Red skin on humans is usually a sign of blushing or a sunburn, so you may be very curious to know why your chicken has red skin on its head.
This article looks into why your chicken has red skin on its head
Table of Contents
Red skin on chickens head:
Changes in your bird’s appearance is the bird’s body’s way of communicating that there is something going on with the bird, either mentally, physically, or both.
This article explores why your chicken has red skin on its head.
Maturity:
If your bird is a female then this color change is a sign that she is maturing. As the bird matures her hormones change how the bird’s face looks.
The color of your chicken’s face is closely linked to the hormones flowing through the bird’s body.
Younger and less mature birds will have lighter skin on their heads and face and older birds will have a darker red color to the skin on their head and face.
This color change is a sign that the bird is not only ready to lay eggs but her body is prepared and is about to start laying some eggs. The color of the bird’s head can fluctuate many times over the day.
Another sign that egg laying is about to start is the bird starting to crouch down when you or another human starts to approach them.
Expect some eggs to start arriving a few days after this crouching starts.
What to do:
This is quite normal and natural behavior for chickens and isn’t something that you should be worried about, in fact, it’s a good thing, it’s a sign that your birds are progressing nicely in their life.
This is a sign that your birds are maturing, and it is a sign that you’ll likely be getting some eggs soon.
Assertion:
Another reason why your bird’s head will start to suddenly go red is because the bird is trying to assert itself. This change in the color of your bird’s face will happen quite quickly, only happening momentarily.
When a chicken is trying to assert itself in front of a weaker bird its face will go red momentarily and then switch back to the paler coloring that your bird always had.
This is a non-verbal way of communicating the bird’s feelings. The submissive bird will do the opposite, its face will go paler momentarily.
What to do:
This is quite normal and isn’t something that you need to worry yourself over, the birds are simply doing what animals usually do, show dominance over each other.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other bird related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Why Is My Chickens Skin Green?, Why Is My Chicken’s Skin Yellow?, Why Is My Chickens Face White, Chicken Has Lump Under Eye, Chicken Swollen Under Beak, Why Is My Chicken’s Skin Red?, Why Is My Chickens Face Red?, Why Does My Chickens Face Change Color?, Chicken Pale Around Eyes