Hen's comb is pale and blistered(?)

[charmedbaker]

I have two hens that were neglected while I was away on vacation for 11 days. (The person that was supposed to care for them, simply didn't.)
Both hens are three and a half years old. They were both pale and thin when I returned to them.
after two weeks their color is a little better, but this blister/pale section of Eve's comb isn't improving. She is eating and drinking. (neither of them lay eggs anymore.) I attached a photo to show what is going on with Eve's comb. Anyone have any ideas what this is or how I can help her?
Was it because she was dehydrated and starved while I was gone?

 

[coach723]

That looks more like an injury to me. Maybe got caught on something or was pecked. You could dab some plain neosporin, veterycin wound spray, or blu-kote on it. I've also had less than good experiences with care givers for my birds. I'm pretty reluctant to leave them with anyone anymore. So sorry that happened, hope they recover fully.

 

[rebrascora]

It looks more like an injury to me. Maybe pecked by her flock mate if they were not being looked after properly and got frustrated at lack of food or space. Have you tried to clean it up? Is the black bit a bloody scab?

(neither of them lay eggs anymore.)

The above concerns me a little.... do you mean just because they are moulting or that have they not laid eggs for a while.... perhaps all summer? Hens are usually capable of laying eggs up to 8years old and possibly beyond. 3 1/2yr olds that are not laying eggs through the spring/summer would ring alarm bells for me. Reproductive disorders like internal laying and salpingitis are common in such birds. If their combs have been plump and red up until now, then either they have a secret nest somewhere, you have an egg thief (man or beast) or they both have reproductive disorders going on. Plump red combs tell you that a bird is fertile and ovulating.

 

[Saaniya]

I have two hens that were neglected while I was away on vacation for 11 days. (The person that was supposed to care for them, simply didn't.)
Both hens are three and a half years old. They were both pale and thin when I returned to them.
after two weeks their color is a little better, but this blister/pale section of Eve's comb isn't improving. She is eating and drinking. (neither of them lay eggs anymore.) I attached a photo to show what is going on with Eve's comb. Anyone have any ideas what this is or how I can help her?
Was it because she was dehydrated and starved while I was gone?

Injury that turned into a blister
And she's thin cause the person u leave her for caring might didn't feed her properly or didn't feed her ..

 

[sassysarah]

It looks like she was probably pecked by her flock mates. She is thin because the person you left her with probably didn't feed her...

 

[charmedbaker]

It looks more like an injury to me. Maybe pecked by her flock mate if they were not being looked after properly and got frustrated at lack of food or space. Have you tried to clean it up? Is the black bit a bloody scab?

The above concerns me a little.... do you mean just because they are moulting or that have they not laid eggs for a while.... perhaps all summer? Hens are usually capable of laying eggs up to 8years old and possibly beyond. 3 1/2yr olds that are not laying eggs through the spring/summer would ring alarm bells for me. Reproductive disorders like internal laying and salpingitis are common in such birds. If their combs have been plump and red up until now, then either they have a secret nest somewhere, you have an egg thief (man or beast) or they both have reproductive disorders going on. Plump red combs tell you that a bird is fertile and ovulating.

I only have two chickens now. Lula (Black American Sex Link) got egg bound about 6 months ago and hasn't laid since. Eve (Breed unknown, but she's beautiful) just stopped laying about four months ago. I've been feeding them the same lay crumble (Nutrina-Nature wise) with 16% protein. They seem to like it. I give them meal worms and a little scratch. They get greens and things too. I put about a teaspoon of Apple cider Vinegar in their water (1 gallon) each day. I read it's good for them and it helps keep the water dish from getting moldy. I used to let them free range in the yard, but stopped about two months ago because they poop everywhere and the dog eats it.
Their combs had been a little pale before I went on vacation, but they had both been molting. There is no secret nest, they are in a coop. There are no beasts stealing the eggs either. I've protected them from invasion.

It never occurred to me they could have a reproductive disorder. How do you fix that?

It could be an injury, but it doesn't seem to be scabbing or healing, just getting paler.
I've checked for fleas/mites (none) and I have put Neosporin on it.

 

[charmedbaker]

Injury that turned into a blister
And she's thin cause the person u leave her for caring might didn't feed her properly or didn't feed her ..

Yes, the person didn't check their food or water for at least a week.

 

[sassysarah]

Yes, the person didn't check their food or water for at least a week.

Gosh. That's sad.

 

[coach723]

The paleness could be from molt, they will often look pale and puny during molt. The stress from not being fed and watered may have aggravated everything. Often if there is a reproductive issue you will feel some bloating in the abdomen, below the vent and between the legs. Either hard or water balloon like. If they seem fine other wise, and from your description it appears that way, I would just give them some more time. The older they get the more time off from laying they tend to take anyway, so the combination of molt, stress, and decreased hours of daylight are all combining to reduce/stop laying. Some of my older birds stop laying at molt and don't restart until spring, it can vary greatly from bird to bird. If all is well, then worse case they will start laying again in spring.