Help!!! Chicken's skin by comb is BLUE?

[FRlEDeggs]

I have a cuckoo marans pullet named Pepper. She is disabled and can't walk, so I have her set up in a cardboard box that I can move around. She has been disabled for 3 months. 2 days ago I found her comb bloody. I figured that she had probably rubbed her head against the box too much, or another chicken pecked her. My BO seemed to like to peck at her healing comb. Today, I looked at her and saw that the skin by the top of her comb is BLUE "( What's happening? Did my BO peck something that made her turn blue? HELP!!!! How do I fix this?

 

[FRlEDeggs]

Please help!!!!!

 

[Kassaundra]

I haven't dealt w/ many chicken disease or injuries yet, but am in the human medical field and blue lips, mucosa, or nailbeds in humans signify a lack of Oxygen. To me this would indicate this chicken is having either trouble breathing air in and out, or trouble delivering O2 to the tissue. Is it having any obvious difficulty breathing? Congestive Heart failure could also be a problem, you stated the bird is disabled, sitting back on haunches may impede the blood flow and O2 delivery.

 

[FRlEDeggs]

She has always had a little trouble breathing. The rest of her is fine though, that small area is the only part that is blue. What can I do to help her??

 

[Kassaundra]

Sorry, the treatments I know for a human probably wouldn't translate well to your chicken. Supplemental O2, removal of excess fluids w/ mediations like lasix. If she has been immobile for several months and it is Congestive Heart Failure, her heart is getting tired from having to overwork (pumping against increased blood pressure) and is working less effectively, when this condition starts it is usually chronic and terminal. What is her disability that she has been unable to walk for several months? Is it a condition that is going to get better soon, or is she immobile for life?

 

[FRlEDeggs]

We don't know what is disabling her. One day it was a limp and the next she couldn't walk, but she isn't paralyzed. She just can't put weight on her legs, so she lays on her side all day. It seems like it might not get better...

Is it possible that a chicken pecked her on the head and the blueness is a bruise?

 

[Kassaundra]

Seems like a possibility if it is a very local area, just showed up out of the blue and steadily gets better. If it comes and goes, or if the comb is discolored (not just blue ness. but pale, dusty looking (greyish)) or other breathing worsens, or if you have access to a stethoscope you could listen to the lungs, there should not be a "wet" sound or "popping" noise (similar to rice crispies) that would be fluid sounds on the lungs. You have a major underlying problem w/ an immobile chicken for this long, that position for that long is hard on her systems, and will make her much more suseptable to not only chf, but respiratory issues. Not to mention quality of chicken life, just sitting/lying in a box for months?

 

[FRlEDeggs]

Thank you for the help

Pepper gets to be in our yard daily. She has an equal amount of ground time and box time, and is always with the other chickens. She always has access to plenty of food and water, and I make sure her box is full of fresh shavings every day. She also likes to move around in her box, turning around and pushing against the sides of the box (That's right, she can kick and push but can't stand). And I also have a "chicken sling/chair" I sit her in sometimes. I do my best for her...

 

[BrattishTaz]

Is the blue on the actual comb? My roosters often get areas of blue/black on their combs. It is usually from mosquito bites or minor injuries. My BO's comb was looking pretty scary after he was attacked by a hawk. Their combs alway heal and return to normal color. I'm thinking it is just bruising. Frostbite can also cause discoloration.

I am a "do everything possible to save the animal" person but if your bird is unable to walk or sit upright AND is having breathing problems, I worry about her quality of life. Is she suffering? Other chickens will pick on her if given a chance.

 

[FRlEDeggs]

The blue has gone away to more of her skin color combined with some purple. I'm thinking that it's just a bruise.

Pepper doesn't seem to be suffering at all. She likes to relax around the other chickens and makes a lot of happy chirpy sounds

My BO pullet likes to peck her (hence the bruise) but she wasn't picking on her before Pepper got the comb injury.