Interesting phenomenon, comb turned black during sickness

[hatrabbit]

One of my hens was really sick last month. I was thinking it was coccidiosis and treated her for that, now she's better. While sick half of her comb turned jet black... I mean like India ink. She's back to normal now except her comb hasn't recovered. Now here's the weird part - the black areas have been fading in color, and today they started falling off. Big chunks of her comb just gone. She seems fine so I'm not worried about it, but have any of you heard of this? This picture was taken while she was sick so you can see how dark the parts of her comb got. Now imagine those areas gone.

 

[Twistedfeather]

How cold is it where you are? This looks a lot like Frostbite
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/12/frostbit-in-backyard-chickens-causes.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/942359/comb-frostbite-please-help

 

[roseyred]

It's normal that's it's falling off. When things "die" and turn black they tend to fall off eventually. Look up frost bite in chicken toes lol you'll see some 2 toes chickens

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

How cold is it where you are? This looks a lot like Frostbite
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/12/frostbit-in-backyard-chickens-causes.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/942359/comb-frostbite-please-help

x2 looks like frostbite

 

[hatrabbit]

I'm in Southern California. I think the lowest it got here was 47F, and that was only a couple of times while that hen was sick... could frostbite be possible?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I'm in Southern California. I think the lowest it got here was 47F, and that was only a couple of times while that hen was sick... could frostbite be possible?

Hmm very odd. Now this is over my head. I don't know...thinking circulation being poor if she was very ill but still??

Personally I can get frostbite at that temp, but my circulation tends to be poor from a health issue.

Sorry for your hen's troubles.

 

[TalkALittle]

Personally I can get frostbite at that temp, but my circulation tends to be poor from a health issue.

I think you mean you can get hypothermia at that temperature. Frostbite is the freezing of tissue and for that you need lower temps.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote: I have circulation problems and have frostbite nerve damage in my toes and feet from when our heat pump failed and the house temp never fell below 50's but it sure affected me. I went to the doctor after that- Raynauds phenomenon. Numbness and sensitivity now in my toes and feet. I use those Hot Hands heat packs now in my boots and in my gloves when it is very cold. If TMI sorry!

But I have no idea if that can happen to a chicken!

 

[MrsBrooke]

I have circulation problems and have frostbite nerve damage in my toes and feet from when our heat pump failed and the house temp never fell below 50's but it sure affected me. I went to the doctor after that- Raynauds phenomenon. Numbness and sensitivity now in my toes and feet. I use those Hot Hands heat packs now in my boots and in my gloves when it is very cold. If TMI sorry!

But I have no idea if that can happen to a chicken!

A dear friend of mine has Raynaud's. Her fingers turn white as the driven snow when she gets too cold. She experienced some relief moving from Montana to Texas, but our winters can still get to her.

MrsB

 

[TalkALittle]

I have circulation problems and have frostbite nerve damage in my toes and feet from when our heat pump failed and the house temp never fell below 50's

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but if the temp never fell below 50 then you didn't have frostbite. I'm not doubting that you have nerve damage as a result of your circulation problems, but it is just that, "nerve damage" not frostbite. Frostbite has a clear definition. It happens when the skin or underlying tissue freezes. Water in the cells FREEZES and ice crystals begin to form, causing the cell to expand and the cell membrane to rupture. Fluid then leaks into the intracellular spaces and freezes there too, causing damage to adjacent cells/tissue. In order for frostbite to occur, the temp of the tissue needs to be below 32*F. In fact, ambient temperature often needs to be a little lower than that to compete with the bodies own warmth. When circulation slows, reducing internal temperature in the extremities, they are susceptible to frostbite, but only if the ambient temp is below freezing. If it is 50*F in your house and you cut off circulation to your finger, the coldest it is going to get is 50*. You might experience nerve damage because your cells have been deprived of oxygen, but it isn't frostbite. If you chop off your finger (thereby reducing ALL circulation) your finger is only ever going to get as low as 50*. No freezing temps=NO frostbite. Wind can effect how rapidly tissue temp is reduced to the ambient temperature, but it can never bring it below the ambient temp. In a cold wind and temps below freezing frostbite would happen faster than if there was no wind but the same temp. But again, frostbite happens because of freezing. If the ambient temp isn't freezing, you won't get frostbite no matter how much wind you're exposed to.