My chicken's skin in turning yellow -- help

[pansarra]

I have an chicken who is four years old. She is one of the family pets. Last year she had a very bad molt and never grew her feathers in well. This winter her new feathers are growning in well, but her skin is bright yellow. Also her face and feet are becoming very yellow. She does not have any sort of respiratory distress or parasites. She just seems unhappy and listless. Please help.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I sure don't have a clue but will give you a bump. you can check for mites and lice by turning her over and looking closely at her vent area.

 

[viktoriacl]

Humans skin turns yellow with liver failure. Not sure about chickens though.

 

[CMV]

Chickens turn more yellow as they stop laying eggs. It is the normal pigmentation of their skin. As they lay eggs the pigments are removed from the skin in a specific order (I can't remember the order in which it happens) to give color to the yolks of the eggs. When a hen stops laying the pigmentation returns to the bleached areas in the same order that is was leached out. If your girl is not laying regularly then she will be much more pigmented than a hen that is currently laying. I will try to find the write-up on this topic and post it for you. BRB.
Edited to add- I can't figure out how to display a PDF on BYC. I clipped the pertinent section from the PDF I have and am reprinting it here.
"As a pullet grows, yellow pigment is deposited in the skin, beak, shanks and feet. Once the pullet starts laying eggs, the pigment is then removed from the pigmented areas to provide the yellow color in egg yolks.
The pigment is removed from the different parts of the body in a definite order - from the vent, eye ring, ear lobe, beak (corner of the mouth toward the tip), bottom of the foot, the shank (front, back and sides) and finally the hock and top of toes.
Once a hen stops laying eggs, pigment is regained to the skin in the same order in which it was bleached."

Could this be the reason for the yellow coloring?

 

[Ladybug922]

I have a young pullet that is currently VERY yellow and this thread came up when I started researching it. CMV - is there any chance you could post a link to where you got this information about pigmentation please. It sounds possible in my situation, but I would like to know more before I decide what to do, if anything. Thank you!

 

[micstrachan]

Chickens turn more yellow as they stop laying eggs.  It is the normal pigmentation of their skin.  As they lay eggs the pigments are removed from the skin in a specific order (I can't remember the order in which it happens) to give color to the yolks of the eggs.  When a hen stops laying the pigmentation returns to the bleached areas in the same order that is was leached out.  If your girl is not laying regularly then she will be much more pigmented than a hen that is currently laying.  I will try to find the write-up on this topic and post it for you.  BRB.

Edited to add- I can't figure out how to display a PDF on BYC.  I clipped the pertinent section from the PDF I have and am reprinting it here.

"As a pullet grows, yellow pigment is deposited in the skin, beak, shanks and feet. Once the pullet starts laying eggs, the pigment is then removed from the pigmented areas to provide the yellow color in egg yolks.

The pigment is removed from the different parts of the body in a definite order - from the vent, eye ring, ear lobe, beak (corner of the mouth toward the tip), bottom of the foot, the shank (front, back and sides) and finally the hock and top of toes.

Once a hen stops laying eggs, pigment is regained to the skin in the same order in which it was bleached."


Could this be the reason for the yellow coloring?

I am relieved to read this. My first-year brown leghorn stopped laying for the season a couple weeks ago. She is just starting to molt, and her earlobes, which were bright white, are starting to yellow. Glad to hear this is normal when they stop laying. She looks healthy and her behavior is normal, but she's more high strung than my other girls. I'm thinking it's just the Leghorn "flighty" trait starting to come out. She does still enjoy a cuddle inmy lap before they go to bed.

 

[Thora Bird]

I have a young pullet that is currently VERY yellow and this thread came up when I started researching it. CMV - is there any chance you could post a link to where you got this information about pigmentation please. It sounds possible in my situation, but I would like to know more before I decide what to do, if anything. Thank you!

 

[Thora Bird]

I’m really glad to hear this. I’ve only had rescues and how have an 18wk old and her yellowing was worrying me - she seems healthy otherwise.

 

[bmaw]

Chickens turn more yellow as they stop laying eggs. It is the normal pigmentation of their skin. As they lay eggs the pigments are removed from the skin in a specific order (I can't remember the order in which it happens) to give color to the yolks of the eggs. When a hen stops laying the pigmentation returns to the bleached areas in the same order that is was leached out. If your girl is not laying regularly then she will be much more pigmented than a hen that is currently laying. I will try to find the write-up on this topic and post it for you. BRB.
Edited to add- I can't figure out how to display a PDF on BYC. I clipped the pertinent section from the PDF I have and am reprinting it here.
"As a pullet grows, yellow pigment is deposited in the skin, beak, shanks and feet. Once the pullet starts laying eggs, the pigment is then removed from the pigmented areas to provide the yellow color in egg yolks.
The pigment is removed from the different parts of the body in a definite order - from the vent, eye ring, ear lobe, beak (corner of the mouth toward the tip), bottom of the foot, the shank (front, back and sides) and finally the hock and top of toes.
Once a hen stops laying eggs, pigment is regained to the skin in the same order in which it was bleached."

Could this be the reason for the yellow coloring?

Intersting…I have a 1.5 yo who’s been laying fairy eggs, double soft shell eggs, small deformed eggs, yolkless eggs…she was mopey, not eating much, etc. She laid her last deformed egg a week ago, same day I started Bactrim. Dayes later she was back to her old happy self excpet her eye rings, ears, beak and legs are tinted yellow. Not laying. But for a chicken to stop laying this young, she must have a tumor or something wrong, right?