Pale Comb, Feet and beak???

[cmedeiros17]

Hello, Not sure I am posting this in the correct forum.........but thought it was the closest match!

I have an approximate 10-11 week old White Leghorn that I noticed is much paler in comparison to the other two. I only noticed this recently...........but her legs/feet, beak, comb and general facial area are all much lighter than my other two white leg horns. I was getting nervous that something was wrong medically - but she is eating fine and gets along fine. No other obvious change. Just the color difference. At first I thought she was just dirty from her dust bath.............but its apparent that is not the case. I will try to post a picture.....it almost looks like she is covered in chalk. Her eyes are the same color as the other two. (I almost thought maybe she was albino....)

Any ideas? Should I be concerned? I am keeping a close eye on her of course!!! I am new to chickens and am a nervous mommy!

Thanks in advance for any comments/advice!

 

[cmedeiros17]

Ok here are some pics:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/cat_woman0417/Leghorn.jpg

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/cat_woman0417/leghorncloseup.jpg

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j25/cat_woman0417/twoleghorns.jpg
(she is on the left in this pic......but see how much brighter the other ones legs are?)

 

[my sunwolf]

I'm no expert so this is just a guess... but it seems like she might just be a slow developer. (Hens' combs, wattles, and faces often darken (usually to red) right before they start to lay, so maybe she just isn't there yet?) I know that I have one sick hen who has paler features than the others, as well as a healthy hen who's paler than the others. Having pale features doesn't automatically point to one particular illness, or to illness at all. As long as she's eating/drinking and acting healthy, I wouldn't worry! But please keep us updated

 

[FlyHigher]

How does her poop look like? Bloddy? Normal?

 

[jhfamily5]

Hi there! I have a white leghorn who is a couple weeks older than yours and is colored exactly the same and is otherwise the picture of health. I was concerned too, however after seeing your pic I am thinking this is probably completely normal. Surely if they were sick they would have other symptoms. Crossing my fingers

 

[Rhoise]

My pullets are about 14 and 15 weeks now..... at 10-11 weeks some were getting pinker and redder and others were not. The Golden sex links seem to mature much faster than the RIR or Barred Rocks too..... I was worried like you, wondering if they were sick or not getting something in their diet but....now they are all getting redder by the day, some more than others, so if she's otherwise acting normal it's a difference in maturity thing most likely

 

[cmedeiros17]

Poop is normal definitely no blood or anything abnormal.

So maybe she is just a slow bloomer. I will keep an eye on her but feel a bit better now.

 

[FlyHigher]

Poop is normal definitely no blood or anything abnormal.
So maybe she is just a slow bloomer. I will keep an eye on her but feel a bit better now.

Have you checked internal parasites, like gapeworm, roundworms, etc?

 

[cmedeiros17]

I did take a good look at the poo to be sure I didnt' see anything in it.......is there another way to check??

 

[leadwolf1]

You can take a stool sample into your vet and they will be able to tell you if it is worms. Gapeworm is not very common and your birds are pretty young for any type of parasite to have caused problems. If you want to be sure, have a sample checked by your vet.