Help ! Chicken comb ! What is it ?! (AUS!)

[meals]

Help ! I went away for a couple of days to come home to find one of my lovely little bantam hens looking AWFUL! Her comb looked all bloody and her eye wouldn't open.. I originally thought it might have been an attack from another hen. She's super puffed up but seems to be eating and drinking ok. She's on the nest at the moment but has been there for quite a while. I also noticed some tiny, tiny white insects crawling on her head through the scabs. What is going on ?! Help !! What should I do ? I also have a mama hen with 5 chicks, 1 laying hen and two new 5 week old standard size chicks. Everyone normally gets along fine so I don't know is it mites ? An attack ? Disease ? She's normally so beautiful I would hate for anything to happen to her ! Any advice would be great !

 

[meals]

That's her normally

 

[Eggcessive]

It sounds like she may have lice or mites. The marks on her comb are either peck marks or perhaps mites. Permethrin spray or garden dust will treat lice and mites , but it needs to be applied at least twice, 7 days apart for mites or 10 days apart for lice. Watch to see that she isn't being bullied by sitting with them while they are outside. Does she have any runny nose or symptoms of a respiratory disease, such as sneezing or noisy breathing? Her eye could have been pecked, but respiratory diseases also may cause swelling. Vetericyn eye gel or eye wash, or Terramycin eye ointment can be used in the eye to help prevent infection.

 

[meals]

Yes I sprayed them all with lice and mite spray last week and did all the coop ! I hope I got it all though coz it's a beautiful old stone coop with lots of hidey holes ! I also put lots of lavender in the nest boxes ! I hadn't actually seen the mites then but I did notice them scratching more so did it just in case !

I thought it might be mama hen... But then she's the same as the I'll one and they've always gotten along the best and she's always been fine having her around her chicks.. What on earth happened in the 4 days I was away !!

Thanks for the feed back ! I've been keeping a very serious eye on her. Should I try to clean her wounds ? What with ? Or just leave them ? I gave them all another spray down and supplied extra wood ash in the run as well!

 

[meals]

Also I did notice she has had a raspy sort of breath !