Serama chicken's comb much darker than the rest.

[Tatuana]

I've been out of the country for two weeks and just got back. I've been noticing today that one of them has a really dark comb. I don't see any other signs of illness. He's still as active as the others. Their babysitter kept them indoors as much as possible. Non of my other chickens seem to have any problems either. The sick one might be a bit more ragged looking? Should I be concerned? He's still a young dude.

Sorry for red eye. Flash was the only way to get a pic. He's the brown one. It's much, much darker than the other three. It also looks a bit dry.

 

[azygous]

Combs can change color arbitrarily. They can change in response to temperature and mood or physical condition such as molt and illness.

As long as this chicken is behaving normally, good appetite, active, bright eyed, it likely is nothing to worry about.

On the other hand, it could signal a cardio/pulmonary issue or a respiratory illness. Keep an eye on him. Listen every so often to his breathing. If you hear rails and rattling, your rooster is in trouble.

 

[Tatuana]

Combs can change color arbitrarily. They can change in response to temperature and mood or physical condition such as molt and illness.

As long as this chicken is behaving normally, good appetite, active, bright eyed, it likely is nothing to worry about.

On the other hand, it could signal a cardio/pulmonary issue or a respiratory illness. Keep an eye on him. Listen every so often to his breathing. If you hear rails and rattling, your rooster is in trouble.

I'll keep my fingers crossed that it's just stress then. They kept getting out of their coop and getting hassled by the babysitter's hens. He's the lowest in the pecking order for my males anyway. The weather also turned while I was away. They ended up going from a coop to a garage.

His breathing seems fine for now at least. I'll have another listen when he's done making weird whistling noises at his dust bath.

 

[blackandtan]

Are they in the living room? On the couch? That’s awesome

 

[Tatuana]

Baby chick is still very active today. I don't think he's making any wheezing noises either. I think I'm leaning towards stress at this point. If he is stressed, is there anything I can do for him? He's free ranging in my house currently, which he loves. The only thing I can see that might be a problem is the pecking order is getting reestablished. And he's on the very bottom. He gets chased now and then.

Are they in the living room? On the couch? That’s awesome

They're actually chilling out on a chair I covered with a sheet. But in the living room! It's too cold outside for the little guys right now. They're so small that I'm just letting them have free run of the living room/kitchen for now. It's all tile which makes for easy cleanup of their poop.

I should set up my coop, really. But I'm enjoying the little noises they're making. And the fact that they chase my - very bored - cats. The cats could stand to lose some weight.