Yellow earlobe and oranging waddle on my Ancona hen

[Molnut]

Hello all,
I have about 20 Ancona hens. Most are doing well, but a few are developing a yellow pigmentation on their earlobes and their legs. Their comb, usually bright red is taking a shade of orange.
They're doesn't seem to be a change in behavior so far (ie feeding, activity, socialization).
I have noticed a sizeable drop in egg production though.
They are 1 year old. Any ideas?
Thanks

 

[Eggcessive]

It is strange, but I had two ancona hens, and they would get yellow earlobes for a few months every year. Then after their molt each year, they would go white again. So I think it is normal, and wouldn’t worry. Are your hens quite vocal? One of mine would squawk and run around the coop every morning to keep everyone on their toes.

The combs may be pale or orange due to not laying during the short amount of daylight in winter. Some people like me, have a small lightbulb on a timer for a couple of hours in early morning to provide 12 hours of light to keep them laying. Some prefer to give them a rest in winter.

 

[Molnut]

Hello Eggcessive, this is quite a fitting name for most of us ....lol.
Since I have quite a few, I get all kinds of tempers. I have some shy ones who know they get little extra treats/food, away from the big flock and are keen at getting it. Some VERY talkative, sounding sometimes rather indignant too!
As a whole, they are very sweet and, as long as you move slowly, quite curious and friendly.
Now it's another story when DH comes along and they run for their lives!
I have kept the light (and the heat lamps and sometimes the radiator) on this winter for a 13 hr day. They were laying well, then seemed to slow down by 50% over the past 3 weeks or so.
It seems that I also have a parasite issue, which I am treating organically for now.
So when I saw the yellowing, my first thought was "what now?".
Thanks for the reassurance. I'll keep an eye on it, but won't panic .... yet!

 

[Velociraptor UK]

Yellowing of the lobes is perfectly normal, you’ll tend to find it happens when excessively fed on corn.