Pale combs and waddles ? Why

[karlamaria]

My buffs eat like crazy, poop well and are very healthy looking but they stopped laying. Month ago and I was wondering, do the waddles and combs gor fro bright red to pink when they are not laying? It's cold here so I assume that's why laying is not happening, also it's dark early and dark late still in the mornings. There by all accounts very healthy just seem to be pink in color . Any idea's ?

 

[RollinWithTheStones]

My girls went almost 2 full months without laying and their combs got a bit lighter when they weren't laying.

 

[duckinnut]

How old are they for starters? Generally after their first adult molt they take a brief to long hiatus from laying to recharge their batteries. Yes the hormones drop off causing their comb and wattles to change to pink and slowly return to red as the begin to lay again. Are you getting eggs at all? There are many factors that slow or stop egg production in winter, molt and lack of daylight leading the pack. Free rangers lose those nutrients achieved afield. You said they look and act normal other than laying eggs so its safe to say that's all it is. But have you checked for lice,internal parasites (did you deworm, if you didn't and they are not laying it might be a good time to do it), are they stressed and all the other reasons they might not be laying.

Molting is a funny thing,every bird handles it differently. I had some lay through molt,just not regularly, a few soft ones and some all out quit. Some resumed quicker than others as in one of my Barreds took nearly three months off and just started last week and been since November.

 

[karlamaria]

There just about 11 months, and yep they went through a very small molt. Lost some neck feathers and butt feathers. One buff went through a bit bigger molt, but she came out of it fine.ci made sure they got extra protein. Today we got an egg from a biff, her waddle are still pink, but she was laying an egg and I am thrilled. Out of five chickens today we got 3 eggs. It's getting darker now, maybe that has to do with something, and there finally done with the molt, just a few pin feathers still there. Looks like things are progressing! Yay! I looked for mites, lice etc, none, there in great shape, just a long winter here in Montana. Also got 2 workers but do not know how to use them one a horse wormer with ivermectin in it, and pig swig? Still trying to find answers. To this lol