space each in the eaves on your coop. So if you don't have air holes, you need to cut some in. You mentioned respiratory distress? Breathing in poop ammonia will cause lung and eye infections. So yes it sounds like this is a frost bite issue due to lack of ventilation. Birds can survive -40 F if they are dry.

 

[townchicks]

Garlic is not a dewormer. Garlic in large amounts or given long term, can cause anemia. Anemia, in turn, can cause heart conditions, as the heart has to work harder to get oxygen to the body. Herbs and spices are not going to save your rooster, and may be making things worse. Maybe his comb issue is frostbite, but frostbite will not cause breathing problems. You would do well to reconsider that he may have fowl cholera, or he may have another respiratory disease that could respond well to antibiotics. We all tend to want an easy answer with an easy solution, but things are rarely simple. Educate yourself and by all means, see if you an find a source for antibiotics, possibly online. Even if you don't need or want to use them now, you may in the future.

 

[Eggcessive]

I don’t recommend putting vaseline or petrolatum on combs to prevent or treat frostbite. The petrolatum itself may indeed freeze. It is better to not put anything on the comb, and to have good overhead ventilation. The more room above their heads for the air to move the better. If it is frostbite it will heal on it’s own without anything being applied, in my experience.

 

[Papaye]

@TwoCrows :

Hard plastic, yes.

Honestly... the ventilation is so good in these coops I was the first surprised...!
No moisture, no damp air... no drafts (is it the word?)...

After using these coops, I would no want to use the wooden ones anymore - even if they are beautiful to look at! These Eglu are so great.

Only one that can have a bit - really little bit - of moisture is the Eglu Cube I converted specifically for my ducks : https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/converting-an-eglu-cube-omlet-for-ducks.1605073/
But it is really ONLY when the temperature go under -7°C (19°F), -8°C (17,6°F)...
...My ducks go to sleep wet, so... and I did not put a Blanket for their coop to help to keep the moisture (due to cold) away...

I clean my coops each morning. But do you think there is still a risk with ammonia?

@townchicks :

(Kind of you to recommend me to "educate" myself...)

...Don't know if garlic is a dewormer or not : some say yes, some say no.
But if used smartly, garlic CAN be helpful to the chickens!

An excess of garlic could cause anemia, but with a correct dosage, garlic can - à contrario - be at least good for the heart. For oxygen...

Herbs and spices are also very helpful.
I literally keep my animals healthy by using herbs and spices, and some others products 100% natural... and since I saved several animals at death's door - and not only birds - by using these, that means it works. Or I would not have any chickens anymore...

Also : I assure you I am not trying to find "an easy answer with an easy solution" by denying my rooster has fowl cholera, because otherwise, I would not have bothered myself by opening a thread to try to save him.
Especially since forum are news to me, and I don't feel I know how to use the site correctly...

My rooster has NO symptoms. Not even some weird droppings... Just a darkening skin, and some breathing problems that are healing for the time being...
...No contamination of my flock neigher...

And yes, I know some case of fowl cholera can be asymptomatic... but if my rooster breathing is coming from fowl cholera, I would think the fact he is improving would mean his "fowl cholera" is also healing... and so, what about his darkening skin?
If he has fowl cholera, why would he heal in part only, and get worse just for skin colouring?
...That's also why I would think his problem is more cardiac than respiratory : because his breathing is improving...!

(Also, trust me : if I could, I would have had a reserve of antibiotics since a long time ago!!)

@Eggcessive :

Thank you!
I will do like you say. I won't put Olive Oil on his skin anymore!

 

[coach723]

I don't think anyone is telling you that your bird "has" or "doesn't have" anything specifically, we can't possibly know from here. We are all only trying to cover the possibilities and options. Many respiratory diseases have symptoms that can come and go, often worsening during times of stress (stress can be just about anything that changes in their world, weather, moving things around, adding birds, etc, the list is endless) and not showing obvious symptoms at other times. So maybe he is getting better, maybe symptoms are just abating and will return later, it's hard to know.