purple comb tips on broody

[7&8]

I have a bantam leghorn who has been broody for a few days now. She seemed in the peak of health when she took to the nest. Today, when she was off the nest, she ate and drank; raised cane with the other hens; basically, she seemed fine. This evening when I looked in on her, I noticed the last tip of her comb and the one just forward of it are purplish. Anyone ever notice a change in coloration in their broody hens' combs? Could it be that my bantam's comb is discolored from slowed circulation from her decreased movement? Or perhaps hormonal changes? Once before when she was broody, her comb, which usually stands upright, went completely floppy.

I know that the comb is a health barometer. I've recently lost a bird to an undiagnosed illness.

Your thoughts on this are greatly appreciated!

 

[kyrose]

ive never had a broody like that but i did have a roo that every now and then would get a couple of purple points on the comb.i was told it was stress and after a while i would check back and they would be red again.id just keep an eye on her for now and see if it gets better or worse..good luck..

 

[azfordby4]

I've got a leghorn hen that has a few slightly purple tips on her comb too. I just noticed it in the last week or so. She's definitely not broody, but the weather has been in the mid to upper 90's here in AZ for the past month. If this is caused by stress that's the only thing I can think that could be stressing her. It's sure stressing me! She seems happy and healthy otherwise, and is still laying regularly. I'm not real worried since she's behaving completely normally, but I'm curious to see the responses on this.

 

[kyrose]

Quote:
in my case i was told stress because i had 4 roos in the same coop.i guess that would be stressful..lol i honestly wouldnt worry,just watch as long as they arent getting worse..

 

[Erica]

It can be a sign of respiratory or cardiac difficulty, but it's not necessarily that. I've also noticed it can happen to susceptible birds if I've let droppings build up in the shed. Ammonia from droppings is a lung-irritant. And some birds are just prone to having blue combs, the same as people whose circulation is naturally a little poor.

So there are lots of possibilities, not all particularly bad. I've seen it with early CRD and I've seen it once or twice in uninfected birds. I currently have a hen in a CRD-free flock who has blue points about half the time, mostly in the morning. She's healthy otherwise and is my best layer.

cheers
Erica

 

[7&8]

hey all - thank you kindly for your thoughtful replies!

I'll be watching the little rascal closely.