What’s on my hen’s comb?

[tlcmurphy]

What’s this on my BO hen’s comb? It’s only on the one side and wasn’t there 2 days ago (I didn’t check them out yesterday due to rain).
She is the top of the pecking order of 3 girls, all nearly 3 years old, I’m positive no one would dare peck her. Very healthy, although probably overweight, hadn’t laid since she was 1.5 years old, no idea why.

 

[MysteryChicken]

It's a scab.

 

[nuthatched]

Looks like she cut it on something, she'll be fine.

 

[tlcmurphy]

Thank you both. I was thinking Fowl Pox
Just another chuckle-headed BO… her sister ripped her comb mostly off trying to get the bugs mom the other side of the chicken wire

 

[Papaye]

Looks like dried blood to me.
Do clean her comb if you want to, so you will know for sure!

...She is a beautiful hen. I love the colour of her feathers...!!
And indeed, she looks very healthy.

If you are right and she is overweight, it is probably the reason why she does not lay eggs anymore.
But there happens to be some hens that stop laying without a seemingly obvious reason, and so, we don't know exactly what the problem could be... so could be genetic, or whatever...

You could want to try mixing some food grade Diatomaceous Earth in her feed, everyday, just to see if it could make her laying eggs again...
Sometimes, some hens sadly need help to do their job!

(What are you feeding her?)

 

[tlcmurphy]

I will clean it up, luckily she’s easy to catch given her weight issues
They are fed Kalmbach 20% All Flock feed with oyster shell and grit on the side. I know she doesn’t need 20% but the other 2 girls are smaller and she’s not laying so I stopped the layer feed.
What would DE do in their feed? I don’t believe it’s a source of calcium…

 

[MysteryChicken]

I will clean it up, luckily she’s easy to catch given her weight issues
They are fed Kalmbach 20% All Flock feed with oyster shell and grit on the side. I know she doesn’t need 20% but the other 2 girls are smaller and she’s not laying so I stopped the layer feed.
What would DE do in their feed? I don’t believe it’s a source of calcium…

DE won't encourage egg laying. Sunlight hours are what would probably make her start up again, though she may have something going on internally that is preventing her from laying eggs, like an infection of the reproductive system, an ovarian tumor, or she's laying internally. Sunlight hours won't fix these though.

 

[tlcmurphy]

DE won't encourage egg laying. Sunlight hours are what would probably make her start up again, though she may have something going on internally that is preventing her from laying eggs, like an infection of the reproductive system, an ovarian tumor, or she's laying internally. Sunlight hours won't fix these though.

Thanks, she laid nearly every day from 5-18 months old, then never again. Nothing else seems to be wrong with her, other than her bossy attitude, so I’ve resigned myself to only getting eggs from the other 2 when they feel like it. Not now of course…

 

[Papaye]

There is Calcium in Diatomaceous Earth.
And so many good other things...!!

In the past, I have had some hens that laid a bit too much of shell-less eggs...
Some of them laid more and more shell-less eggs, until they could not lay any egg with shell anymore...

I don't know what the problem was, but these hens was hybrid chickens, and I'm pretty sure all of them came from the same place...
So, could be a genetic problem...?
But whatever...

Fact is : giving them liquid Calcium specifically made for poultry did NOT work!

What worked, on the other hand, was food grade Diatomaceous Earth.

Indeed : I have mixed DE in my chickens and ducks foods for several months now, and never again has one of my hens laid any shell-less egg anymore.

Actually, all of them lay now normal egg (with thicker eggshell than normal, clearly thanks to DE), and even lay MORE eggs...!
(And I have now several hens that tends to lay double-yolked massive eggs! Before putting DE in their food, I had only ONE hen that laid this kind of eggs - and for her, the cause was clearly genetic...)

I'm very, very happy with food grade Diatomaceous Earth, but you are - of course - free to make what your want of this information!!

Good luck with your hen.
She really is lovely!

 

[tlcmurphy]

Thank you