black stuff on chicken's comb

[angel8035]

My best guess is that she was snooping around somewhere and it got muddy or oily.

 

[pemphredo]

It looks just like when 2 of my chickens went at it when I put a new chicken in the coop. The new chicken's wattles and comb were beings pulled and scraped by the offending chicken and she got these exact markes on her. That was my only reason for guessing it was blood.


I don't know if you can see from these 2 pictures but when they fight they flop and kick and pull on the wattles and combs. They can get quite scraped up from the sharp edges of the other chickens beak.

 

[libby38]

Thanks for all the replies!

welasharon- I actually don't think it looks very rash-like. What I wipe is brown on the wet rag, but she likes to dig dust baths and I'm sure its a bit dirty from that. Also it is dried out now, but a few days ago when I first noticed it, it was sticky and tar-like. It didn't really seem like mud.

angel8035- I considered that too, but I'm not sure where that would have happened-- its been so dry here, and there's no oil in my yard.

pemphredo- Is that a barred rock attacking your other chicken? I think if this was caused by fighting it was from my barred rock. And I think they may be fighting over sleeping locations when in the coop...

 

[pemphredo]

yeah that was a barred rock rooster. I was not sure he was for sure a rooster yet but this was right when I put my new hen into the coop. he was not a fan of her at all. We ended up having to take him back to the farm because 1. he was too mean. and 2. because he was a rooster and we can't roosters where I live. He did his first crowing the morning after the new hen was put into the coop.LOL

I hope your chicken is fine and it isn't a rash or anything that can make her sick.

 

[libby38]

Ha! How's that for timing! I hope it isn't anything that can get my hen sick either. Thanks again for your help!

 

[Lacy Blues]

My suggestion is that it is sap. Do you have pine trees or new lumber around where she is? Its being sticky sounds like tree sap. And with this summer heat, the trees will drip sap. If you have fresh cut lumber, she could have gotten sap on her as well. I don't think its an injury. There are no marks on the comb or wattles, just some surface stuff. When you wiped it, did it all come off? Or would you need to scrub it to get it off?

I don't recommend scrubbing a comb or wattle. It can make them bleed. If its tree sap or any other sticky thing, you can get some "Goo Gone" on a q-tip and just rub the sticky stuff off. Make sure not to get it too close to her eyes. When you get it off, you can dry the Goo Gone off with a dry towel.

 

[feeding frenzy]

My rooster gets these black stuff on his rose comb too from my pullet pecking at him when he tries to mount her. My pullet is 2 months older than the rooster. It comes, falls off in a few days. I've only seen this recently and seen the two ruffling feathers a lot lately. The rooster always backs off after the pullet stares him down. hehe

 

[krb2460]

My young rooster has some black stuff on his comb and a little on his waddle. He has already been vaccinated for fowl pox. We do have more roosters now, do you think it's from fighting? I washed a little of it off with some water but I don't see any real injury. I live in NE Florida so no frostbite here but we have had a lot of rain lately. Is this something to worry about?