Please help chickens getting black spots on the combs and waffles and stop laying

[campo87]

My dad hatched my chickens his self he kept some and gave me some his as started laying good but mine hasn't they are they same age I also had 2 older hens have to me that where already laying now I have had them for about 8 months in my pin and the older hens have stopped laying all together and they other ones have never layed at all and now they are all getting black spots on there combs and waffles what could cause this

 

[TheTwoRoos]

It's frostbite.
And its's not waffles,its waddles.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If you could repost in the Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures
section of the forums and include clear pictures of the combs and waddles someone may be able to help you. It is possible is could be fowl pox, but pictures are needed.

 

[Nupe]

What kind of chickens are they? Where are you located? Black spots on the combs can be different things. A picture would help determine what it is.

A dark comb can be a heart condition. There's fowl pox which I don't know much about. A fungal infection that can be treated with almost any topical cream used to treat athlete's foot, jock itch or yeast infections. In freezing temperatures, tiny blood vessels can pop, leaving black scabs. Scabs can also happen from squabbling and pecking at each other. If their environment is overcrowded or they're not getting the right nutrition, they can get cranky with each other and they might not lay. Make sure they're on a complete feed. You can feed them layer feed, or you can feed grower or an all flock feed if you supplement calcium in the form of oyster shell on the side. You can keep it available to them in a dish on the side all the time and they'll know how much they need to eat.

Another thing to consider is the time of year. I don't know where you are but most of us here in the US are in molt season. Most chickens over 1 year old will molt (replace their feathers) during the fall and stop laying over winter unless you extend their daytime with extra lighting. The pullets who first started laying this past warm season won't molt and should lay all winter if in an acceptable environment.