I have a 6-month-old Speckled Sussex hen, Shug, with a very swollen comb. I noticed the comb swelling yesterday, and today there was some blood and black crusty stuff in spots. The black stuff has actually been there a few days and has appeared in recent weeks on combs of a few other hens and on the rooster, but in the other cases, without any swelling. Shug's comb isn't warm to the touch or discolored, and she doesn't mind my touching it. She seems to be showing no other signs of illness - nothing else is swollen, normal eating, drinking, poop, activity levels, and no sounds of troubled breathing or bad smells.
Previously I had been dismissing the black stuff on combs, assuming it was dirt or normal wear-and-tear, since they were all acting perfectly normal otherwise. And it seemed to go away after awhile. But with Shug, the swelling is worrisome, and now I'm wondering if this might be some sort of ectoparasite, fowl pox, or early signs of another illness.
Any advice on what this might be or how I can treat it, even just to prevent infection?
Other info: everyone in my flock is the same age (~6 months), but all different breeds. All 13 eat layer ration and live in a 16x16ft coop on pine-shaving litter, with access to a larger yard for free ranging.
The first three pictures show Shug with her swollen comb, and the fourth is my Buff Orpington, Bubbs, who has had the black crusty stuff on her comb for a few days now but with no swelling.
Previously I had been dismissing the black stuff on combs, assuming it was dirt or normal wear-and-tear, since they were all acting perfectly normal otherwise. And it seemed to go away after awhile. But with Shug, the swelling is worrisome, and now I'm wondering if this might be some sort of ectoparasite, fowl pox, or early signs of another illness.
Any advice on what this might be or how I can treat it, even just to prevent infection?
Other info: everyone in my flock is the same age (~6 months), but all different breeds. All 13 eat layer ration and live in a 16x16ft coop on pine-shaving litter, with access to a larger yard for free ranging.
The first three pictures show Shug with her swollen comb, and the fourth is my Buff Orpington, Bubbs, who has had the black crusty stuff on her comb for a few days now but with no swelling.
