2 sisters,peg bright red comb,avea smaller and pinkish why?

[overeeezy]

our 2 hens peggy and avea are 8 months old,aveas comb matured earlier but now she is smaller and her combs is a pale pink and small compared to peggy whos is bigger and bright red any clues thanks mike from new fairfeild ct

 

[Debbi]

Are you sure Peggy is a girl? Pics would help. What breed are they? Any crowing or egg laying going on?

 

[overeeezy]

YES Peggy is a girl she lays eggs. aveas comb was huge and bright but now not. thanks for response

 

[overeeezy]

and dont know breed yet still workin on that ,will post picts

 

[theoldchick]

Some chickens due to genetics will have smaller comb and wattles.









This hen's smaller wattles and comb indicate she's not laying. Note she otherwise still has a nice pink color.





The pale color in this hen's face, comb and wattles indicate there is a serious problem going on.





While this lovely young lady is the picture of health.






Hope this helps.

 

[overeeezy]

thanks for pics .unfortunately her face and combs seem pale,i will check her out in the morn. 2 nite i will research what i can do for her!

 

[Debbi]

Have you wormed them? Worms or external parasites like mites will make the combs lighter in color too. For the first round of worming, try some Wazine-17. You put it in their water first thing in the morning when you let them out of the coop. Two weeks later, you should do it again. You will have to not eat the eggs for about 2 weeks after the wormings. I worm twice a year, once in the early spring, and in the fall. The second round of worming, I use a product called Eprinex. It will kill internal and external parasites. You apply it one drop at a time under each wing, on the skin, and also on the back of the neck on the skin. Check the threads on here for worming and other veterinary needs. You can buy both of these products locally from livestock centers, like Orschlen's or such. The Eprinex is marketed for cattle, and is a pour-on type of wormer. Do a search on BYC for more info.

 

[theoldchick]

There are several reasons why a chicken lose color. Virus, bacteria, or parasites are a few things that can cause loss of color. Occasionally heat stress will cause a loss of color. My hen was pale due to heavy metal poisoning which caused anemia. She survived the first treatment, but I elected not to treat her the second time. Good luck with your hen.