Discolored Comb, Feather Loss on Head and Scratching, Thoughts?

[DVCooper]

Looking for opinions on a recent issue I noticed within my small backyard flock. I have six hens, mixed breeds. A few have somewhat rough looking combs, which I chalked up to cold temperatures this winter in New England.

However, one of my Black Australorps seems to be not only having an issue with her comb (discoloration), but this evening I noticed she is missing some feathers on her head = above/behind her lobes. The comb seemed to be a little rough looking over the winter, but the feather loss on her head is very recent. I did notice her scratching at this area while I was in the coop. I checked her for signs of lice and mites, but did not seem to find anything.

I did also notice, when giving her a once over, that she has a bit of crusty poo stuck in her feathers on her bum, possibly unrelated?

She seems to be acting normal otherwise. Any advice, suggestions or thoughts here are very much appreciated!

 

[Eggcessive]

Both the comb and her missing feathers, and scabs could be due to feather picking by others. But scratching could injure it as well. Combs can easily be injured on wire fencing when running from others. A dry whitish comb can also be due to a hen not laying in winter and dry skin. I would check her ear canal on the right side with a QTip for any gunk or drainage. If you see any pthing that seems infected, you can clean the ear canal with a few drops of hydrogen peroxide, clean with QTips and apply plain Neosporin ointment to them. Does her eye look normal in the picture? Have you seen any drainage or bubbles in the eye?