Rooster with purple and limp comb

[vocations]

I am a newbie chicken keeper. Mine are five months old.

I have a buff orp rooster, who has seemed fine until this evening.

When I went to visit them this afternoon, the back half of the rooster's comb was purple and limp. I found posts about purple comb, and the consensus seemed to be to try duramycin, so I went and got that, isolated the roo and started the treatment.

It was only after all of that that I really took notice of the limpness and realized that no one had mentioned limpness in their posts.

Is there anything else I should try? I would hate to lose him. I honestly didn't mean to fall in love with my chickens, but I couldn't help myself.

 

[Kassaundra]

Full disclaimer I am not one to nurse chickens back to health much. Purple limp comb to me says a BIG circulation problem, and not an antibiotic problem. My guess would be cardiac (heart) related b/c of it being blue and limp, if just blue then a respiratory problem that might be sick related. If it is limp due to a sickness, it would likely be septic from dilation of blood vessels (lowering blood pressure) and should have been noticeably sick before now.

 

[ten chicks]

I am a newbie chicken keeper. Mine are five months old.

I have a buff orp rooster, who has seemed fine until this evening.

When I went to visit them this afternoon, the back half of the rooster's comb was purple and limp. I found posts about purple comb, and the consensus seemed to be to try duramycin, so I went and got that, isolated the roo and started the treatment.

It was only after all of that that I really took notice of the limpness and realized that no one had mentioned limpness in their posts.

Is there anything else I should try? I would hate to lose him. I honestly didn't mean to fall in love with my chickens, but I couldn't help myself.

While purple tinge to comb may indicate circulatory issues in particular heart related,i have seen purple tinge on my buff orpington roosters,nothing wrong but hormones. If nothing serious it will resume normal color shortly. Why did you start him on duramycin ? Make sure he is eating/drinking.

 

[vocations]

Thank you, ten chicks and Kassaundra for your replies.

Since it is not the whole comb, but just the back half, plus, it comes and goes, I am wondering if he might have injured it somehow.

A few days ago, he got his head stuck in the net fence--not charged.

Possibly an injury?

 

[TheChickInn]

I have read about a few diseases that cause a blue comb. but the only time I have ever seen this is when I once took some chickens to a show and one of my hens' comb turned blue ( I asked someone at the show what they thought was going on- he told me that chickens can get blue combs when they are stressed. Cold weather can also cause a comb color change.

 

[Kassaundra]

Thank you, ten chicks and Kassaundra for your replies.

Since it is not the whole comb, but just the back half, plus, it comes and goes, I am wondering if he might have injured it somehow.

A few days ago, he got his head stuck in the net fence--not charged.

Possibly an injury?

If it were from an injury I would think it would stay "bruised" until it healed not come and go.

How does he act otherwise?

 

[vocations]

Well, he's unhappy about being separated from his girls and grousing about it. He doesn't seem interested in eating, unless I hold out some feed in my hand. I gave him some yogurt this morning and he pecked at it a couple of times, then seemed to forget about it to listen for the girls.

The comb looks good, except for just a slightly purplish tinge at the back that seemed to persist while I was there with him.

I started him on the duramycin because that seemed to be the consensus of what to try first for a roo with a purple comb. I'm wondering whether it would be better to stop the treatment and let him go back with his girls.

Thanks for your interest and help!