Black waddle???is it mites?

[Queen Chika]

two of my chickens (black australorp and black star) have black tips on their combs and black spots on their waddles. One, I noticed, also has like tiny white balls, almost like eggs around her neck...
what is this? should I dust with DE?

 

[Judy]

Sounds like dry fowl pox to me. Do a search. Not serious, usually.

 

[CrazyChickMom]

One of my roos had some black on the tips of his comb. It is gone now, could it have been dehydration?

 

[Judy]

Fowl pox is carried by mosquitoes. The dry form is usually nothing serious, evidenced by black scabs on the comb and/or wattles. They can also get the wet form, which involves problems inside the mouth/breathing passages, which is definitely serious.

Of course, such lesions can also be caused by roos fighting or pecking each other, or by frostbite. Not by mites, though, as far as I know. I imagine dehydration could do this, but would certainly not expect it to be the only symptom. Fowl pox fits better in the summer, unless the chicken is very ill.

There is a vaccine for fowl pox, I believe.

 

[threehorses]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-diseases-AvianPox.html

That might help, too.