What is wrong with my chicken - blackhead?

[Crazy Chicken Keeper]

I have a lovely black chicken who is a reliable layer, bit cheeky she doesn't like staying in. I caught her today and this is her head (both sides):

What is wrong with her? Not frostbite it is summer here. Anybody know?

 

[NotabitaiI]

Do the others look like this and has your flock had fowl pox yet?

 

[Crazy Chicken Keeper]

Never had fowl pox. The rest of my flock is happy and healthy except for a little scaly leg mite.

 

[Crazy Chicken Keeper]

Anybody online? Anybody know? I am genuinely worried and curious about this

 

[Eggcessive]

It looks more like your hen has some pecking injuries or has run into some wire fencing with her comb. That is not blackhead, which is a disease more common in turkeys.

 

[FrostRanger]

Looks like dry fowl pox potentially, either that or just pecking injuries. I would separate her (unless the rest of the flock has it too) so it doesn't spread but she should be OK, dry fowl pox heals on its own in a few weeks, nothing you need to do for her beyond this though

 

[Crazy Chicken Keeper]

What about her face though? Around her eyes? It is usually red but now it is black - which triggered my blackhead assumption

 

[FrostRanger]

What about her face though? Around her eyes? It is usually red but now it is black - which triggered my blackhead assumption

Chickens are usually asymptotic carriers if they get blackhead, most likely it's an injury from pecking or something or dry fowl pox. Both of which she will heal from in a few weeks. Here's an article that list how the disease presents in chickens, https://meyerhatchery.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360062464551-Blackhead-Disease-in-Poultry unlike in turkeys it doesn't cause bumps and whatnot

 

[Crazy Chicken Keeper]

Chickens are usually asymptotic carriers if they get blackhead, most likely it's an injury from pecking or something or dry fowl pox. Both of which she will heal from in a few weeks. Here's an article that list how the disease presents in chickens, https://meyerhatchery.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360062464551-Blackhead-Disease-in-Poultry unlike in turkeys it doesn't cause bumps and whatnot

Thanks you! It said

For chickens, the symptoms of Blackhead disease can range from a slight drop in egg production to lethargy, decreased appetite, anemia, and death

None of this she is greedy as and she is hard to catch - and she certainly is not dead. I will look into dry fowl pox

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It looks more like your hen has some pecking injuries or has run into some wire fencing with her comb. That is not blackhead, which is a disease more common in turkeys.

What about her face though? Around her eyes? It is usually red but now it is black - which triggered my blackhead assumption

I agree, it looks like pecking injuries or has injured the comb and wattles on wire. There's no need to separate her.

What about her face? She has some Mulberry coloring showing through. See her earlobes? Same coloring. She looks fine to me.