My two white americaunas, it seems to me, have combs that are looking a bit pale. The other four (two barred rocks, two mixed breeds) aren't especially pale.

All of them are lively, eating well, none are too skinny.

Is it the heat? Could they have worms? They are all about 7 months old and I've not wormed them yet. Should I just do it from time to time regardless of whether or not I know they have them?

And if so, is there a med to give them that we can still eat the eggs? I hate to not have eggs for weeks, (I've heard you have to wait a month!) but then again I don't want any of my girls to die either.

I haven't seen any bugs on them - they free range and get good feed plus nutritious goodies from me. (protein and oats in buttermilk, mostly)

Help!

I just did a search on this site for "pale combs" and it seems to be bad news...so I went out just now and did a vent check on everyone, and those girls just don't have any visible buggies or signs of any, no fleas or mites. Also, by the light of the flash, Mena and Oblena (the Americaunas) didn't seem as pale. Could it just be the heat during the day? Both of them are really chunky girls and are my best layers. If they have worms would they be skinny or could they still be a good weight?

Robin,

A dying chicken will have a pale comb but a pale comb does not mean a chicken is dying. From everything else you have said, I don't think you need to be concerned that it is something serious. Have you noticed a change in their combs or have they always been more pale than the other chickens? I notice some differences in the different breeds I have, yet they are all healthy and laying.

Worming is something you will find varying opinions on. Some will say to worm routinely. Some will say to never do it unless you know you have a worm problem. Some will say to take stool samples to the vet and find out your situation and set up a worming schedule based on the time of year that you have the heaviest load. They will probably always have some worms unless they are caged. So it's up to you to decide if you have a real problem or if you're seeing symptoms of a problem like general unthriftiness, not eating well, not laying well, etc.

I don't know of any wormers that will allow you to eat the eggs. I have heard to not eat them for one week and on up to 3 weeks. Remember, your eggs will last for several months if stored properly and collected often enough so you could possibly store up some eggs to get you through the time period where you can't eat them after a worming. That is what I plan to do. I am going to worm my flock, my dogs and my cats all at once in a few weeks since they all share the same areas.

If you think there might be something wrong with the hens but you aren't seeing any symptoms of something specific, try putting some vitamins in their water for a few days and see how it goes from there.

Susie

Thank you for such a quick answer, Susie!

They are very sleek and glossy and active. These two have always had somewhat lighter combs. This morning they seemed to not be as pale as they were yesterday. I really wonder if it was just the heat.

Vitamins sound like a good idea in any case. What kind of vitamins?

Robin,

You can buy a bag of powdered "Vitamins and Electrolytes" for poultry from probably any feed store or ranch supply place in your area. It only takes a small amount so the bag will last you a long time. You just add the right amount of powder to your water and that's all there is to it. I use them whenever there is a stress situation like new chickens or if I hear any sneezing or when they are cooped up during bad winter weather, when they are moulting, etc.

Susie