infected comb?

[karelee]

My rooster has a very folded comb, in the crease he has smelly yellow....well gunk. I have cleaned it out and it seems a little better but it continues to come back. Any ideas what it could be? Is it just from moisture getting in there and it not being able to dry? Any help is greatly appreciated!

This is what his comb looks like naturally, you can see how much it folds over above his beak.


When I stretch it you can see all the yuck in there.


Other side, not as bad but also in a crease.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My rooster has a very folded comb, in the crease he has smelly yellow....well gunk. I have cleaned it out and it seems a little better but it continues to come back. Any ideas what it could be? Is it just from moisture getting in there and it not being able to dry? Any help is greatly appreciated!

This is what his comb looks like naturally, you can see how much it folds over above his beak.


When I stretch it you can see all the yuck in there.


Other side, not as bad but also in a crease.

I haven't really seen that before, but have the same line of thought you do. Moisture, dirt/debris gets in there and causes the yuck.

It looks like his nares (nostrils) are clogged as well? Does he ever seem to sneeze to clear them?

Since it is smelly, that would lead me to believe it has some type of bacterial/yeast infection.
Having someone to assist you would be good. Wrap him in a towel so you have better control. Clean it out the best you can. Try to get all the gunk from his nares and beak as well. After you get cleaned and dried, apply some anti-fungal cream. You will most likely need to do this every day until it heals.

Now, for aftercare, I would think it will be an ongoing battle. Since his comb is folded like that, you will have to stay on top of it to keep it clean.

The only other solution, would be to dub the comb (cut it off), but you would want to get the gunk and infection cleared up first before even considering that.

 

[karelee]

The stuff on his nostrils is actually drainage from the comb, I was concerned he had some kind of respiratory issue also but once I clean it you can tell its not coming from there. I was also thinking anti-fungal cream might be the way to go but wasn't sure if it was ok for him. I also wondered if gold bond powder applied carefully so he doesn't breath it in would be helpful. Thanks for your help!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The stuff on his nostrils is actually drainage from the comb, I was concerned he had some kind of respiratory issue also but once I clean it you can tell its not coming from there. I was also thinking anti-fungal cream might be the way to go but wasn't sure if it was ok for him. I also wondered if gold bond powder applied carefully so he doesn't breath it in would be helpful. Thanks for your help!

You can definitely use an anti-fungal cream (Lotrimin, Tinactin, and other anti-fungal) these can are commonly used for treating a condition called Favus. I'm not sure about powder, if you are very careful it may work. You may also want to think about trying a skin barrier ointment like A+D ointment or something similar to seal out moisture while he heals.


If you haven't done so, try to get all that off his beak and clean the nares well too. If it's bacterial you don't want it to get into the sinus - then you will have even more problems.

Keep us posted on his progress and what treatment(s) you use, this will be helpful for others in the future.

 

[Rhiannon H. Fugatt]

I have two roosters who both had fungal infections. Started in a small area on comb or face and just spread. Been following vet orders treating them for two months now. Vet said he'd never seen anything like it, was not ringworm. I was thinking brooder pneumonia which is fungal. My sweet svarthona roo who had this fungal infection on his comb passed on today. He is currently at UCDavis and will get a necropsy done tomorrow. He had a fungus on his comb, started out small like this. I have been treating with one antifungal, improved and eventually it was like when it healed a very thin layer of skin would peel off. Then it would come back. This is without stopping twice a day treatments. Switched what I was using to an antifungal (either foot cream or jock itch cream) cream, mixed with neosporin. This worked great and was clearing it up nicely and it was not coming back. But a secondary respiratory infection did occur shortly after the growth on the comb started, it was breathed into the lungs and air sacks. I had used twice daily one drop of nutridrench, vet rx around the nostrils and under wings, cleaning off combs and all skin, then aplying the anti fungal cream, probiotics in the water. Gave tylan injections did not help, tylan in the water did nothing. Did a ten day course amoxicillan, all while still doing the rest. I used carvicrol and thymal seemed to make the raspy breathing worsen. I hope yours does not have the same thing, but I would just for safety precautions clean with antiseptic, then apply an athletes foot cream twice daily. Will not hurt anything, but if that is what it is you might catch it soon before it leads to more trouble.