mother hen with pale, deflated-looking comb...what does it mean?

[mudpaw]

I have a hen raising some hatching eggs for me (they hatched about a week ago) and I noticed her comb is not it's normal nice, plump red any more. It's color is all washed out and it looks like it's deflated sort of. Is it something to do with the fact that she isn't laying eggs and is spending so much time tending the chicks? She is eating the medicated chick feed...I didn't want to try and give her the layer crumbles and chance the babies getting into it. So, is this normal or a sign that something is wrong. Oh, and she is only about 9 months old.

 

[Tala]

Their combs DO shrivvel up and lose their color when the hen isn't laying.

Being broody is hard on the hen's body, maybe it's a sign of that as well.

Perhaps someone with broody experience can tell you if you need to do anything special, but I would think chick starter is very healthy and will get her back on her feet as fast as could be expected.

 

[sourland]

Combs will shrink while a hen is brooding and raising chicks. I'm concerned that she might be full of mites. That would cause the paleness through blood loss. Check her nesting area and see if it is full of mites. If so, treat her for mites.

 

[SmartyChick]

I remember when our momma was raising babies and her comb was also pale some days. She was fine. It was just for a while. I also did not give her babies medicated feed and they all did just fine. She raised them herself and did a fine job I might add. She will most likely get her color back any time now. Hope all will be well!

 

[mudpaw]

hmm...checked her over, and the bedding as well, no mites that I can see. I'm going to giver her some extra treats and maybe some yogurt and see if that gets her back to 100%. She's not really acting any different, so I'm assuming she feels fine and that's it's just that she's being a good mother hen

. I am amazed at how fast her chicks are growing...they are leaps and bounds ahead of where they would be if they were in a brooder (I had to pull one chick with a splayed leg and it's tiny in comparison now). Thanks everyone!