brown leghorn comb torn at base--tips now turning black (added pics)

[haTHOR]

i searched and read that dubbing might be necessary. i am going to try to get you all pics in just a minute as it stopped raining just now.

here's the thing...i thought it wasn't too bad. i do not know how the injury occurred but blood was fresh and running when i found her, and was clotting an hour later without any attention ( i had to wait until she roosted-she is very SKITTISH). lots of blood but only 1/4 of the comb base was torn. greased her up good last night with bag balm, isolated her within the coop, gave her a bunch of worms. this morning, she is browsing and eating and interacting normally and is NOT being pecked by others (she is a very high status hen).

unfortunately the tips are turning black this morning. is this normal or the start of tissue death?

(edited to add...she did lay this morning)

 

[haTHOR]

thoughts? do you need more info, even just for an injury ?? like this, before you can answer?

 

[underground chickenman]

I'm no chicken doctor, but judging from the pics, it doesn't look that bad. I'd give it another 24 to 48 hours before making any decisions as long as she is eating, drinking and otherwise acting normally, and the others are not pecking her injury. I think the black tips will clear up as the wound heals and stops bleeding. If it hasn't stopped bleeding, you need to get that stopped. I would apply a little styptic powder to the wound.

UGCM

 

[Bullwinkle]

Hi haThor:

It is normal for a comb to bleed like crazy from even a very small injury. The first time I saw this was one of my Roosters: the wound was so small I couldn't even find it, but he bled like crazy (and then he would shake his head making a nasty splatter pattern on the coop wall!). I separated him at the time because chickens will kill other wounded chickens if they taste the blood.

Some of my chickens (mostly the roosters since the hens for most of the varieties I have, have smaller combs) also developed the black/dark tips on their combs. The tips on mine once black did NOT heal (i.e. the black tips eventually fell off or disappeared, but the rest of the comb was fine). I have one rooster (a buff orpington) that has a bigger comb than the other buff O, and seems to have 'circulation' problems on occassion in his comb. It occassionally turns a 'bluish' color Iover the whole back part of the comb) which I believe is due to a lack of good blood circulation.

I would not dubb her yet... just keep an eye on her.