White Earlobes

[Jspartans26]

A couple of my chickens have white earlobes, does anybody know why this is? They’re about 6 months old, I’m wondering if it could be calcium related.

 

[RUNuts]

Leghorns have white earlobes. Think she is part leghorn?

 

[FuzzyCritters]

Some breeds just have white earlobes (almost all breeds that lay white eggs do). Looks like your pullet is a Blue Andalusian.

 

[sjango]

Comparatively speaking they could be whiter. Some breeds have really white earlobes. That seems more like some slight lack of pigmentation than a white earlobe? This is certainly not my specialty though.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I’m wondering if it could be calcium related.

No, it is pigment related. Chickens with red earlobes have a thin clear membrane. The red is blood you are seeing underneath. Chickens with white earlobes do not have a clear membrane there, it has white pigment in it so you cannot see the red blood. Some chickens have more white pigment than others.

Some breeds are bred to have white earlobes, some are bred to have red. That is controlled by genetics. Once you mix breeds it is still controlled by genetics but about anything can show up. It has nothing to do with egg shell color or feather color.

 

[sjango]

I suppose it might have something to do with calcium. To quote another user replying to a similar topic posted in 2010,

"I do think [earlobes turning white] has something to do with egglaying. I have a friend who had 2 Production Reds and their earlobs were almost completely "white" with just bit of red around the edges. They laid a jumbo egg everyday, so maybe that's why it's much more prevalent in their case." (Quote from jeremy)

In this case they are linking laying a lot of eggs with earlobes turning white. Could also be some other nutrient deficiency. Of course it could also be something genetic.

[I was referencing this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/red-ear-lobes-turning-white.372379/ ]

 

[sjango]

Of course that would only pertain if you know if the earlobes were red at one point.
If they've always been that color there's nothing to worry about I would think.

 

[Jspartans26]

She’s a blue rock hybrid. I’m not for sure on the other chicken, but this one’s earlobes used to be red.

 

[Jspartans26]

when chickens are stressed the red on their faces, such as wattles combs and earlobes will turn a lighter color, they could be molting or under extreme heat or cold

Could this be temperature related also? The temp has been below freezing for the past few days.

 

[sjango]

I would say temperature could certainly be the reason. Bring in the cold puts stress on the body, as does laying a lot of large eggs.
Earlobes changing color seems to be stress related. If this is true, she should be fine, especially once she is older and better able to deal with the cold. More body weight helps!