Purple Comb, Hen Not Doing Well

[Lacy Duckwing]

Starting Sunday morning, I noticed my hen's comb was all purple. I brought her inside and her color returned. Every morning since hand I've been noticing her comb becoming more purple. This morning she was very inactive. Her comb was its purplist, she was very light and weak. She kept her eyes closed and when she did open her eyes, she didn't open them all the way. She walked around huddled. She is molting and not laying. Any idea what is wrong?

 

[Certified Chicken Lover]

can you add some pictures? whats her diet? what's the temperature like where you live? A purple comb usually indicates a heart or liver problem. Here is a helpful article on the subject:

https://www.srpublication.com/comb-...omb with a blueish,has a serious health issue.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

It's been cold here. 20's to 30's F in the morning. I was worried about a heart issue. Here's a picture of her, though her color came back some while I had her inside earlier (she's a crossbeak) :

I can get another picture of her when I get home. Thank you for reaching out and for the link.

 

[Certified Chicken Lover]

If the color comes back when she is inside, and the weather outside is in the 20s and 30s I think it's safe to say that your hen is suffering from early stages of frostbite. Is she free-range or penned up? If she is in a pen is it sheltered from the wind? I have a few chickens who will start acting lethargic and get purple combes when it gets really cold, but I just keep them inside and they are fine. Has she been eating or drinking?

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

If the color comes back when she is inside, and the weather outside is in the 20s and 30s I think it's safe to say that your hen is suffering from early stages of frostbite. Is she free-range or penned up? If she is in a pen is it sheltered from the wind? I have a few chickens who will start acting lethargic and get purple combes when it gets really cold, but I just keep them inside and they are fine. Has she been eating or drinking?

I don't think it's that. I've seen a lot of frostbite before and how it starts. That is not it. Also, she's got a pea comb. I have much larger combs in my flock and none of them are showing signs of frostbite. This will also be her second winter she's coming to. She is losing weight and her crop was empty this morning. She drank some water this morning, though very little compared to how much she usually drinks. (Because of her crossbeak, she takes a long time to drink water and is always the last to leave the waterer. This morning, she was the first to leave.)

 

[Certified Chicken Lover]

@azygous @Eggcessive @fluffycrow @nuthatched
Any thoughts?

 

[Eggcessive]

She might be dehydrated, so I would try to get some fluids into her. Wetting a small amount of her feed in a bowl might get more into her. Since she is molting her color may not look so normal right now. My peacombed rooster would have some color change in his comb when he was stressed or there was a temperature change. If it improves after awhile it is usually not a problem.

 

[azygous]

How old is she? Does she have any history of egg laying problems?

When her comb goes purple, is it the entire comb or just one end or just the tips? If it's just the tips or one end, this can be caused by stress. If it's the entire comb, it can be a sign of organ shutdown.

I would give her sugar water with electrolytes and see what that does. I think she may have a chronic disease that could be trying to end her life, unfortunately.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

She might be dehydrated, so I would try to get some fluids into her. Wetting a small amount of her feed in a bowl might get more into her. Since she is molting her color may not look so normal right now. My peacombed rooster would have some color change in his comb when he was stressed or there was a temperature change. If it improves after awhile it is usually not a problem.

I don't think it's dehydration, as this morning she didn't drink as much water as she usually does. This is her first molt, so hopefully it's that. I've never seen her comb go purple until it started doing so Sunday.

How old is she? Does she have any history of egg laying problems?

When her comb goes purple, is it the entire comb or just one end or just the tips? If it's just the tips or one end, this can be caused by stress. If it's the entire comb, it can be a sign of organ shutdown.

I would give her sugar water with electrolytes and see what that does. I think she may have a chronic disease that could be trying to end her life, unfortunately.

She's a year and a half. She's a pretty good and consistent layer, though like the majority of her flock, she hasn't been laying due to molting, shorter days, colder weather, and stress from a new rooster getting adjusted.

It started with being purple on just one end, which was the back half of her comb. This morning, it was her whole comb.

I'll try that. Will the electrolytes from Save-A-Chik work? I should have some of that on hand.

 

[dawg53]

Put your ear up to her side and listen for a "clicking" sound. If you hear it, it's a heart valve problem. Hopefully that's not the problem.