Still no idea what’s going on with my hens comb and growing black spots

[Ohsrsly]

Can you post pictures? It sounds like she may be getting pecked. I would continue to put Betadine on her scabs on her comb and wattles.

I’ll snap a picture under her vent today, I already put iodine on those scabs and her comb and wattles this morning so pictures may be a bit misleading at the moment!

 

[C Siena]

I got iodine and triple antibiotic yesterday and treated her comb and wattles before bed. How many times a day should I coat with iodine and a layer of ointment? Just before bed? Or should I do it more?

I hope for the best and am following this thread so I know how to help our chickens in the future, if need be.

 

[Ohsrsly]

Can you post pictures? It sounds like she may be getting pecked. I would continue to put Betadine on her scabs on her comb and wattles.

This is the area under her vent. I cut away some yucky feathers and applied iodine and antibacterial ointment shortly before this so it looks a bit greasier than it had- prior to treatment her butt fluff hid this entirely!

She also hasn’t laid an egg in 4 days. She is a fairly new layer (Started in June) and has always been sort of erratic, sometimes she sits in the nest box and doesn’t lay, then lays an egg under the roost bar or out on the ground and then another in the box the same day.

Her appetite isn’t completely gone but is lower than normal and she seems to have less energy than usual. She is definitely drinking water well.


Until last week, she was eating, drinking and behaving very normally despite the scabs. She seemed to take a slight turn about the same time she started dewormer (safeguard aquasol)

 

[Wyorp Rock]

View attachment 4195185
This is the area under her vent. I cut away some yucky feathers and applied iodine and antibacterial ointment shortly before this so it looks a bit greasier than it had- prior to treatment her butt fluff hid this entirely!

She also hasn’t laid an egg in 4 days. She is a fairly new layer (Started in June) and has always been sort of erratic, sometimes she sits in the nest box and doesn’t lay, then lays an egg under the roost bar or out on the ground and then another in the box the same day.

Her appetite isn’t completely gone but is lower than normal and she seems to have less energy than usual. She is definitely drinking water well.


Until last week, she was eating, drinking and behaving very normally despite the scabs. She seemed to take a slight turn about the same time she started dewormer (safeguard aquasol)

Is there any odor?

Any maggots or lice/mites? Hard to tell.



I'd treat it with the ointment like you are doing, hopefully that will heal up. I'm not sure what to make of the scabs.

 

[Ohsrsly]

Is there any odor?

Any maggots or lice/mites? Hard to tell.



I'd treat it with the ointment like you are doing, hopefully that will heal up. I'm not sure what to make of the scabs.

There were some lice under her wings but not in this area. I did treat her for those.

No maggots and no strong odor that I noticed.

 

[Eggcessive]

Fowl pox can occur on vents and legs, but are normally on combs, face and wattles. I would watch to see if she is being pecked by others.

 

[Ohsrsly]

Fowl pox can occur on vents and legs, but are normally on combs, face and wattles. I would watch to see if she is being pecked by others.

How do I know if she is egg bound? That area seems a bit puffy but I don’t know what’s normal. She hasn’t laid in 5 days, the last egg she laid was weird. It had a rough dry texture and was light tan ( she normally lays about a 4-5 on the BCM chart).

She will eat some but not like she normally does and she is hanging out alone a lot and less active, but not sleeping. Just sitting alone awake and doing nothing.

Her droppings look like this.

 

[Eggcessive]

When they are close to molting the egg shell color can fade, and they may be a bit lazy and eventually stop laying. Does she have any signs of molting? Since she is passing droppings, she is probably not egg bound.

 

[Ohsrsly]

When they are close to molting the egg shell color can fade, and they may be a bit lazy and eventually stop laying. Does she have any signs of molting? Since she is passing droppings, she is probably not egg bound.

I did see a large black feather on the ground of the run yesterday (I only have two black chickens).

She hatched at the end of December - is this age about the time for molting to occur?

These are my first chickens so I am not sure what else to look for with molting!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I did see a large black feather on the ground of the run yesterday (I only have two black chickens).

She hatched at the end of December - is this age about the time for molting to occur?

These are my first chickens so I am not sure what else to look for with molting!

Molting first usually happens in a chicken's second autumn and each thereafter. However that is when the chicks hatch in spring and summer. A December hatched chicken will often molt in the first autumn. When a bird molts, you will see a lot of feathers like someone had a pillow fight in the coop and run.
Molting almost always stops egg production. It is hard to build a new winter coat made of 92% protein while kicking out a lump of protein every day.
With egg binding they usually make frequent unsuccessful trips to the nest box. The vent will often pulse relentlessly.
What state are you in?