What is this?

[thytay&chickenmomma]

I am still new to chickens, only had them since 4/17.It seems every time I turn around I am learning about new issues that can happen with them. The picture shows my latest issue. I 1st had problems with major feather picking and bullying, to the point there were some injuries and was a very stressful situation. I was forced to downsize from 24 chickens to 10. Then, when every thing was finally going better, the boss hen started feather picking the chicken at the bottom of the pecking order, followed by several other chickens copying her, and so I put on the orange chicken peepers that you see in the picture, which thankfully have worked WONDERS. Now, today, I notice the chicken in the pic has white colored stuff on her crest. At first I thought maybe it was from the peepers, they have been on 1.5 weeks, but none of the other chickens look like this. Out of the 10, there is the chicken in the picture, then 1 RIR has just 3 small dots/specks of white on her crest but in the middle top of her crest nowhere near the peeper, and 1 columbian rock has tiny black on just the very top of 3 tips on her crest but nothing else at all, nothing like this chicken. This is the only chicken that looks like this, so far anyway. It has been cold, many nights below freezing, we had 8 inches of snow last weekend, so I thought maybe it is from the cold? Upon researching online, I pulled up favus, fungal infections, frostbite, and a couple other possibilities but I have no clue which it actually is. I went ahead today and put some terconazole on all of the chickens crests based on other suggestions I read about. Any idea what it is or what I should do to treat it or even if it needs treating at all? No skin issues, no feather issues, no leg issues, just the crest.

 

[Chullicken]

Have you solved the issue with the obsessive picking and plucking within your flock? If not please post coop size, breeds, run size and diet.

Second, sounds like the majority of your flock has a touch of frostbite which is a constant battle in cold climates, I deal with it every year hoping this year will be a little better. Off colored spots typically on the tips and eventually turning black if severe. Which is the tissue having died. Moisture within the coop is the culprit in frostbite. So having said that, ensure you have adequate ventilation that is set up correctly given your coop direction and location. You'll read hundreds if not thousands of things online about 'ventilate ventilate ventilate', very few actually inform us how to vent correctly. Cleaning out waste is also key to reducing cold weather injuries, frequent and thorough as waste along with just breathing raise humidity levels in confined spaces such as a coop. Your pretty lady picture seems to me missing part of her comb..in my humble opinion from aggression. I'd apply a product such as Blu-Kote to any and all exposed wounds on your birds for anti bacterial actions.

 

[thytay&chickenmomma]

Have you solved the issue with the obsessive picking and plucking within your flock? If not please post coop size, breeds, run size and diet.

Yes, this has been solved. I first had issues months ago and dealt with it. The peepers have completely stopped the issue with the couple hens I have now so this is no longer an issue with picking/pecking, thankfully.

Second, sounds like the majority of your flock has a touch of frostbite which is a constant battle in cold climates, I deal with it every year hoping this year will be a little better. Off colored spots typically on the tips and eventually turning black if severe. Which is the tissue having died.

Only this hen has this issue. The other 2 I mentioned, 1 I know is not frostbite for sure, and the 3rd one has the tiny black on the very tip end of 3 tips on her comb and the black is smaller than the tip of a pencil nothing else on her comb at all. I was holding all the hens checking their combs and noticed the teeny black, it is so small I almost did not see it. I will keep an eye on her though. No other discoloration or anything with the 2 I mentioned, and none of the other 7 have anything at all on their combs. The chicken in the photo is the only 1 like this.

Moisture within the coop is the culprit in frostbite. So having said that, ensure you have adequate ventilation that is set up correctly given your coop direction and location. You'll read hundreds if not thousands of things online about 'ventilate ventilate ventilate', very few actually inform us how to vent correctly. Cleaning out waste is also key to reducing cold weather injuries, frequent and thorough as waste along with just breathing raise humidity levels in confined spaces such as a coop.

Coop is very well ventilated and no moisture in the coop at all. Coop stays cleaned out too.

Your pretty lady picture seems to me missing part of her comb..in my humble opinion from aggression. I'd apply a product such as Blu-Kote to any and all exposed wounds on your birds for anti bacterial actions.

She is my pretty lady, she is my favorite hen, so sweet she is. That is her comb, she is not missing any of it, just how hers has always looked. Her and 2 others have small combs like this, they are Ameraucanas. All the other hens are RIR, ISA Brown, and Columbia Rocks.

 

[Chullicken]

She is my pretty lady, she is my favorite hen, so sweet she is. That is her comb, she is not missing any of it, just how hers has always looked. Her and 2 others have small combs like this, they are Ameraucanas. All the other hens are RIR, ISA Brown, and Columbia Rocks.

Ah ok, awesome. She is pretty!

 

[thytay&chickenmomma]

Ah ok, awesome. She is pretty!

Thank You, and thank you for all of your suggestions! Hopefully I can figure out what is going on with her comb soon and help her. I assumed since she has the smallest comb she'd have the least issues with it, but apparently not.

 

[Eggcessive]

It looks like dry skin. I have never used pinkess peepers, but I wonder if the dry skin is because she cannot scratch or rub her skin on her comb.

 

[Chullicken]

Thank You, and thank you for all of your suggestions! Hopefully I can figure out what is going on with her comb soon and help her. I assumed since she has the smallest comb she'd have the least issues with it, but apparently not.

Not to drudge through all your chickens stuff, but may I ask what size coop you have and run (If they're not free ranging)? Also it can be SOOO over whelming with these little crazies. Just remember to tackle one issue at a time and move on to the next. Most important to least important. I have a dog...0 issues..my chickens? It's constant. Unsolicited advice! lol

 

[thytay&chickenmomma]

It looks like dry skin. I have never used pinkess peepers, but I wonder if the dry skin is because she cannot scratch or rub her skin on her comb.

I 1st thought maybe dry skin too, but none of the others have anything similar. It looked white when I 1st noticed her, then I looked closer and took the pic, it almost looks flaky, that is why I thought fungal infection?? but I have no clue really, and it could be so many things I saw online that it just made it all more confusing.

Not to drudge through all your chickens stuff, but may I ask what size coop you have and run (If they're not free ranging)?

I don't mind at all. Coop house is 10ft(L)x10ft(W)x12ft(H) with 8-2ftx3ft nesting boxes built on the side and run is 12ft(L)x12ft(W)x10ft(H). I now have 10 hens, they have plenty of room. Here is a pic of the coop/run I took back in May when it was still a work in progress.

Also it can be SOOO over whelming with these little crazies. Just remember to tackle one issue at a time and move on to the next. Most important to least important. I have a dog...0 issues..my chickens? It's constant. Unsolicited advice! lol

YES,you are so right! When I 1st got the chickens, having never had chickens before, I thought how hard can it be??? The 1st couple of months were very uneventful, I stressed/worried about things that "might" happen and nothing did. I thought, okay, this really IS easy, UNTIL it wasn't! Just when I think I have learned how to deal with a new issue and get it under control, along comes yet another. As you stated, 1 issue at a time. I never knew the stress having chickens could bring, but the enjoyment of owning them is why I still deal with it all.

 

[Eggcessive]

I might be tempted to remove the pinless peepers on the one hen for awhile, keep up the coconut oil treatment, and see how she does. Favus, a fungal infection, usually looks more like white dots or chauky white skin. While molting, some chickens will get flaky skin.

 

[thytay&chickenmomma]

I might be tempted to remove the pinless peepers on the one hen for awhile, keep up the coconut oil treatment, and see how she does. Favus, a fungal infection, usually looks more like white dots or chauky white skin. While molting, some chickens will get flaky skin.

I applied a terconazole cream yesterday when I first noticed it just incase and today, it isn't as flaky looking so I will just use the coconut oil and hope that it is just dry skin. Thanks!