Shriveled, scabby comb and puffy eyes. Appetite, vent, and feathers intact. Help?

ilovethechickns

In the Brooder
6 Years
Jul 6, 2013
14
1
31
Carstairs, AB


This girl is an old ex-batt rescue hen. We have a couple dozen of them. Some have a few scabs on their combs, and some are missing a bunch of feathers, but this one is different. She has a really sad looking comb with poor circulation in the tips and a lot of scabs. No pus, a tiny bit of blood on one scab/spot, and puffy eyes that look half-closed. Good appetite and great feathers and vent. She's looked this way for weeks and weeks. But a couple chickens recently passed away and we also found out we have some lice. Coop and chickens treated for lice, and antibiotics in water now for respiratory thing going around. This one has no prolapse or issues of any sort that are visible except for the comb, the eyes, and a little bit of tiredness. She goes to bed pretty early and seems to be getting more tired. :(

I've looked up fowlpox but I'm not convinced. She doesn't appear particularly low on pecking order. I think she's really sick but just wonder if anyone has an instant "I KNOW!!!" when they see the pics. Thanks. :)
 
Her comb does look like fowl pox to me. You might want to check inside her beak with a flashlight to make sure there are no yellowish patches that could be wet fowl pox. She looks so very tired. Have they been wormed recently? I like fenbendazole (SafeGuard, Panacur,) and Valbazen, since those get more than just round worms. Is the feather loss due to molting? They can feel really lousy during molt, and also with fowl pox.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/avian-pox-how-to-treat-your-chickens-for-avian-pox
http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/avian-atlas/node/597
 
Thank you so much for your reply and helpful advice. I really appreciate it. I will take a flashlight out there as soon as possible. I also looked under her wing last night after some research on general health checks....and found lice eggs. So that's news to me. :) I love learning! I just want to know as much as I can about my animals' health needs so I can optimize their lives :)

Thanks again:)
 
You're welcome. Sevin or permethrin dust will kill lice immediately, and dust again in 10 days to get the hatching eggs. Clean out the coop and nests of litter, and spray coop down with Permectrin II (permethrin) and that should help. When I have seen lice eggs, they are usually concentrated under the vent area. The dosage of SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer or Valbazen is 1/2 ml by mouth and repeat in 10 days. Discard eggs for 14 days after last dose. Coccidiosis can sometimes be a problem in older hens moving to new ground or being exposed to other chickens. Battery hens never being on the ground before could have it, and that would also cause lethargy, as well as diarrhea, puffing up, and poor appetite. A 5 day course of Corid would treat that if it is a problem. With ex-battery hens a vitamin and probiotic powder in the water every other day can help to increase immunity against diseases.
 

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