I have a chicken that appeared at my house with a burnt looking head, is that a disease or did he get burned?

Question

I have been trying to take care of him, he has a great appetite, very happy, wants to be with us nonstop but has no comb and just a black scabbed head. Could this be a disease or injury?

Answer 1

Is it a hen or a rooster?  A rooster with a missing comb is a sure sign of cockfighting.  The handlers cut off the combs to reduce injury and bloodloss during fights.  It's quite cruel.

It's great you're keeping him, but be careful letting him around other birds until you figure out where he came from- if he was a fighter, he may kill any other fowl he meets.  You should also contact animal control or the police and see if they want to investigate the matter.

Answer 2

ok i need to ask a question in order to answer ur's when the chicken show up at ur house was it winter or summer? if it was winter i would say it's frost bite the skin has frozen and is now dead that's why it appears to be black, if this is the case i wouldn't worry the chicken will be fine if this is not the case i would report a case of abuse

Answer 3

Sounds like an injury to me.  Are you sure it's a he?  With some breeds of chickens, there is no comb on the hens, only on the roosters.  It's possible she was burnt or injured (possibly on by a car).

It's always possible that the wayward chicken was an accidental hitchhiker if none of your neighbors keep poultry.  It's pretty unusual for a chicken to wander away from their coop - they don't stray far from their food and shelter.

If the bird is eating and drinking and has no open wound or signs of infection, I'd just keep an eye on it and make sure it's healing properly.  If the bird starts showing signs of lethargy, loses its appetite or such, then I might consider visceral gout (sometimes caused by poisoning) as another possibility.  As she's showing no signs of illness, I'd assume the chicken was just lucky it didn't get hurt worse.