Black spots on my hens combs.

[mommystayshome]

All three of my hens all of the sudden have black spots on their combs. They have no other symptoms of anything else and it hasen't even gotte below 40 degrees here at night. What is the black stuff on their combs?

 

[Chef]

My roo gets that too, but it seems as though its just little scabs that come and go. If you scatch them off the comb it bleeds just like a scab. So I just leave them and they disappear. Not sure the exact reason though.

Chef

 

[katrinag]

I have found it to be one of 2 things, fowl pox, or just being peck at by one another.

I watch my hens pick at eachother when they are in the nesting boxes.

 

[Indiana hens]

My thought would be fowl pox. There has been an increase in the infliction. It is rare for it to be fatal. Jefferslivestock.com used to have the vaccine for anyone that is interested.

 

[katrinag]

I think but not for sure, once they get they can not get it again.

 

[gritsar]

My hens get the small flat black spots from time to time. My roo gets them more often, obviously because his comb is larger and more apt to be hit or pecked. I'm talking about small, black spots. When I asked about them on the forum many moons ago, I was told they were normal. They disappear and new ones appear from time to time.
If you google fowl pox, you will see that it looks very different from what I've just described. Fowl pox are raised, look pus-filled and have a scab appearence to them.

 

[HorseFeathers]

Yes, our birds have normal little black spots. I think it's OK, I agree with gritsar.