Fred gets mad... and turns purple?

[GollyFluff]

Hi all. So, Fred doesn't like anyone except my oldest son, and even that is a love-hate relationship. He gets all bent out of shape when any goes near the fence. When he gets worked up, his comb starts to turn purple. Every time. Sometimes there's a white streak between the purple and red. He survived a dog attack at my mother's (original owner) last year, which left a bump on the back lobe of his comb. I thought at first that the discoloration was just permanent damage from trauma, but noticed it comes and goes in minutes, depending on his mood. My son caught him when he first saw the discoloration, thinking it was a sore. He says the purple and white areas are really cold to the touch, while the red area is quite warm.

I've searched and found posts relating to frostbite, illness, pox, etc, but haven't been able to find anyone else describing something like this. I can't seem to catch a pic of him with his comb all pretty and red. It starts turning purple as soon as he sees me coming!

 

[Whittni]

It actually looks like frost bite, when he's roosting at night apply a layer of petroleum jelly to his comb and waddles and it should be fine. Since it changes I'm thinking its a blood pressure thing and that he's a one-person chicken. That means you might not want to re-home if there's just the one person he likes (lots of animals do this).

 

[GollyFluff]

I'm not re-homing Fred. After he spurred me, I considered it. But what I didn't consider is that my oldest hand raised this rotten roo from a chick, and nursed him back to health after the dog attack. When I mentioned sending Fred away, the boy almost had a coronary. Chin quivered and eyes teared up. He's a big, rough and tumble kid; I had no idea he was so attached. So Fred's not going anywhere. Nobody but DH and Bubba go into the run without backup.

I just wanted to make sure that this isn't some bizarre condition that I should be concerned about. Better safe than sorry! Thanks so much for taking the time to respond.

 

[azygous]

I have a Buff Brahma, Penrod, whose comb and wattles turn dark purple when he's upset. It happens when he's quietly seething. It's as if he's not getting enough oxygen. It happens very infrequently for me to worry about.

 

[MoreHens]

I had a Buff Orp rooster whose comb did the same thing...the tips and back half turned blue/purple depending on his mood regardless of the outside temperature. It never caused any problems and I never saw signs of necrosis. I assume this is harmless as long as it's occassional.

 

[GollyFluff]

Well, it happens every time I approach the run. I can sit down and watch them for a while (happens a lot), and the color returns to normal within ten minutes or so, as long as I'm still. If I move, he stomps, does the mufasa neck flare, and tries to spur me through the fence, all while going Moby grape again. I've been trying to talk more, whether on the phone, or to Fred himself (I thought I was sane until this started). It seems to be getting better, as it used to stay purple until I after walked halfway across the yard and he crowed a million times.

The fact that it turns cold worries me, though; cold means lack of circulation, right? And that would be a bad thing. I just don't want him keeling over because it happens dozens of times a day. I'd feel bad, but my kids would freak.

On a side note he doesn't mind at all when our dog Samson races around the run, tracking booger monsters. Go figure.