Chicken with manky comb - what is it?

SeaDragon

Chirping
8 Years
Dec 11, 2011
15
16
94
We just moved 2 days ago and the house came with a single elderly (6-8 years approx) semi feral hen that we said we would keep until she died (previous house owners left 3 sacs of food for her).
She sleeps in a tree but comes to the door to be fed every morning, but keeps her distance.
She seems extremely healthy except for a disgusting looking comb. I don't recall it being like that when we viewed the house 8 weeks ago but it could have been. It blocks out vision on one side.
Not sure if it is something like pox or if she has a growth involving her head.

So questions are:
1. what is it?
2. Is it contagious?

I have been chickenless for a year+ and am desperate to get some babies of my own again, but if this girl has something contagious I should delay getting them.

I have had a lot of chickens in the past but have never seen something like this. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
@casportpony @sourland

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Looks infected to me.
I don't know how you would treat it, but I couldn't solve the issue with my own hen and we ultimately had to put her down for it after maggots got into it :sick
:hugs
 
We just moved 2 days ago and the house came with a single elderly (6-8 years approx) semi feral hen that we said we would keep until she died (previous house owners left 3 sacs of food for her).
She sleeps in a tree but comes to the door to be fed every morning, but keeps her distance.
She seems extremely healthy except for a disgusting looking comb. I don't recall it being like that when we viewed the house 8 weeks ago but it could have been. It blocks out vision on one side.
Not sure if it is something like pox or if she has a growth involving her head.

So questions are:
1. what is it?
2. Is it contagious?

I have been chickenless for a year+ and am desperate to get some babies of my own again, but if this girl has something contagious I should delay getting them.

I have had a lot of chickens in the past but have never seen something like this. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
@casportpony @sourland

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Looks like fungi Infection ..
I will suggest to remove it asap unless it will.infect any tissues in head skin
 
Can you catch her up somehow, examine it more closely and take photos?

It could be a fungus, but I'm wondering if it was injured somehow and the tissue is "dead". I do see what I think may be some scabbing.

I would also worry about it covering that eye. So the quicker you can get her the better.
Find out where she sleeping at night and snatch her. Have a cage ready for her, of course do this at night.

Keep us posted.
 
I've not seen anything like that before. It certainly needs closer inspection, so you are going to need to catch her as @Wyorp Rock suggests. My concern is that it may be some kind of tumour but it almost looks like horn tissue. She is otherwise such a pretty, healthy looking hen, it is such a shame to have that carbuncle shadowing her bonny face. It is also going to impede her vision and make her more at risk from predators so that is another reason to capture and pen her.
 
I've not seen anything like that before. It certainly needs closer inspection, so you are going to need to catch her as @Wyorp Rock suggests. My concern is that it may be some kind of tumour but it almost looks like horn tissue. She is otherwise such a pretty, healthy looking hen, it is such a shame to have that carbuncle shadowing her bonny face. It is also going to impede her vision and make her more at risk from predators so that is another reason to capture and pen her.
The story is she belonged to an old neighbour who died and the previous owners of this house have looked after the hens for 6 years. This hen is likely more like 8yrs old. Her hen sisters have died. She is here because the previous owners thought that catching and caging her at her age having free ranged and lived in trees for almost a decade would stress her and she would die. We only moved in 3 days ago, but I dont recall seing this on her, though it is quite possible it was present as we only had fleeting glimpses of her.
As she does not seem be be in distress and is eating well, I am thinking she should be let be.
A problem is I want to get my own birds and if this is contageous (?viral tumor) I will have to hold off until she is gone or find out what it is.
 

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