My Pekin Chicken Cockeral Crest Changing Colour....HELP.!!!!

[JeanGenie]

Hi all on both sides of the pond....

I have been keeping Pekin Chickens for a few months now, and even managed to hatch over 50 chicks this year in my first year. But my question is related to my Lavender Pekin Cockeral and why he is changing colour on his crest.

Reggie, is around 8 months old now and has been happily living with his 2 fave girls, who are also Lavender in colour, (Rare colours over here in UK). But over the past few weeks I have noticed that both he and his 2 girls crests, jowels and the like have gone from a clear red to what looks like a blonde/beige colour. A contact told me he is just preparing for the onset of a cold winter. They are developing a hard protective layer. This seems a weird answer, so I thought I would ask here.

He is being fed on Layers pellets and mash, corn and maize, plenty of veg, some potatoe, and bread. His water is fresh each day and I also add Apple Cider Vinegar to boot. He seems to jump around and move fairly normally and crows like Pavarotti. But the crest change has me stumped. He is let out and roams freely around the garden whilst I am outside, or should the need arise I have built a large pen/coop that I carry onto the grass and place him inside for safety from passing predators. His appetite his good.

Can anyone offer any advice as to what I am doing wrong. He really has me worried, mind you the same sort of colour change is happening to his 2 girls, as you can see behind him in the picture, but the other 2 in with him are black Pekin Chickens and their crest and jowels are still very red.

Do I need to give him and extra something, Vitamins maybe... I have no idea so please can anyone out there in this Foul World help.....

Thanks in advance...

JG

 

[cowboyfred_2006]

I've had this happen to me some in the past. The colors seem to get pale. They are missing something for sure, some sort of mineral or vitamin. This happened to me when I had my chickens running loose in the yard, where they could pick what they wanted, then I caged them up and they got pale. When I turned them back out again the colors got bright again. Something I did notice when I turned them out was how eager they were to eat some grass, at the time they seemed to want to eat it over feed. If you cant turn yours out, I'm sure there is something you can substitute.

 

[JeanGenie]

Hi Cowboy Fred

Thanks for being so prompt with a possible answer. They do get to roam freely as much as I can but where I live there is an abundance of cats around the neighbourhood, so I am wary of letting the out when I have to go indoors. I built a large run that is caged in so they can root and eat grass but as we have many chickens that are in seprate coops they have to share the freedom part.

I will go outside now and place them in that run and maybe they for a while can have first dibs on it. I have also added things like ACV and even garlic to the water but I am still wondering do they need an extra something in either the feed or water.

I do add a spice powder every couple of weeks to the feed to help with extra minerals and of course the malt for winter at present.....

But its a start and maybe you have the answer... so thank you...

Let you know if they inprove...

JG