How common is comb damage in your flock?

[PimsGarden]

I'm not really worried about her because she isn't bullied, just bottom of the pecking order. I'm just curious how often y'all experience comb damage within your flock? It's obvious this hen (Pinto) had a chunk of her comb ripped off by a other chicken. Honestly it's never more than a quick flex from my Silkie hen who is at the top of the pecking order. They are in a run with netting all around unless me and my partner let them out and supervise them. So it is def from another chicken, prob my big Wyandotte hen who is 2nd in command.

 

[SourRoses]

Not very common, almost all of mine have pea combs. But when we had more straight combs and injuries happened I tended to take it pretty serious and look for bullies. If it doesn't reoccur then you don't have to worry.

 

[Mrs. K]

Are you perfectly positive that is an injury - cause it could have just grown there genetically, but you probably know. Not bleeding, I don't worry.

I tend to get a bit more damage with bigger combs in the winter from a bit of frost bite. I have a couple of birds that have even lost part of a toe... and I never noticed - so I know they didn't limp. They don't limp now with it gone.

I tend to think of combs as like cuticles on your fingers near the nail. Does it hurt - yes! Is it life threatening? No.

Mrs K

 

[PimsGarden]

Are you perfectly positive that is an injury - cause it could have just grown there genetically, but you probably know. Not bleeding, I don't worry.

I tend to get a bit more damage with bigger combs in the winter from a bit of frost bite. I have a couple of birds that have even lost part of a toe... and I never noticed - so I know they didn't limp. They don't limp now with it gone.

I tend to think of combs as like cuticles on your fingers near the nail. Does it hurt - yes! Is it life threatening? No.

Mrs K

Yeah it used to be a little spike there towards the front and now it's gone. We watch them constantly for fun so we would notice any abnormal bullying or changes, the flock is quite peaceful. I think it's prob a one off situation that prob won't happen again, just curious if it's common.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Apart from the hen who lost hers to a raccoon, my damage is almost always frostbite related other than occasional scabs from being stupid and getting their comp pricked on the fencing

 

[aart]

Yeah it used to be a little spike there towards the front and now it's gone. We watch them constantly for fun so we would notice any abnormal bullying or changes, the flock is quite peaceful. I think it's prob a one off situation that prob won't happen again, just curious if it's common.

You never saw a black scab on the area?

 

[PimsGarden]

You never saw a black scab on the area?

You never saw a black scab on the area?

Nope, looking at a pic from around a week ago and there was a little more comb there but I don't see a scab or anything. It's not a lot missing, just strange...

 

[PimsGarden]

Lol I was able to make a side by side comparison on Instagram. Left is a week ago, right is today. My theory is the other hens know she is the most beautiful and they are jealous...

 

[rosemarythyme]

Not "common" but it does occur - hens fighting over who uses a nest box, or roost time rumbles, for example. Most of the time it just results in a scab here or there.

I remember going out to the coop one morning and my Sicilian Buttercup had blood all over her face and neck and down to her chest from a comb injury. She was prone to instigating fights so someone got her in the comb. It was like something out of a horror film. Comb wounds bleed a LOT. I tossed her in the brooder for about 3 hours before releasing her and she'd cleaned herself up and was perfectly fine other than a scab for a while.

Same bird tore off a finger of her comb when she was a chick, probably from getting it caught in wire fencing since she was always trying to poke her head into things.

 

[Loving my girls]

I’ve, personally, never heard of comb damage. She seems fine with it though so I wouldn’t worry.
Adds to her uniqueness, as long as she doesn’t start a new fashion she’s fine.