Dark comb and sneezing

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Merryski

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have just noticed one of my girls is sort of sneezing and then noticed her comb is a dark brown colour, she is eating well and seems happy enough recently we started giving then some bread broken into 10mm chunks and soaked in olive oil and lactose free milk, they adore it, but is it something they should not have
We have six girls laying between 5 and 6 eggs a day I wrote sometime ago about one of the girls thought was molting still bald but feathers are growing back lots of stubble but she does look very sore in places but again quite happy this has been ongoing for a couple of months, had red mite but that appears to be under control still get the odd trace of one or two but clean thoroughly and add diatom to bedding
I am trying to give as much info as possible so that you may be able to let me have some idea what to do next !
Thanks in anticipation of your thoughts
 
Hi Merryski. Too many treats isn't good, even if they do like it. Bread has no nuititional value and contains yeast which can cause sour crop. Milk can sour in the crop as well. I'd avoid both of those. Sneezing could simply be dusty bedding. We have one with a brown comb and I have yet to discover why. She stopped laying a few weeks ago but seems happy enough, but she is 4 now and has had a hard life with illness. Slow feathering up can be a lack of protein in diet -try a treat of some chopped hard boiled egg, mealworms, maggots or sunflower hearts (no shell).
 
You should take her to the vet as darkening of the comb and wattles can be a singn of Avian Influenza.
 
Hope it isn't that Tygresek. It's a notifiable disease to DEFRA which could result in a UK poultry export ban for 10 days until it is localised.

Where do you live Merryski?
 
With all due respect, I doubt it is AI. There isn't any around at the moment, and having lived through an epidemic with all the vets in their white suits, wellingtons etc. I am a bit paranoid about it, so keep an ear to the ground.

I was also told by the vet at the time, that birds with AI die fast, don't hang around eating and acting normally while they have it.

All of the above said, I don't know what it could be, as a brown comb does not ring any bells with me. Brown and not a dark purple colour?
 
Actually her comb is more of a purple colour than brown, she is sneezing and has a runny nose however she is eating and laying and seems content yesterday gave her some hard boiled egg with garlic and olive oil and mealworm she happily ate the lot
Will keep monitoring her and see how things go, we live in Solihull, West Midlands, in response to earlier question
 
If your hens are on a diet of layers ration (pellets or meal) they should not need any extras to up the protein, even when in a moult. Less productive hens do not need the 16 or 17% protein in balanced feed let alone adding to it.

Sounds like she has a cold or a respiratory infection which may pass or may need treatment prescribed by a vet.
 
Well Our Lucy sounded like that and I've just let her do her own thing. Yesterday I noticed she was rather more active, no sneezing and her comb had become redder. Today she laid. Suspect Myco.

Reason I asked your location Merryski is you are apparently on our route out when we export our chickens. So if it was Avian flu we would have to bypass West Midlands completely.
 
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