Chickens Combs Disappeared!?

[LosPollosHermanos]

Did he say what virus it was?
What part of the country are you in?

That may help others in the area.

He needs to perform an autopsy in order to find it. The problems could be 1 of 100’s of viruses that chickens get. Very hard to diagnose when the chicken is alive.

 

[LosPollosHermanos]

I don't see any Australorps at all.
I see a barred rock with what looks like minor frost bite and buff Orpingtons.

Barred rock

 

[LosPollosHermanos]

He needs to perform an autopsy in order to find it. The problems could be 1 of 100’s of viruses that chickens get. Very hard to diagnose when the chicken is alive.

I’m in New York

 

[21hens-incharge]

He needs to perform an autopsy in order to find it. The problems could be 1 of 100’s of viruses that chickens get. Very hard to diagnose when the chicken is alive.

If/when he says what it was please be sure to post.

Barred rock

Yup that one looks to have minor frostbite.

 

[Eggcessive]

Infectious bronchitis virus, one of the handful of respiratory diseases can cause reproductive problems in hens, especially when they are infected at a young age. It can cause sneezing every few minutes, clear thin nasal drainage, and congestion. Wrinkled or corregated egg shells is a sign. My flock was affected with this, possibly from wild birds in the area, and it tends to spread through the whole flock over weeks to months. Survivors are carriers for 5 months up to a year after, so it is best to not hatch or add new birds for a year after the last chicken has symptoms. Otherwise, it keeps spreading. There is no treatment, but IB symptoms last about a month. It is much more severe in young chicks in the first few months of age.

 

[NatJ]

Even though you've got an answer from the vet, I'm still curious to see what the chickens look like with no combs. Are you willing to post a picture?

(I don't expect to provide any helpful information to you, I'm just curious to see what it looks like. I'm still puzzling over where the combs could have gone: did they shrink so much they cannot be seen? Did they get frostbite and fall off? Did the chickens peck them off? From what you've described, it doesn't sound like anything I can think of.)