Some comb shrinkage normal during egglaying off season...right?

[DianeB]

I noticed that the one purebreed hen's comb has shrunk a little. She has stopped laying eggs for about a month. Still, healthy in every other way. I assume that it will fill out again when she returns to lay in the Spring.

 

[silkiechicken]

Combs are often fuller when they are actively laying. During moult or the off season, when hormone levels are lower, their combs can "shrink" a bit.

 

[DianeB]

Thank You

Just wanted to double check.

 

[catdaddyfro]

Yes it normal, if you notice during this time the hens kinda go into a semi-trance like stage. sorta like a broody hen sort goes into an outof it trance.

This is an energy conservation mode all the energy that she would use moving about scratching and carrying on is directed more towards making feathers. They are pure protien so it takes alot of energy to replace them.

So the shrinking comb makes them look as if they are sick but they aren't just kind of hibernating a bit.

Also if you'll notice if you have roos with them even the other hens won't mess with them much either and you see them kinda off by themselves. Maybe the comb color is an indicator for this also?

catdaddy We got new Dellies today
brand new!

 

[DianeB]

Oh, she is acting normal and is not broody at all. She still runs around with the other hens, eats, drink and so on. Her poop is normal and doesn't have worms or mites. She is losing more feathers than the others and stopped laying while the others just slowed down. This hen is a NH red and the other two are hybrids.

So, if I give her more protein, it will help. I have been giving them yogurt and they always dig up worms.

Thank You

 

[speckledhen]

Molt has been hard on some of my girls, even with the extra protein I give them. One in particular is about 2/3 the body weight she was before her molt and her comb has shrunken to half its size now. She moves slowly like she's tired. I see this quite often, but more on some than others.

 

[DianeB]

Quote:
Is there a supplement that I can give her to make a little easier on her. I know that they have some for parrots. She already gets yogurt everyday and ACV and garlic in her water.

This is her first year. So, it is not a hard molt.

 

[speckledhen]

You could get some of those cheap plain fish fillets in the frozen section of the grocery store and microwave one for her. They love fish. I feed some of my breeders canned salmon and mackerel. Good, high quality protein.

 

[DianeB]

How often and how much fish? I just bought some canned mackerel. They seem to like it. So does my fat terrier

She already pollished off a plate I gave to the chickens.

 

[gsim]

Saw the part about worms and I recall that earthworms have nematodes (parasites) within them that can infest chickens and make them sick. I was going to make a kind of bio pod for the pen and grow crickets and nightcrawlers, but have since decided to do only crickets for that reason.

Put food-grade diatomaceous earth in her food, and if she has nematodes, they are likely to die and be passed out.