hen with blue tipped comb-MORE QUESTIONS

[Sjisty]

Hi Seminolewind - With the crazy weather here (I'm your neighbor in Brooksville) lately, I wonder if she has a cold or whatever the chicken equivalent is to pneumonia. She's still pretty young. Maybe if it ever gets warm again she will start feeling better.

Edited to add - Another chicken lover here in Brooksville did have some of his hens get frostbite at the tips of their combs. Yup, even here in Florida it's possible. We had some lows in the teens this winter and some people in Florida don't think to keep their pets in more protected housing at night.

That said, I don't think that's what your hen has. I think it is respiratory. Since she is young and not overweight, I don't think it is a heart problem, although I'm definitely not a doctor! Good luck with her.

 

[seminolewind]

It's not frostbite, and there are no respiratory symptoms.

She is tired and naps alot. All fluffed up. Avoiding the flock, lost weight. Her feet and legs have been turning red on occassion. Stool normal. No lumps bumps, swellings, eggs felt or laid, no bugs, her comb is not pale, the tips look blueish now and then. I did notice some feathers under her roost this morning.

How sick can they get or seem if they go thru a hard molt? She's 3 and I don't think she's ever molted. Has anyone had a hen get real sick acting during a hard molt?

 

[TXmom]

My Buff Orp hen had that purple color on the tips of her comb several months ago. I would have sworn there were no bugs, but on closer inspection, I found lice under her wings even though her vent area looked completely normal (I thought I would find eggs there, but no). I had never seen bugs on any of my chickens before, but there they were. I dusted her and all the others with Sevin and she perked right up and returned to her normal color and mood. I started getting more eggs from the other hens too. Apparently the lice were depleting their nutrients...poor babies.

 

[seminolewind]

No bugs seen, but I will check again in the dark tonight.

In case it's a terrible molt-I think she's losing feathers now, I made her a high protein snack: peanut butter, chedder cheese, chick starter, oatmeal, egg yolks, and yogurt. She wolfed down 1/2 a cup. I'll give her some more tomorrow.

 

[TajMahalChickens]

I realize it has been months since you posted, but I thought I should ask how she turned out. My 6 month old rooster gets purple tips on his comb off and on. Some days it is really bad then the next day they are gone. He seems fine otherwise, so I haven't done anything.

Curious if anything happened and if you have any treatment suggestions....

Thanks!