Pale pink combs

[jay873]

Maybe it's them adjusting to the heat you did say it's about to be summer so I don't think it's a molt. here when it's been cold for a while and we get a sudden warm day the combs got light just like yours because they are hot and used to it being cool outside

 

[Paul Martinello]

Thanks for responding

 

[rebrascora]

They really are beautiful birds.
Paling of the comb can be due to a number of things. Moulting (unlikely since you are in spring), going broody (possibly but unlikely that they would both go broody together), climate change or anaemia... the latter can be caused by internal or external parasites. Whilst both girls look very healthy apart from their combs not being as bright as they used to be, it might be worth having a faecal float test done to check for internal parasites and check the cracks and crevices of the coop for red mites... under and around ends of the roost bars are a favourite place. Warmer weather can trigger an infestation of red mites.

 

[Paul Martinello]

Thank you very much for responding. Would you recommend worming as a preventative treatment? Also, would I see red mites during the day? I recently sprayed the coop with a product called Coopex, twice, seven days apart. I’ll take another look today though.

Thanks again

 

[rebrascora]

I'm into only using medication when there is a need for it, so I now spend my money getting faecal samples tested rather than routinely worming. This applies to my horses and cats as well as my chickens. I worm much, much less frequently as a result. Wormers can upset the balance of the gut and also potentially cause resistance if they are over used, as well as damaging the environment, so I would rather get them tested to see if they need worming.
Here in the UK, there is a great mail order service where you buy a sampling kit which includes instructions, sample pot, addressed envelope with first class postage for the sample and a voucher for the testing of it and you often get next day results via email/text or phone call. Costs about £10. For hens you can send individual samples or a mixed flock sample.
There must be something similar where you are. It's far cheaper and easier than finding a vet to do it.

I'm not familiar with that product (Coopex). What is the active ingredient? Did you use it because you had an outbreak or "just in case". During the day, red mites hide and breed in the cracks and crevices of the coop and crawl along roost bars and onto the chickens at night to suck their blood. I use a soft dustpan brush to sweep the dust and debris from any likely areas onto the dustpan and then tip onto a piece of white paper. Fold the paper in two and crush the dust and debris in the paper, then open out. Any red spots of blood on the paper tell you there are mites.

 

[Paul Martinello]

Thank you so much for your detailed response, some very wise words. I used the Coopex on recommendation after discovering one of my girls had a bad mite infestation. I’ll attach some photos.

And whilst I have you, I’ll take the opportunity to ask another question that nobody else has been able to answer definitively. In the attachment you’ll see evidence of what I think are mite eggs at the base of the feather stalk. I treated all three birds with anti mite and lice dust, and the effected bird was treated twice. I now check her periodically and I can’t see any mites, but those white clumps remain on the base of the feather stalks, albeit slightly less bulky. Will these clumps dissipate naturally over time, or does that mean that she still infected? She’s picking and scratching a lot less, and seems generally pretty happy…

Thanks in advance,

Paul

 

[JeanR]

NO rooster doesn't affect becoming broody.

 

[Paul Martinello]

Yeah, I realize this. She seems a little bit crazy at the moment, in and out of the coop 10 times a day, whereas the other two come out in the morning and go in at night.

 

[rebrascora]

Oh Wow! I've never seen so many eggs at the base of a feather before, even in illustrations. Poor girls! I believe those are lice eggs. Lice are an irritant and they can stress the chickens but won't cause anaemia as they feed off skin and dander debris. It's red mites that suck blood and they live and breed in the coop, whereas lice li the chicken. Did you use the Coopex on the girls as well as the coop or something else on the hens and if so, what is the active ingredient in that? Some of those mite and lice dusts are just Diatomaceous Earth, which may not be effective enough for such a bad case. The permethrin in the Coopex will not kill the eggs which is why you have to retreat to catch the next generation once they have hatched. I've never had a significant problem with lice so I'm not sure if the egg casings remain stuck to the feather shaft after the eggs have hatched. The only time I have seen them is when a chicken is sick/dying from an illness and not well enough to dust bath, otherwise my birds manage to keep on top of the problem themselves...... do you have a dust bathing area for your girls? If they have access to a suitable dry dust bath they can usually prevent such parasites getting a foothold but once you get an infestation like that, you need to hit it with chemicals.
If there are just a few feathers like that, I would pluck them out and burn them. If the feather is plucked, it will regrow straightaway, but if it is broken, it will not be replaced until the bird moults.
I think I may need to do more research on the subject of lice and knits to be confident of a definite answer about those egg clusters but it is past bedtime here so it will be a job for another day I'm afraid. I will be interested in what others have to say in the meantime.

 

[Paul Martinello]

Thank you for responding in such detail. I always get mites and lice mixed up, so right you are, I meant to say lice eggs. I used Coopex on the coop and Pestene on the girls.

They have 10 m² of dirt to dust bath in, and I see them frequently bathing. Sometimes all at once, it’s quite a show!

Pretty much every feather shaft has eggs at the base, so it’s not really practical to pull them all out