One side of face dark, discolored

[Carolei]

My 5 year old Buff Orpington, Fluffy, has been acting a little strange, not hanging out with the other girls, wanting to hang out my porch. Now one side of her face is dark and discolored.


Here is the other side of her face.

Does anyone have any idea what this may be?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Looks like she has some scabs on the discolored side, possibly it's bruised a little too.
I would say someone has been pecking at her a bit.
You may want to gather her up and take a closer look to make sure that's scabs and not something like fleas, lice or mites.
The other side she also has a few scabs on the earlobe and comb.

 

[Eggcessive]

Spend some time with the chickens to see what is happening. She is being picked on, and the reason may be a bully, overcrowding, not enough protein in the diet, or boredom if they don’t get outside to roam. Sometimes when one seems ill, the others may pick on them. If there is wire fencing in run, sometimes they can injure themselves by running into the wire.

 

[Carolei]

Thank you both for replying! I have five hens who free range in my urban backyard and I never see much bullying or pecking, but who knows -- maybe that's happening when I'm not around. I have a hen who just went broody, and she might be the culprit. I have a vet appointment for Fluffy this afternoon and I'll report back what she tells me. Thanks!

 

[Carolei]

My vet did not find any sign of underlying disease or parasites. She said the discoloration was trauma, bruising and scabbing. Perhaps she got her head stuck somewhere and scraped and bruised it pulling it out? And maybe she got pecked when the others saw the injuries. We're really just guessing how it happened, but the good news is that it's not a communicable disease!

 

[Carolei]

You both were right. She was bullied. I saw one of my hens jump on her back and start pounding on her today. Ugh. Until now they all got along well. It's awful to think that all that trauma was caused by one of my hens! I am isolating the bully.

 

[hispoptart]

Hopefully isolating the bully for a couple of days will help put her in her place.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You both were right. She was bullied. I saw one of my hens jump on her back and start pounding on her today. Ugh. Until now they all got along well. It's awful to think that all that trauma was caused by one of my hens! I am isolating the bully.

I'm glad you were able to figure it out.
Hens can be rough on one another at times. Isolating the bully can sometimes help.
I would check your BO over really well to make sure that she is not sick. Look for lice/mites, have a fecal float to rule out worms, see that the crop is emptying overnight.

I forgot to ask, does she still lay eggs? If she doesn't, then feel her abdomen for bloat/swelling or fluid.

 

[Carolei]

She had a pretty thorough exam by a vet today. There was no sign of disease or parasites, although a fecal test was not done. She was laying up until a couple of days ago. I don't think she's laid an egg since getting beat up, but I'm not certain.

 

[Kathy Golla]

Another thought is that if your hen is broody, it’s a surefire excuse to get beat up.