Tiny black spots on chicken combs

[tammy stams]

Good morning I am a newbie to chicken keeping. I have a mix breed flock of 19 week old chickens. I have noticed over the last week that my Buff Orpington and have very tiny black spots on their combs. They are so tiny they appear to be tiny specks of dirt that does not brush off. The birds are acting, eating and drinking fine. I have read about pox but could find no photos. Are there sometimes little spots of black pigment on combs? Perhaps I am just being a neurotic "new mom". Any thoughts? Thanks Tammy

[Todd Allen]

Pox supposedly starts off light and progresses to dark scabs and there should likely be bumps of inflammation around the dark spots.

Try wiping the spots of with a damp cloth, perhaps with a hint of soap.  Attempts at washing plus close regular observation ought to give you a better idea of what you are dealing with, perhaps it is just splatter from mud or manure, dark pollen grains or sap, dried blood, mites or other tiny insects or their bites, etc.  We've been alarmed several times to see spots on combs, wattles, legs, etc. but usually they wipe off if persistent.  Even when they haven't, they've gone away on their own quickly.  If you can't get rid of them and they are growing in size and/or number then I'd become more concerned.

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[Tammy Stams]

Thanks Todd. I will try to wipe them off and keep a watchful eye. Its just so hard to know wht to be alarmed about 
When tou have little to no experience. 

Tammy
Sent from my iPhone

[Linda]

In my last flock I had a bird that I think had fowl pox. She had dark patches on her comb that wouldn't wash off and that changed over time. They finally disappeared after about two months. She never appeared to have respiratory issues or exhibit "sick" behavior, and the rest of the flock didn't get affected. (I know most of the others were vaccinated when I got them, and it may be that one of their vaccines was for fowl pox...not sure since it is often difficult to get a fix on exactly what vaccines were given by the hatchery). 

I understand fowl pox is pretty similar to chicken pox in humans: rarely fatal on it's own, but necessary to monitor the infected one for other complications that can result from a challenged immune system. 

On Tuesday, July 24, 2012 12:37:39 PM UTC-5, Tammy wrote:

Thanks Todd. I will try to wipe them off and keep a watchful eye. Its just so hard to know wht to be alarmed about 
When tou have little to no experience. 

Tammy
Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 24, 2012, at 11:16 AM, Todd Allen <speed...@gmail.com> wrote:

Pox supposedly starts off light and progresses to dark scabs and there should likely be bumps of inflammation around the dark spots.

Try wiping the spots of with a damp cloth, perhaps with a hint of soap.  Attempts at washing plus close regular observation ought to give you a better idea of what you are dealing with, perhaps it is just splatter from mud or manure, dark pollen grains or sap, dried blood, mites or other tiny insects or their bites, etc.  We've been alarmed several times to see spots on combs, wattles, legs, etc. but usually they wipe off if persistent.  Even when they haven't, they've gone away on their own quickly.  If you can't get rid of them and they are growing in size and/or number then I'd become more concerned.

On Tue, Jul 24, 2012 at 10:00 AM, tammy stams <tammy...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

Good morning I am a newbie to chicken keeping. I have a mix breed flock of 19 week old chickens. I have noticed over the last week that my Buff Orpington and have very tiny black spots on their combs. They are so tiny they appear to be tiny specks of dirt that does not brush off. The birds are acting, eating and drinking fine. I have read about pox but could find no photos. Are there sometimes little spots of black pigment on combs? Perhaps I am just being a neurotic "new mom". Any thoughts? Thanks Tammy

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