White spots and pale combs- please help

[Rocking W]

Hello All,
Please take a look at these photos of our 26 & 28 week old hens who began laying in March and April. Some of the breeds (Easter Eggers or Olive Eggers) combs have changed from bright red to pale pink in just one month but they are all laying eggs now. Zoom in to see some white spots on their combs, waddles and their face skin.

We live in a very dry climate (high desert) of So. Calif.
All hens are acting normal, eating a drinking normal. I found some that had watery stools and fed them oatmeal which I think has helped.
I’ve also checked some of these hens for mites, but haven’t found any yet. All hens have access to several baths of Diatomaceous Earth and wood ash.
I’ve also supplemented one of their water bowls with Poultry Nutrient-drench and they get fresh, clean water everyday as well. So besides from the occasional diarrhea, they all are acting/ behaving and laying eggs regularly. Should I be concerned about the changes in their combs and waddles?

Finally, I should note here that one of our hens died last week due to what we suspect an infection from her leg wound or from being egg bound. She was just 26 weeks old. I sure hope it wasn’t due to mites or other fungus that we didn’t catch in time! (See other post)

 

[alinas2010]

Hello, so sorry to hear you lost a hen. It is tough losing them

It is encouraging that everyone is active and eating/drinking good. Their combs look a bit dry, but nothing stands out as really concerning to me. Has it been pretty warm and dry there lately? It could be your climate, as you suggested. Combs and wattles can change shades of red slightly with hormones and excitement, too. If they’re drinking a lot, watery stools can be normal, also. If you have pictures of that droppings, post those, also.

You may know this already, sorry if you do, but one thing you might consider keeping on hand for egg bound hens is calcium citrate plus D3 human vitamins. They have saved one of my hen’s life more than once, I am certain of it. Administer one right into the mouth at the first sign of egg binding.

Cold you get some clear, close pics of this hen’s comb, though? She might have some scabs from pecking. Sometimes they can get fungus on their combs, too. We can have the educators look if it’s anything concerning, it’s just hard to tell from the angle.

 

[FunnyBunny89]

Hello, so sorry to hear you lost a hen. It is tough losing them

It is encouraging that everyone is active and eating/drinking good. Their combs look a bit dry, but nothing stands out as really concerning to me. Has it been pretty warm and dry there lately? It could be your climate, as you suggested. Combs and wattles can change shades of red slightly with hormones and excitement, too. If they’re drinking a lot, watery stools can be normal, also. If you have pictures of that droppings, post those, also.

You may know this already, sorry if you do, but one thing you might consider keeping on hand for egg bound hens is calcium citrate plus D3 human vitamins. They have saved one of my hen’s life more than once, I am certain of it. Administer one right into the mouth at the first sign of egg binding.

Cold you get some clear, close pics of this hen’s comb, though? She might have some scabs from pecking. Sometimes they can get fungus on their combs, too. View attachment 4107371

This one is the only one that concerns me too. Possible anemia? Might need some fresh spinach, or Poultry Cell.

 

[Eggcessive]

What is your location? Are your hen laying eggs? Have you checked their skin for any mites, lice or their eggs? Sorry, I missed that you live in N. CA.

 

[FunnyBunny89]

I live in Nor Cal in a dry area too, and my EEs look just like yours. Their combs definitely look more dry when the weather warms up and dries out. You might want to check them tonight for lice or mites when they go to roost. I never see lice on my hens during the day but at night, they swarm the vent area. I've treated for them twice in 6 months. I use permethrin dust which is highly effective but must be applied carefully. I use a duster bottle thing and stick in the feathers so the dust doesn't spread in the air too much. It's toxic for humans too so wear gloves and keep your face covered or back.

If it is lice, they'll likely have eggs in their feathers so you'll have to keep tabs for a couple weeks and dust again when they hatch.

Also, if it's lice or mites, you have to treat the whole coop and completely clean out the bedding/remove nesting pads if you have them, and either dust or spray the coop down. I used a "bomb" method of dumping some permethrin on the door step, and hitting it with a leaf blower, then sealing the door right away. You have to make sure all the windows and such are closed and let it sit shut for about 3 hours.

 

[Rocking W]

Thank you all for your input! I actually live in the High Desert of Southern California. It’s a very dry climate with a lot of wind—mostly cold during the spring. Temps have been fluctuating weekly—Lows: 30-40s; highs: 40s,50-60s

I realize that it’s better to check for mites at night, but it’s hard to do by myself. So today, I checked out all 14 hens thoroughly. I checked their feet and legs for any issues and then ran my hand over their feathers near their vents and in their armpit areas than looked at my hand to see if any mites were crawling on my hand. Then I also looked closely at their vents and feather shafts for lice and anything unusual. All hens looked fine!

I may have to wait another week when my husband returns home to check for mites in their coop at night. And we’re expecting cooler temperatures and possible rain so even if there are mites, I couldn’t remove them from their coop or run to spray everything down until the weather warms up. Hoping to tackle that next weekend when it’s warmer.

I do appreciate all of your feedback and suggestions and I have added more photos of their watery and solid* stools and close-ups of their combs. *Most of their stolls looked normal except for these two, I photographed today.

I hope this reply goes to all who commented. I really appreciate your suggestions and comments.

 

[Rocking W]

What is your location? Are your hen laying eggs? Have you checked their skin for any mites, lice or their eggs? Sorry, I missed that you live in N. CA.

See my reply below. Yes, they just began laying eggs in March and this month—April. We get between 7-12 eggs a day now from 14 hens.

 

[Rocking W]

This one is the only one that concerns me too. Possible anemia? Might need some fresh spinach, or Poultry Cell.

Thank you for your thoughtful reply and suggestions. I have some fresh spinach and give to them tomorrow. I’ve given them rolled oats (cooked in water) for a few days and I think it’s helping with the watery stools. Not seeing as much as I did earlier this week. What is Poultry Cell?

Finally, the calcium citrate with D that I take twice a day (with Magnesium and zinc) is huge! I was afraid to shove it down her throat or in her mouth, so we crushed it and fed it to her with Gatorade. Do they sell smaller tablets?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

We live in a very dry climate (high desert) of So. Calif.
All hens are acting normal, eating a drinking normal. I found some that had watery stools and fed them oatmeal which I think has helped.

So besides from the occasional diarrhea, they all are acting/ behaving and laying eggs regularly. Should I be concerned about the changes in their combs and waddles?

They look fine to me, possibly a bit dry.
The white on the earlobes will likely become more prominent as they age, this is due to being hybrids. Couldn't tell you the genetics they have in them, but in their past they have a breed that had white earlobes.

Calcium Citrate tablets are large, but a hen can swallow one whole with no issues. If you wish, just break the tablet in 1/2 and give 1 piece at a time. Pull down on wattles, put the pill into the beak, let go of the wattles and let her swallow.

Finally, the calcium citrate with D that I take twice a day (with Magnesium and zinc) is huge! I was afraid to shove it down her throat or in her mouth, so we crushed it and fed it to her with Gatorade. Do they sell smaller tablets?

 

[Rocking W]

They look fine to me, possibly a bit dry.
The white on the earlobes will likely become more prominent as they age, this is due to being hybrids. Couldn't tell you the genetics they have in them, but in their past they have a breed that had white earlobes.

Calcium Citrate tablets are large, but a hen can swallow one whole with no issues. If you wish, just break the tablet in 1/2 and give 1 piece at a time. Pull down on wattles, put the pill into the beak, let go of the wattles and let her swallow.

So you don’t think it could be mites causing the pale combs with white spots? Some of the closeups I sent tonight appear to have pink skin and red bumps— which is probably normal right?

I’m wondering if I should put anything on their combs like coconut oil? (If they are dry) But if it’s a fungus that wouldn’t be good to do, right?

( I wasn’t concerned about their white earlobes. Before they were laying, those earlobes were yellow and once they turned white, they were laying! )

Thanks again for your feedback and comments about the calcium tablets. If that happens again. Hard to know what truly happened to her.