Cochintrice
Chirping
- Mar 5, 2021
- 12
- 16
- 59
Apologies for the length, I want to be thorough. I would like to preface this with the fact that my bird is not urgently ill! About 4 vets have seen the growths before this throughout her life and were stumped but unconcerned. So I took their collective word for it. Stuff has changed in the past few months however, and not only has my usual chicken vet lost their farm and exotics Dr. but I'm in thw sort of health where covid has kept me indoors.since this time last year.
Pepper is a standard cochin, 7 years old, and has expressed this issue to some extent since her comb was big enough to even really see. She is healthy weight with a normal activity level. There has been no sign of illness, injury, or change in behavior. She eats and drinks as much as she should (no layer as she doesn't lay eggs now) Stools are normal. No other bird on the property has these. She was vaccinated against fowl pox and marek's when young. I've seen fowl pox a few times now and this is definitely not it.
Pepper is a house chicken and she has been her entire life. She was a singleton chick and is fully convinced she's just another human. That's the weirdest part of her husbandry. I don't think a more comfortable life exists for a hen her age. She prefers to just be cozy all day, spending her time in my lap or on a pillow, blankets, cat bed, etc.
As a wee pullet Pepper had one round white dot on her newly visible comb from day 1. This very slowly became three dots on the one side and expanded in size at a glacial pace. They stayed small enough that looking through photos I realized I can't even see them! They never hurt her, oozed, crusted, or disappeared.
Now her comb is weighed down by them with the whole end buckled inward by these growths on both sides and it seems dry. Still not at all painful, oozing or itchy. She only fusses if they are pulled on. They would take significant force to remove as I've had to pull on them a bit here and there to get a good look at everything.
The growths are tooth-like (nail-like may also be appropriate.) Completely hard, yellow-white, with at least a dimple in the middle making them reminiscent of a molar. One even seems more akin to a barnacle. They grew over a period of about 3 months then have sloooowly kept growing for another 3.
Has anyone out there ever encountered this before? What did you find out it was if you ever did at all? I'm trying not to be alarmed but am slightly worried this could somehow be related to an immunodeficiency (like tumors of some sort) or organ failure (some kind of build up, but why it would be excreted via the comb is anyone's guess?) There is also a chance they are something like majorly clogged pores. These are all jist shots in the dark. All I can say for certain is they're not something commonly documented. I may try getting them loosened up by soaking with a warm damp cloth but I don't want to somehow cause more harm than good, especially since they seem entirely benign from what I know right now.
Attached are photos of her comb and rhe growths. They're not the best since they're with my phone.
Pepper is a standard cochin, 7 years old, and has expressed this issue to some extent since her comb was big enough to even really see. She is healthy weight with a normal activity level. There has been no sign of illness, injury, or change in behavior. She eats and drinks as much as she should (no layer as she doesn't lay eggs now) Stools are normal. No other bird on the property has these. She was vaccinated against fowl pox and marek's when young. I've seen fowl pox a few times now and this is definitely not it.
Pepper is a house chicken and she has been her entire life. She was a singleton chick and is fully convinced she's just another human. That's the weirdest part of her husbandry. I don't think a more comfortable life exists for a hen her age. She prefers to just be cozy all day, spending her time in my lap or on a pillow, blankets, cat bed, etc.
As a wee pullet Pepper had one round white dot on her newly visible comb from day 1. This very slowly became three dots on the one side and expanded in size at a glacial pace. They stayed small enough that looking through photos I realized I can't even see them! They never hurt her, oozed, crusted, or disappeared.
Now her comb is weighed down by them with the whole end buckled inward by these growths on both sides and it seems dry. Still not at all painful, oozing or itchy. She only fusses if they are pulled on. They would take significant force to remove as I've had to pull on them a bit here and there to get a good look at everything.
The growths are tooth-like (nail-like may also be appropriate.) Completely hard, yellow-white, with at least a dimple in the middle making them reminiscent of a molar. One even seems more akin to a barnacle. They grew over a period of about 3 months then have sloooowly kept growing for another 3.
Has anyone out there ever encountered this before? What did you find out it was if you ever did at all? I'm trying not to be alarmed but am slightly worried this could somehow be related to an immunodeficiency (like tumors of some sort) or organ failure (some kind of build up, but why it would be excreted via the comb is anyone's guess?) There is also a chance they are something like majorly clogged pores. These are all jist shots in the dark. All I can say for certain is they're not something commonly documented. I may try getting them loosened up by soaking with a warm damp cloth but I don't want to somehow cause more harm than good, especially since they seem entirely benign from what I know right now.
Attached are photos of her comb and rhe growths. They're not the best since they're with my phone.
