Her comb isn't bright red!

[Chris623]

I tried to do a search on this, but I never know what to ask the search engine to get an answer. So here goes.

One of my hens has a comb that's not bright red.............like all the others. It's more a pale pink. She's not a real active participant in the flock and prefers to be the one on a nest most all day keeping the largest pile of eggs warm. (got her fooled, though, because non of the eggs are fertile!) If I take her off the nest when I throw out vegetable scraps, she'll run like everyone else for her share, so she's not lethargic. But if I pick her up off a next and put her on the ground with other hens, they all peck at her comb. This is my first year with chickens, so I don't really know what might be wrong, or what I should do. Is she not healthy, or is her comb just not as pretty as the others?

 

[nuts4chickens]

Could she be broody? If she's gone broody it is normal for her comb to turn less red because she wont lay while setting.

 

[Chris623]

I wouldn't know what "broody" is. I know she won't get off the eggs very often...........only to eat or drink what she has to. If that's "broody", then I guess she is. She's been this way for about 3 weeks now.

 

[babyblue]

broody means she wants to sit on eggs and hatch babies out. I have two broody hens I need to break and the other hens are down right nasty to them.

 

[Chris623]

Okay, so if all she want's to do is sit on eggs, she must be broody. But how would one go about "breaking" her of it as you say you need to do?

 

[Whitehouse Quail]

Quote:
Throw her out of the nesting box and remove the eggs, put ice under her instead. They don't like the cold and wetness!

 

[jjparke]

You've got to shew her out of the nest every time you see her on it. The comb doesn't sound like a problem to me. If it turns deep red or purple then you have a problem. This is usually a sign of severe dehydration or respiratory issues.