I’ll start with the good news... my chicken no longer has a black tongue! However, we have only had her a few weeks, and she was a rescue hen. When we got her, I gave her a good checking over and she had a black tongue. I looked to see if this was an indication of anything but couldn’t find anything online, so I thought maybe she was a breed with a black tongue. I tried to get photos which I will attach. Turns out, she is a breed with a normal fleshy coloured tongue!
She was also moulting when we got her, and she had lost some feathers under her vent (which I wasn’t sure was from moulting). She also had a scab on the underside of her sternum, so I assumed she could have been caged and forced to sit all day (before she came to us).
She is now free ranging with the rest of our small flock, eating well and has started laying (I had another post about her - she lays olive eggs
).
I checked her this morning and her tongue is ‘normal’ looking. My question - was the black tongue an indication of something? Could she still be carrying some virus or disease? Or could it just have been general unhealthiness?
She was also moulting when we got her, and she had lost some feathers under her vent (which I wasn’t sure was from moulting). She also had a scab on the underside of her sternum, so I assumed she could have been caged and forced to sit all day (before she came to us).
She is now free ranging with the rest of our small flock, eating well and has started laying (I had another post about her - she lays olive eggs

I checked her this morning and her tongue is ‘normal’ looking. My question - was the black tongue an indication of something? Could she still be carrying some virus or disease? Or could it just have been general unhealthiness?