Help! My Roosters Comb Is Turning Purple!

[Roxychick]

Hi guys, My Chabo Bantam rooster hasn’t been feeling and looking well for the past week and I’ve noticed hes comb is turning purple and I don’t know what’s the cause! Is it because of bad nutrition or something like that? And is there a way I can help him recover?


Here is a picture

 

[OldDominion309]

Could it be frostbite?

 

[MatthewsHomestead]

Vaseline or baby oil. It does look like frost bite. Keep it protected and if it's cold your way provide some heat.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi guys, My Chabo Bantam rooster hasn’t been feeling and looking well for the past week and I’ve noticed hes comb is turning purple and I don’t know what’s the cause! Is it because of bad nutrition or something like that? And is there a way I can help him recover?


Here is a picture

I'm sorry he is not feeling well.
Can you post some photos of how he is standing/sitting as well?
How old is he?
You mention bad nutrition? What do you feed him?


Tell us a bit more about his symptoms - is he lethargic, not eating/drinking, having a hard time walking/standing, any coughing/sneezing, runny nose, etc.?
Is he pooping- photos of the poop?

Check his crop to see if it's emptying overnight, look through his feathers for signs of lice and mites, inspect him for any injury and consider having a fecal float to rule out worms.

A bluish comb like that can be an indication that he is not getting enough oxygen.

Do what you can to keep him hydrated - you are in AU, I wonder if he is suffering from heat exhaustion? Some electrolytes for 24hrs won't hurt.

Keep us posted.

 

[Roxychick]

I'm sorry he is not feeling well.
Can you post some photos of how he is standing/sitting as well?
How old is he?
You mention bad nutrition? What do you feed him?


Tell us a bit more about his symptoms - is he lethargic, not eating/drinking, having a hard time walking/standing, any coughing/sneezing, runny nose, etc.?
Is he pooping- photos of the poop?

Check his crop to see if it's emptying overnight, look through his feathers for signs of lice and mites, inspect him for any injury and consider having a fecal float to rule out worms.

A bluish comb like that can be an indication that he is not getting enough oxygen.

Do what you can to keep him hydrated - you are in AU, I wonder if he is suffering from heat exhaustion? Some electrolytes for 24hrs won't hurt.

Keep us posted.

Sorry for the late response! And
Thanks for the intel! I hope he’ll get better soon!

He is about a year old and I usually feed him a mix of oats, chopped veggies, and rice. And a mix of other kitchen scraps.

And yes he seems to be lethargic, he’s refusing to eat or drink, and he is having a hard time walking. But he doesn’t have a runny nose or sneezing, and i haven’t noticed him poop yet. And he just sits in a corner and doesn’t move around much and he hasn’t been crowing much lately.

And I’ve just checked him and I’ve spotted a few mites and he doesn’t seem to have any injuries. But I gave him a light rinse on his comb and head.

That’s sounds terrible, can he recover from that? And to keep him hydrated I had to syringe feed him electrolytes water+sodium bicarbonate and after that I fed him a dose of Olive leaf extract and placed him in a tray of bentonite clay him in the shade.

 

[Roxychick]

Could it be frostbite?

Vaseline or baby oil. It does look like frost bite. Keep it protected and if it's cold your way provide some heat.

I’ll try to put some coconut oil on his beak, comb and feet. - but I don’t think it’s frostbite because it’s been quite hot here lately.
But thanks for your advice!

 

[Roxychick]

Update, he pooped... but he seems kinda frail .

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I usually feed him a mix of oats, chopped veggies, and rice. And a mix of other kitchen scraps.

lethargic, he’s refusing to eat or drink, and he is having a hard time walking.

sits in a corner and doesn’t move around much and he hasn’t been crowing much lately.

spotted a few mite

Do you have a photo of the electrolytes you are using?

In both photos of him, the one thing I notice is he has what looks like a full crop - is that emptying completely overnight? Check it when he goes to bed, it should be full, then check it first thing in the morning before he eats/drinks - it should be flat/empty. Crop issues can cause a few of the problems he's having, but not all - sometimes illness is a grouping of symptoms - one thing goes wrong and then more seems to follow.

Do you have any poultry feed available? non-medicated chick starter or an all flock type feed would be good.

If you found mites on him, then you need to get rid of those - use a permethrin based poultry spray or dust to treat him and his housing. Clean out his bedding. Repeat the treatment in 7-10days or per the label on the product you have.

Vet care is always best - getting a fecal float is also a good idea.
He sure is cute, I hope he gets better.

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree with Wyorp Rock. I would really try to get vet care if possible, since he is in very bad shape. Do you have grit to help in digestion of his food? A crop or gizzard impaction could be a problem which can cause him to starve. If you can determine that his crop is functioning, and emptying overnight, then you might be able to learn to tube feed him for a bit to give him time to get better. There are videos and articles here and on YouTube to learn to tube or crop feed him. Chicken feed mixed with a lot of water to make a thin paste, and cooked egg would be good foods to offer him. He needs to be drinking well first though, so hold a cup of water with electrolytes to his beak often.

There are possible organ problems (heart, liver, kidney) or a parasitic problem. Something could be putting pressure on his legs internally to affect his legs. He has such a large comb, and they tend to get blue on the tips if there is low oxygen. So he is really working to get oxygen. Has there been any wet or moldy conditions around? Mold or fungus can really affect breathing, and can cause fungal infection elsewhere in the body. I hope you can save him.