BO with blue tip of comb?

[Andora]

My BO hen has a big comb that flops over on the top half. Randomly lately the very top, the flopped over section, of the comb will be blue. It's really odd. Sometimes it's blue and cold, other times it's normal.

The hen is less than a year old, laying almost every day, and otherwise totally healthy looking.

All of my other chickens and ducks are also totally healthy.

What could be causing part of her comb to turn cold and blue randomly? It comes and goes. Is it anything to worry about?

 

[tulie13]

I'm not an expert by any means, but that sounds like a lack of circulation or oxygen. Gapeworm? I'm just guessing...

Does she ever look like she's "gasping" for air?

 

[Judy]

Yes, it can indicate a circulation problem, as from heart disease, though that's usually the whole comb, I think.

I have one BO roo (and a few chicks) and his comb stands up good and straight. I just looked at the Orps on Feathersite and saw no folded over combs. I have two Leghorn hens whose combs fold over so deeply that one really can't see much out of the eye on that side, at least not to the side. But I have never seen any color change in them. The fold isn't sharp, though; the comb is sort of rolled over.

Is the fold sharp rather than rounded? Is it possible that the circulation is pinched off at the fold? Maybe it was injured a bit at some point?

 

[Andora]

She doesn't gape or anything. No chest rattles, no lice or mites, normal poop, active and laying an egg almost every day.

I will take a picture of the fold. It's odd looking. It's a crease. My other BO has a much smaller comb and it doesn't flop over at all, not even close. I was thinking it might be possible that the circulation gets cut off in in the comb...but I wasn't sure if that actually could happen. Her wattles and the rest of her comb are always bright red and normal.

Let me run and see if I can get a picture. It's not blue right now, I just checked it lol.

 

[Judy]

Yes, it could happen.

Look on the underside at the fold -- any lesion, sore, scab?

 

[Andora]

Here are some pictures. Sorry they aren't great ones, please ignore my broke fence. We're going to move in a few weeks and take it down, so we haven't rushed to fix it.

And this is my other BO, her sister. See her right there?

She has a tiny comb. I thought the one with the floppy comb was a rooster for awhile. They both came from Ideal.

 

[Andora]

Also, I have noticed her shaking her head some in order to flop the comb from side to side. Not a lot, not like it's something respiratory or anything in her nose. I think her comb must be going numb and falling asleep or something.

 

[MIKE555444]

I have noticed a simlar thing with my Buff Orpington rooster. At times the far back end of his comb will turn blueish. When I first bought him I thought it was due to fighting with other roosters or frost bite BUT this goes completly away from time to time and comes back at random.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
You may be exactly right. My floppy combed Leghorns pay no attention to their combs; I have never seen them shake their heads, and they are 1.5 yrs and often hang around the back porch.

That comb really looks like it has been injured somehow, to me.

I did some searches here. I did find one thread which clearly states BO combs are supposed to be erect:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=96443&p=2

Here is another thread where a roo's comb folded over -- he did die. There were some suggestions as to possible causes:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=74656

I just don't know. It is encouraging that you are seeing no other sign of illness in any of them.

I wonder what would happen if you taped a cotton ball or some such thing to the underside, to sort of hold it up so the blood could circulate better? Duct tape might work....

Will stay signed on; I'd love to know the outcome.

Certainly hope it is nothing serious!

 

[Andora]

I looked through that thread where the roo died. I don't think it's a sudden illness, it's been flopped over for a long time. It happened while she was still young, her comb grew huge one day over night! It was like it grew in flopped over, not grew normal and then fell over one day. Know what I mean?

I'd be curious if anyone else has an Ideal BO with a floppy comb. Maybe it is genetic. But the other BO is perfectly normal as far as comb size.

Mike it's kind of reassuring that your healthy roo's comb sometimes turns a little blue too!