Not frostbite, mostly black comb on a BCM

[HeatherLynn]

I have no clue whats going on. These birds were bought from someone I am not familiar with and were not quality BCM's. That being said I toured her various coops and they were pretty dang clean. Everyone looked healthy. Lots of ventilation. Lots of free ranging. Yes she did have hundreds of birds but they all looked very good.

These are roughly 16 weeks now. Fully feathered. The weather is cold but I do let them out during the day. They are already very large and there is no good way to keep them all confined enough at this point. They have a baby run we use for geese where there is shelter and woodchips and then an outside caged run attatched. They are still on grower food. They do get some ground corn now that its colder. They get cooked eggs roughly once a week.

This is a Roo. He is still eating like a big huge pig. Poop is fine. No breathing issues. not acting weak at all. Actually is out there fighting with the others and attacking me when I get between him and food. His comb is almost all black now. I have seen from fighting and frostbite and it doesn't look like that. I also have another little female that just has a couple specs of black on hers. Not wounds. More like the comb is stained black. Nothing raised.

I will treat myself if I do figure out what it is. I have had one bird die unexplained recently. No signs of why it died. No black on her. Checked her over well and all we can tell is she sat in her little dug out nest under one of the shelter boxes and died. So there may be more to this that i would like.

I need ideas, treatments, and instructions on how to go about those treatments.

 

[Chicken_Pauper]

Have you "rubbed" it to see if it comes off in your hand? Might be mites.

Mites on the comb... I have had a problem with that. They say (you can search) that a little vegetable or olive oil (be careful it doesn't drip down into the eyes) on the comb will smother the mites. Also the Sevin Dust on each chicken, the nesting boxes, roost, etc... Normal mite treatment.

I tried Eprinex and I was not impressed with it as a mite treatment, but since I have the bottle, I may try it again. Also, I am going to spray the coop and all with a Permethrin Spray I bought.

Of course, if he (the roo) has attacked you even once.. he will have to go to the stew, soup, BBQ, freezer camp. Once a rooster attacks a human being, that's it. Once they are aggressive to people, they always will be. One flew up and almost put out my brother's eye (he's 6'4"). Many speak of them attacking children. I know people that had one that waited and attacked them any time they went outside, got home and got out of the car, etc... coyotes saved them by eating that rooster.

So, I say, catch him and rub it, check it to see if its dried blood and mites... also the hen. Also, think about getting rid of the rooster if he is aggressive, if he ever attacks any people.

Good luck.

 

[Chicken_Pauper]

The hen you lost... -- Was the hen you lost of laying age? Might she have been eggbound? If the die in the nest, that's a good guess, IMO.

 

[HeatherLynn]

The hen I lost was of egg laying age. Not a full year yet. It seems the ones I do lose are always under a year and just drop over with no symptoms. Only been a a few but still thats how it seems. I tried to feel back there but honestly I am not exactly sure I would know. I go by whats described on sites and i felt nothing off. Doesn't mean nothing was wrong though.

i did rub on the comb of the roo, nothing came off. I was more feeling if maybe it felt rough or scaley or was scabby. It was a bit dark and I was looking with a flashlight. not ideal. i will go out in the mornin with a bit of salve and see what can be done. The roo will go to freezer camp fairly soon I think. I want a little bit more weight on him first. He is smaller than some of the other. Only one of the roos I have right now are meant to be keepers and they are picked by looks, size, and temperment generally.