What’s causing my broody hen’s wilted comb and damaged wattle?

[RaesChicks]

I’ve been dealing with two broody hens, a silkie and an Orpington for the last month or so, I haven’t been able to break them, I think by the time I realized what was going on they were all set in their ways. But one of my blue breasted brown leghorns joined the club this week and around the time I realized she was broody I also noticed her comb was laying limply across her head and looked purplish black at the base. I figured it was probably bruised by my Orpington as they competed for control of the eggs being laid. Today I put a new crate in the run in order to better separate them from the nesting boxes and when I went to get them out I noticed her wattle is also damaged. Should I be concerned? Is this a sign of illness?

A separate question, every time I handle my birds I notice little red dots are appearing under my skin. Has anyone ever experienced this? I can’t see anything biting me. It’s the strangest thing.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If she's broody, then she's not in lay, the comb will shrivel a bit.

Looks like she has scabs/injury to the comb and wattle, probably from picking/fighting.

For determined broodies, they need to cool a bit, so set the cage on blocks so they get some air flow, a fan circulating air can also be helpful.
Collect eggs as soon as possible, this doesn't always deter them, but can sometimes help.

Red dots on the arms - look for lice or mites on the birds. Check at night for mites, around the vent especially. Run a paper towel along your roosting bars or nesting boxes to see if it comes up with bugs or a reddish tint (squished mites).
IF you find bugs, dust the hens with Permethrin based poultry dust and treat your coop/housing with Permethrin Spray. For mites, clean out bedding and dispose of it or burn it, then treat the housing making sure to get into crevices.

Repeat treatments every 5-7 days.