cause for concern? no eggs, pale comb, but active

[kaneloc]

Hello,

New to chickens and new to the forum, excited for both. In November for 2019 I adopted 2 Bantam Cochins and were told they were 2 years old. They both laid 1 egg then quit, but I figured daylight savings and a molt that lasted until mid-January were to blame. Neither bird is laying, and one of them ( let's call her Bird A) has a pale and shriveled comb. Bird A's behavior is active, her feathers look healthy, she is not presenting obvious signs of illness, and from what I can tell her stool has been normal too. I've checked both birds and the coop for any mites and have found none. We live in California, so I don't think the weather is impacting them at all.

I have 4 birds total. 2 Easter Eggers (9 weeks) and 2 Bantam Cochins (2+ years). They are in coop/run all day and allowed to roam the yard for a minimum of 1 hour a day. They're getting along well enough, no fights, almost no pecking, plenty of access to food and water. Just started infusing water with garlic and ACV this week.

My first question is, should I be concerned about Bird A? Both chickens had vibrant red combs when I got them, but only Bird A's comb hasn't returned to this color. I don't care that she isn't laying, just want her to be healthy. I plan to do their first deworming treatment this month and would really appreciate suggestions on what to use.

My second questions is, at over 2 years of age what can I expect from these ladies egg production wise?

Thanks!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

2 Bantam Cochins and were told they were 2 years old. They both laid 1 egg then quit, but I figured daylight savings and a molt that lasted until mid-January were to blame. Neither bird is laying, and one of them ( let's call her Bird A) has a pale and shriveled comb.

Bird A's behavior is active, her feathers look healthy, she is not presenting obvious signs of illness, and from what I can tell her stool has been normal too.

My first question is, should I be concerned about Bird A? Both chickens had vibrant red combs when I got them, but only Bird A's comb hasn't returned to this color. I don't care that she isn't laying, just want her to be healthy. I plan to do their first deworming treatment this month and would really appreciate suggestions on what to use.

My second questions is, at over 2 years of age what can I expect from these ladies egg production wise?

Welcome To BYC!

Can you post some photos of her and her poop?
What do you feed, including treats?

She was in molt until mid-January? When you recently looked her over for lice/mites, did you happen to notice if she still had any pin feathers coming in?
Some birds seem to take forever molting. Their combs would generally be pale when they are not in lay. As the days lengthen she may come back into lay-she would pink up then too.
As for how many eggs to expect? Every hen is unique. I've never had Cochins, but my understanding is they are not a production breed, so they don't lay a lot of eggs per year compared to say a Leghorn. The older some birds get, the less they lay. So it's really hard to know how many she will lay - that's something you will have to wait and see.

For deworming - ideally it's best to get a fecal float, but sometimes it's hard to find a vet willing to do one. If it's not possible, then you can use Fenbendazole (Safeguard) or Valbazen to worm your flock. Both will take care of most worms that chickens have.

Dosage for Fenbendazole is 0.23ml per pound of weight, given orally for 5 days in a row.

Dosage for Valbazen is 0.08ml per pound of weight, given orally once, then repeat in 10 days.

 

[kaneloc]

Welcome To BYC!

Can you post some photos of her and her poop?
What do you feed, including treats?

She was in molt until mid-January? When you recently looked her over for lice/mites, did you happen to notice if she still had any pin feathers coming in?
Some birds seem to take forever molting. Their combs would generally be pale when they are not in lay. As the days lengthen she may come back into lay-she would pink up then too.
As for how many eggs to expect? Every hen is unique. I've never had Cochins, but my understanding is they are not a production breed, so they don't lay a lot of eggs per year compared to say a Leghorn. The older some birds get, the less they lay. So it's really hard to know how many she will lay - that's something you will have to wait and see.

For deworming - ideally it's best to get a fecal float, but sometimes it's hard to find a vet willing to do one. If it's not possible, then you can use Fenbendazole (Safeguard) or Valbazen to worm your flock. Both will take care of most worms that chickens have.

Dosage for Fenbendazole is 0.23ml per pound of weight, given orally for 5 days in a row.

Dosage for Valbazen is 0.08ml per pound of weight, given orally once, then repeat in 10 days.

Hey thanks for the quick response! Comb seemed a bit less pale today, but definitely not what it was.

See photos:

[current color.jpeg]

and

[old color.jpeg].

This is the longest I've been around chickens, so I don't know if this range is normal through winter/molt.

No pin feathers; checked her today.

I feed them Purina Premium Layena Crumbles [https://www.purinamills.com/chicken-feed/products/detail/purina-layena-crumbles].

Treats have been one handful of mealworms a day. Not recently but they've also gotten wheatgrass maybe 10x, apple 3x, cucumber 1x, tomato 1x. They really don't like anything but mealworms and foraging.

Google suggests Valbazen always be given after a round worm dewormer. Any opinion on this? I'd rather only buy one if I can get away with it.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hey thanks for the quick response! Comb seemed a bit less pale today, but definitely not what it was.

See photos:View attachment 2025053
[current color.jpeg]

and

View attachment 2025054
[old color.jpeg].

This is the longest I've been around chickens, so I don't know if this range is normal through winter/molt.

No pin feathers; checked her today.

I feed them Purina Premium Layena Crumbles [https://www.purinamills.com/chicken-feed/products/detail/purina-layena-crumbles].

Treats have been one handful of mealworms a day. Not recently but they've also gotten wheatgrass maybe 10x, apple 3x, cucumber 1x, tomato 1x. They really don't like anything but mealworms and foraging.

Google suggests Valbazen always be given after a round worm dewormer. Any opinion on this? I'd rather only buy one if I can get away with it.

If you don't mind, can you give some links to the info you are finding that says that about Valbazen?
Some info that is found seems to be quite old/dated.

Valbazen does treat roundworms, so you do not need to treat for roundworms before using Valbazen.

Isn't she just lovely! If she's eating/drinking/active, then I think she's just not come back into lay yet. She should redden up when the times comes.

 

[micstrachan]

If you don't mind, can you give some links to the info you are finding that says that about Valbazen?
Some info that is found seems to be quite old/dated.

Valbazen does treat roundworms, so you do not need to treat for roundworms before using Valbazen.

Isn't she just lovely! If she's eating/drinking/active, then I think she's just not come back into lay yet. She should redden up when the times comes.

I actually think I’ve read that, too, but don’t recall where. I think the rationale was not to overload the intestines with all the dead worms all at once. Could still be outdated.

 

[kaneloc]

If you don't mind, can you give some links to the info you are finding that says that about Valbazen?
Some info that is found seems to be quite old/dated.

Valbazen does treat roundworms, so you do not need to treat for roundworms before using Valbazen.

Isn't she just lovely! If she's eating/drinking/active, then I think she's just not come back into lay yet. She should redden up when the times comes.

Good to know they can range like that. Thank you for the peace of mind. Yes, she is acting the same as always!

See links => [https://sorrychicken.com/valbazen-for-chickens] and [https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/worming-with-valbazen.401475/]

Valbazen looks/sounds like the product to use. Unfortunately, AGRIS only has research for its efficacy on goats/sheep/cows/horses and nothing about using on poultry or in conjuction with another dewormer, but I think there are more good anecdotes to be found than bad ones.

 

[casportpony]

Google suggests Valbazen always be given after a round worm dewormer. Any opinion on this? I'd rather only buy one if I can get away with it.

Google is wrong. Seriously, just get the Valbazen and use it.I
"Albendazole is used to treat infections caused by worms. It works by keeping the worm from absorbing sugar (glucose), so that the worm loses energy and dies."

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thanks for the links! I'll check them out.
Nope, most all anthelmintics have not been studied in poultry, nor are they FDA approved for use in poultry. It's best to do your research.

The only one I know that is FDA approved is Aquasol which is Fenbendazole https://animaldrugsatfda.fda.gov/adafda/app/search/public/document/downloadFoi/3083

Here's a link where you can purchase it. Personally, I just use Valbazen or Safeguard liquid goat wormer.
https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=40d6322b-a735-4afa-80cd-8e983bc7274d

 

[MissLavender]

I just did a round of Valbazen on my flock. I had some pretty raggedy looking hens who just wouldn't molt, and then finally figured out what was going on when one of them pooped live tapeworm segments. O.O I. Was. FREAKED! I immediately started Valbazen treatment and the hen in question started a hard molt within a week. I kept her inside on a high calorie diet for the next 2 weeks while her feathers grew in, and now she's healthy, fat and sassy with shiny, deep red feathers! Valbazen REALLY WORKS and kills just about every internal parasite chickens can get.

 

[hayley3]

Hey thanks for the quick response! Comb seemed a bit less pale today, but definitely not what it was.

See photos:View attachment 2025053
[current color.jpeg]

and

View attachment 2025054
[old color.jpeg].

This is the longest I've been around chickens, so I don't know if this range is normal through winter/molt.

No pin feathers; checked her today.

I feed them Purina Premium Layena Crumbles [https://www.purinamills.com/chicken-feed/products/detail/purina-layena-crumbles].

Treats have been one handful of mealworms a day. Not recently but they've also gotten wheatgrass maybe 10x, apple 3x, cucumber 1x, tomato 1x. They really don't like anything but mealworms and foraging.

Google suggests Valbazen always be given after a round worm dewormer. Any opinion on this? I'd rather only buy one if I can get away with it.

Beautiful chicken...she looks sorta like a Buff Orpington!
My chickens started molting late November...it was shocking since it turned so cold and they were naked!