Sudden face and comb turn pale

[Bejep714]

Just this morning I realized one of my chickens comb and face have turned very pale. She is a buff Orpington and I know she didn't look like that yesterday. I did read that it could just be molting, but she is in a nesting box right now and I have heard that chickens sometimes don't lay during molting. She is also acting fine and normal. No real strange behavior. I was just wondering if it could just be molting since it happened so fast and she is laying. It also is pretty cold so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it.

 

[CluckerFamily]

How old is she?
My chickens normally molt in the autumn into the first part of winter.

 

[Eggcessive]

Has she been laying eggs recently? Has she been molting? Combs and wattles may become smaller and pale during winter and when not laying eggs. Can you post a picture of her?

 

[awhan]

I would check her for lice and mites. If lice and/or mites are left untreated it can result in anemia due to blood loss. If it’s not lice and/or mites, it could be an overload of worms, heat exhaustion, or molting.

I had a broody hen that had a pale comb and it was due to mites and lice. Once treated, her comb was bright red again. Broody hens are more prone to lice and mites because they aren’t dust bathing as much.

 

[Bejep714]

We have had a lot of snow this year and our chickens hate the snow. That means they are in their coop all day almost every day. We try to keep it clean but it is difficult. I can get a picture in a few minutes

 

[Chickensandhorsesforlife]

My chickens do this, and get a drink, then they are fine.

 

[Bejep714]

The first picture is a picture from a week ago. The second was a few moments ago. Although the seconds picture quality is a bit rough you can tell she is a little pale. Actually not as bad as earlier today. She has gotten a bit of color in her comb again. She is also almost a year old.

 

[Bejep714]

I don't know if she has been laying any eggs because all of our chickens use the same nesting box even though there are 10 others, but I have seen her in the boxes regularly

 

[Eggcessive]

You could give her 2 ml daily for a couple of days of Poultry NutriDrench or Poultry Cell which has vitamins, minerals including iron, and electrolytes. Yes, I would look her over for signs of lice or mites, under her vent, belly, and elsewhere on her skin. It is always unkown what is going on inside of them. I had a hen who had fatty liver disease who hemorrhaged inside once, and it was found with a necropsy.

 

[Bejep714]

I have been checking around her eyes and face recently and have found nothing. She is starting to turn her normal reddish again and act normal again. But now I have another question. We still have snow but some patches of grass in our yard so we let our chickens outside today for some free ranging for around 30 minutes. Afterwards when we put them away one of our reds had a small purplish patch on the top of her very big crown. It wasn't on the tips, it was in the middle of the back of her crown. I'm not sure if it is mild frostbite or what. I can't get a picture tonight but I'll try to post one tomorrow if I can. She is acting very normal, but I just want to see what you all think. The temperature outside today was very warm so I'm not sure it would be frostbite but we did leave the window open all day while they were locked up inside so that might have made it a bit cooler, but not at all how cold it got at some times this winter. One of my orpingtons has a purplish crown, but it has been purple since the fall, so I think it isn't a problem. I'll get a picture of that tomorrow as well. I just want to see what you all think about this.