Why is My Chickens Comb Pale? Hen’s Health Know How Jenny Graham, January 15, 2024January 15, 2024 Chicken owners are often asking, why is my chickens comb pale? While there are many chicken ailments that can cause your chicken’s comb to be pale, taking a close look at your chicken’s health will help you decide on the underlying cause and best treatment options. Why is My Chickens Comb Pale? Often times you may find that young chickens that have not reached sexual maturity have a pale comb. If your chicken is healthy, once it reaches sexual maturity, your chickens comb should be a vibrant red comb that is firm and rubbery. Molting Could Be the Cause of Your Chicken’s Pale Comb When molting season comes around, not only will your hens stop laying and shed feathers, they may also have a paler comb. Chickens spend all of their energy into growing new feathers during a molt. You’ll often find that a chicken in molt has a pale comb. Do You Have a Broody Girl? If so, you may find that she has a floppy, pale comb. When hens go broody, they are serious about hatching out those chicks. They skip eating and foraging giving you pale, floppy combs. A Pale Comb During Egg Production Season If you have an otherwise healthy hen with a pale comb during egg production season, it could just be that she’s putting most of her energy into laying eggs. It’s pretty common for high egg producers to have a paler comb during peak season. Old Age Can Be the Cause of a Pale Comb If you have an older chicken that’s not looking her best with a paler comb, it could just be caused from old age. Let’s face it, some of us don’t age as gracefully as others. Why Is My Chickens Comb Pale? Are They Sick? While a chicken’s comb can be pale due to the season they are in, chicken combs can be an indicator of health issues. Let’s take a look at some health issues that cause chicken combs to be pale. Is Your Chicken’s Pale Comb From External Parasites A chicken’s comb is an indicator of health. A comb turning white or a pale comb and wattle can be an indicator of external parasites, like red mites. External parasites are common amongst chickens. Internal Parasites Can Cause A Pale Comb Just as external parasites are common and cause a pale comb, internal parasites could also be the problem. If so, your chickens may also have a ruffled, puffed up look to them, diarrhea, and a pale comb. Viral Diseases or Respiratory Problems Other common illnesses that can cause a pale comb are respiratory virus and diseases. If your chicken has foamy, watery eyes, swelling of the head, and labored breathing along with a pale comb, a respiratory condition could be the culprit. Hot Weather, Heat Stress, & Heat Exhaustion A chicken suffering from heat exhaustion will beholding her wings out from her body, panting heavily, and will often have a floppy, pale comb. Chickens suffering from heat exhaustion need to be cooled quickly, as it can kill them. High body heat and heat stress can cause a pale comb. Why Is My Chickens Comb Pale & Nutritional Deficiencies Chickens that are suffering from nutritional deficiencies often become anemic. As anemia develops, the comb becomes a waxy, pale, white color. They will also have pale mucus membranes. A pale comb can also be an indicator of poor circulation, which can be caused by nutritional deficiencies. A high quality feed along with chicken grit will keep your flock healthy. Stressed Chickens May Have a Pale Comb Chickens can become stressed for many reasons. Stress can be from being too hot, too many chickens in a crowded coop, not enough nesting boxes, illness, injury, and predators. Stress reduces feed intake and growth, and impairs immune response. This makes chickens more likely to be sick and have a pale comb. Why Is My Chickens Comb Pale & Dehydration Dehydration will cause a pale comb, lethargy, diarrhea, and weight loss. If it is in the hot summer months, dehydration will look a lot like heat exhaustion. A good chicken waterer will help keep your flock hydrated. It is also common for broody hens to be dehydrated. What Are Chicken Combs & Why Is My Chickens Comb Pale? Your chicken’s comb is the red, fleshy growth on the top of a chicken. You can monitor the health of your chicken and its egg production status buy the color of their comb. What Can My Chicken’s Comb Color Tell Me? Keeping an eye on the color of your chicken’s comb is a good way to monitor their medical condition. Now that we’ve answered the question, why is my chickens comb pale, lets take a look at what some other comb colors mean. Vibrant Red Comb The vibrant red comb is what you want to go for. A chicken’s comb should be firm, rubbery, and a nice vibrant red. A healthy comb is an indicator of good health. Pale Pink and Shrunken Comb A pale pink and shrunken comb is often a sign that your chicken is in molt or is not laying eggs yet. It is not usually an indicator of illness unless it’s accompanied by swelling or any other symptoms. Dry and Flat Comb A dry and flat comb is often a sign of dehydration. It can also be an indicator of nutritional deficiencies. Purple-Colored Comb A purple-colored comb can indicate a problem with the heart, lungs or liver of the bird. It can often mean that there is a problem with the respiratory system, poor circulation, or a lack of oxygen in the blood. A purple-colored comb can also be an indicator of Fowl Cholera, a bacterial infection, along with diarrhea, coughing, oral discharge, loss of appetite, lameness, and death. Blue Comb A blue comb is a sign that there is a circulation issue or an issue in the lungs. The blue comb comes from the blood not being oxygenated properly. A blue comb can be an indicator that the chicken may not survive much longer. Bright Red A bright red comb is common if your chicken has a high body temperature or fever. This can be somewhat confusing with the vibrant red comb of a healthy chicken. Looking to see if there are other symptoms present will help sort it out. Yellow Spots on Comb According to Poultry DVM, Epidermoid cysts can occur on a chicken’s comb. They appear as several firm, yellow, keratinized masses measuring 4-15 mm in diameter. They may be accompanied by infection with Aspergillus fumigatus and Alternaria Favus. Favus is the avian term for ringworm. Brown or Black Spots A chicken with brown or black spots on their comb most likely has fowl pox. These spots, which turn into scabs are usually on their comb, wattles, ears , and eyes. While there is no treatment for fowl pox, there are some natural remedies for fowl pox you can use as it runs its course. White Spots on Comb White Spots on your chicken’s comb can be caused by a fungal infection, Candida albicans. This will cause crusty white circular patches or lighter white areas on the comb. Some birds may have scabs within lesions. A White Comb When your chicken has a white comb, they may have internal bleeding, anemia or a heavy parasite infestation. The white means the blood flow has stopped going to the comb. It is often a sign of impending death. Black Comb Chickens with a black comb in the winter months are likely to be suffering from frostbite. The black parts of the comb will shrivel up and drop off. Your chicken may also have black spots on their comb if the pecking order is still being worked out within your flock. Why Do Chickens Have Combs & Why is My Chickens Comb Pale? The main function of a chicken’s comb is to help keep it cool. The circulation of blood through the comb keeps them cool. It is also for display and a sign of sexual maturity. Do All Chickens Have Combs? Yes, all chickens have combs. There are several different types of combs. Comb type can vary by chicken breeds. Single Comb- The most common comb is a single, smooth, soft comb beginning at beak going to the back of the chicken’s head, with around 6 ridges. Pea Combs- This low, medium sized comb has 3 ridges from the top of the beak to the top of the chicken’s head. A slightly raised center ridge. Buttercup- A buttercup comb is a very short single comb down the center with two larger combs on the side. Rose Combs- Rose combs are flat and close to the head, from the beak to back of head. The front is covered in round bumps, similar to a rose, with a point on the back Strawberry Combs- Strawberry combs are similar to Rose combs, but are not as flat and does not form a point. Walnut- Walnut combs are medium sized, solid combs. Similar to both Rose and Pea Combs, looking like a walnut. Cushion Comb- These combs are round, smooth, small combs without any ridges or points, starting on the chicken’s beak Carnation- A carnation comb is a single comb with several lobes in the back. V-comb- These combs are v-shaped with two solid, thick points at base of beak. Do Hens Have Combs? Yes, hens have combs. It is common for a hen’s comb to be smaller compared to the large comb of a rooster. What Are Chicken Wattles? Chicken’s wattles are the vibrant red fleshy flaps that hang on either side of your chickens face, just behind the chicken’s beak. Why Do Chickens Have Wattles and What Do They Do? Just as the comb is a for display and cooling, the wattles also serve the same purpose. Why Is My Chickens Comb Pale & Can a Chicken Have Pale Wattles? Yes, a chicken can have pale wattles, a pale face, and comb. The reasons can vary from being a young chicken, parasites, or molting. Why Is My Chickens Comb Pale? Now that you have a better understanding of why your chicken’s comb is pale and the underlying cause, you can decide on the specific treatment to get your feathered friend back to optimal health. Happy Homesteading & Chicken Keeping, Jenny @ The GrahamStead Family Farm Jenny and her family have been homesteading for over 20 years. They are currently farming on their 10 acre Florida farm, that they built from the ground up, 8 years ago, growing 100% of their meat and a lot of their vegetables. From their small herd of Aberdeen Angus Cattle, Pastured Poultry, Sheep, and seasonal pigs, they are able to raise enough meat for the family while selling extra to the community. All the while, striving to butcher at home, as much as possible, and use the bits and pieces of their harvest by preserving food, making bone broth, and (Jenny’s favorite) tanning all kinds of hides! Sources: https://poultrydvm.com/condition/comb-infections COMB AND WATTLE DISEASES IN POULTRY Chickens Homesteading Livestock