Pale combs?

annaewart said:

Any things can cause pale combs.

I have a 20.5 week old Delaware whose comb was very ref this past week and a half, and today I noticed it was lighter. I'm thinking from reading what you wrote that it's probably stress - I brought somebody else in there with me today as well as recently I was trying to catch a couple of the hens. And it's also quite warm today. Otherwise she's acting fine.


Young birds have that pale look before they mature, with a nice reddening of the comb signalling a pullet coming into lay.

Birds gone off the lay, for a moult particularly, will present with pale combs usually, or at least pale-ish...

And i have noticed, at least in my experience, that a broody goes a bit pale (obviously as its hard work) but the false broody (sitting on no eggs or infertile eggs) tends to be paler, than one that is hatching some chickies... but as i said, that is just my experience.

A hen will 'redden' up upon seeing a rooster and I also have this 'belief' that a hen laying fertile eggs has a redder comb than a hen laying infertiles... but it could be my imagination too so its not something i would ever call fact..

These are all caused by hormonal changes.


Temperature can also cause pale combs. In hot weather, the birds can go a bit pale, like we humans feeling a bit faint.


Stress too, causes pale combs.


Anemia is also another factor that brings about pale combs, but this is on the more extreme pale side, and they really don't look well... along with other things.


... anything too pale and i would suggest they are a little under the weather.

But a a gentle paling of the comb is normal enough.. i tend to think that 'pale comb season' is a good time to supplement their feed as they possibly need a bit of a boost. But moulting, off the lay birds will be paler than normal no matter what you put in their feed, as it is a very trying time on their bodies, so don't be concerned.


Hope that helps.

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