Comb

[Chrisd01]

We have a blue haze chicken whose comb was red but recently appears to be going black & red. Is this just her growing up as she is now about 20-24 weeks old or is it a sign of a problem. She is feeding ok & has bright eyes, doesn't have a runny nose, eating & drinking normally & is as vocal as ever; any ideas would be much appreciated

 

[Judy]

If it's black spots or lesions, it could be fowl pox, which is a viral disease often carried by mosquitoes, usually essentially harmless, plus it confers immunity for the life of the chicken. Otherwise it could be something like a heart defect. A pic would help, but a quick search should give you lots of threads and pics on fowl pox as well. Another cause of black spots on the comb it pecking.

 

[Chrisd01]

I've cleaned out the chickens & found Some tiny red spider type things so I've disinfected it & sprinkled some diatom earth in their house which is a plastic one & on the chickens themselves as well as using a ground sanitizer in the run. Let's hope!