My rooster has a light pink comb!

[Wyorp Rock]

My rooster has always had the reddest comb. Now it is light pink. He is also acting really mean to the hens but was a sweet guy, who shared his treats. He chases the hens around and wont let them eat. We thought we would give him a little to get better. But he has been like this for over a month. He is not molting has no mites either.

One died yesterday she had symptoms similar to mareks.

his crop seems to be working perfectly fine, it is always full. He has seemed to lose s lot of weight though he is only about 5 pounds, he was 8ish pounds. But he has been eating a lot.

Looking at his tail feathers are you sure he's not molting?
You may want to check him over for pin feathers coming in, but be gentle.

It can take a while to finish molt. I normally don't separate out hens, but I will a rooster if they are struggling. I noticed mine changed during molt and didn't want to share food or treats.
I gave mine soaked feed with a little buttermilk and added B-Complex 3-4 times a week. Give chick starter or an all flock feed for the rooster if possible during molt or add some protein like egg, meat or fish.

Sorry you lost a hen(?) recently. Was she new to the flock? Marek's might be a possibility if that was the cause, but I would be looking at molt and lice/mites. Mites generally are seen at night, so go out with a flashlight and inspect him then.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Looking at his tail feathers are you sure he's not molting?
You may want to check him over for pin feathers coming in, but be gentle.

It can take a while to finish molt. I normally don't separate out hens, but I will a rooster if they are struggling. I noticed mine changed during molt and didn't want to share food or treats.
I gave mine soaked feed with a little buttermilk and added B-Complex 3-4 times a week. Give chick starter or an all flock feed for the rooster if possible during molt or add some protein like egg, meat or fish.

Sorry you lost a hen(?) recently. Was she new to the flock? Marek's might be a possibility if that was the cause, but I would be looking at molt and lice/mites. Mites generally are seen at night, so go out with a flashlight and inspect him then.

Good eye! That tail does look like a molt is taking place. That certainly explains everything.

@Amber the Easter Egger
So many of us are dealing with molting birds, myself included. These two members that have replied are so knowledgeable and helpful. They know their stuff so I'd look for those pins. Is his tail usually more full and beautiful than it is in the first picture?

 

[Amber the Easter Egger]

Looking at his tail feathers are you sure he's not molting?
You may want to check him over for pin feathers coming in, but be gentle.

It can take a while to finish molt. I normally don't separate out hens, but I will a rooster if they are struggling. I noticed mine changed during molt and didn't want to share food or treats.
I gave mine soaked feed with a little buttermilk and added B-Complex 3-4 times a week. Give chick starter or an all flock feed for the rooster if possible during molt or add some protein like egg, meat or fish.

Sorry you lost a hen(?) recently. Was she new to the flock? Marek's might be a possibility if that was the cause, but I would be looking at molt and lice/mites. Mites generally are seen at night, so go out with a flashlight and inspect him then.

Her name was Amber she is my profile photo, she died the day she turned a year old. She was the first chicken that we had, so she wasn't new.

 

[Amber the Easter Egger]

Good eye! That tail does look like a molt is taking place. That certainly explains everything.

@Amber the Easter Egger
So many of us are dealing with molting birds, myself included. These two members that have replied are so knowledgeable and helpful. They know their stuff so I'd look for those pins. Is his tail usually more full and beautiful than it is in the first picture?

There is a photo of what he used to be like, and now. I checked for pin feathers but found none. He has been grabbing the hens combs and pulling them, flogging them as well.

 

[Amber the Easter Egger]

He does this all of the time, he tucks his head in. He also does not stand as proudly any more. He is a RIR buff orpington cross.

 

[azygous]

Have you checked under his feathers for pin feathers emerging in a tight pattern on the back of the neck and butt?

Molt explains all of his behavior as well as comb color. Chickens very often become quite irritable during molt. Their appetites falter, they lose weight, combs become flacid and floppy and pale and dry.

To confirm molt, reach in between his wing pit and breast and give the downy feathers a slight tug. If they come off in your hands, he's definitely molting.

 

[Amber the Easter Egger]

Your rooster is old enough for his first molt. Some roosters molt very discretely, and you may not be aware that he is changing his "outfit" in slow motion. It's normal for some chickens to lose a bit of weight during molt as it can dull the appetite. Also, hormones are squelched during molt and this affects the color of the comb and wattles, causing them to shrink, appear dry, and turn a pale pink.

If you suspect a chicken in your flock has died from Marek's, then it's possible this rooster is showing symptoms. Marek's is very contagious so all the flock would have been exposed if that hen had Marek's.

We had hens that weren't but 10 months old molting! We have also only been getting about 2 or 3 eggs a day. Instead of 8

 

[Amber the Easter Egger]

Have you checked under his feathers for pin feathers emerging in a tight pattern on the back of the neck and butt?

Molt explains all of his behavior as well as comb color. Chickens very often become quite irritable during molt. Their appetites falter, they lose weight, combs become flacid and floppy and pale and dry.

To confirm molt, reach in between his wing pit and breast and give the downy feathers a slight tug. If they come off in your hands, he's definitely molting.

Our hen that died, she was molting as well. But she would not eat, could not stand, and was weak in the eyes. Which could have been a number of things.

 

[azygous]

Is this rooster actually acting sick? Or is the sole concern a pale comb? I've sort of lost the thread here with the talk of a dead hen.

If he is behaving normally, maybe a bit crabby with the hens, and has a pale comb, if he's eating okay, then he's probably fine.

If he's behaving as if he's getting sick like the hen that died, then I suggest giving him an antibiotic. This will knock out any developing bacterial infection and if the roo gets sick in spite of the antibiotic, perhaps there's an avian virus in your flock and two chickens have become symptomatic. The next chicken that dies, save the body, refrigerate, and find a lab to do a necropsy.

 

[Amber the Easter Egger]

Is this rooster actually acting sick? Or is the sole concern a pale comb? I've sort of lost the thread here with the talk of a dead hen.

If he is behaving normally, maybe a bit crabby with the hens, and has a pale comb, if he's eating okay, then he's probably fine.

If he's behaving as if he's getting sick like the hen that died, then I suggest giving him an antibiotic. This will knock out any developing bacterial infection and if the roo gets sick in spite of the antibiotic, perhaps there's an avian virus in your flock and two chickens have become symptomatic. The next chicken that dies, save the body, refrigerate, and find a lab to do a necropsy.

We were going to send her but she was such a good chicken we wanted to give her a proper burial. He acted like this before she got sick. The main concern is not just the comb, he does not crow, protect the flock, or anything a rooster should do. He has been like this for two months. We are thinking about getting rid of him because he is so mean, and has no use. I really do love our chickens but he is awful. He does not show any symptoms like Amber did. I will take a picture of the suspected fowl pox in our coop tomorrow. In advance thank you so much for helping me, I really want him to get better. I am the type of person who tries to heal an animal, before I do anything else with it.