Very pale combs in winter

[WellingtonCoop]

Hi all!
We have a tiny flock of just four Bielefelder hens. We're in Ontario, and the temperatures have been dropping to around -10 at night. Our girls are in a non-insulated, but wind-proof and dry coop with straw bedding. They get good quality layer feed, plus herbs, seeds and various fresh treats each day, along with clean water.

My question - are VERY pale combs normal in the wintertime? Our girls are so pale. Their combs have very little colour this winter, and they appear slightly dry and dusty. In the summer and fall, their combs were healthy and bright red. I'm curious if this could be an anemia/mites issue, or perhaps just a natural reaction to very cold weather. This is their second winter with us, and I don't recall this happening last year. I would love your advice!

Thank you so much

 

[allosaurusrock]

It’s pretty normal for them to slow down when it’s cold. It’s more important to see if their behavior changed. Are they lethargic? In that case you could be due for a deworming.
One this you can do to get their combs a little redder and more moisturized is to run petroleum jelly on their combs and wattles. I do this to my show birds and it works like a charm.