Pekins with very red legs??

[jessmorris]

Hello grapes, I am wondering if anyone can help - I noticed last week that my pekin boys have very red sore looking legs. They are red on the outside of the leg, where the feathers emerge from. There's no swelling, roughness or blisters. They are free range on rough grass and I wonder if its just too damp for them? They have access to shelters and a big hen house so can get out of the snow etc.
They are in with big legbar and warren girls for the moment but these more or less ignore them.
They'll have their own run and house soon when their bantam girls arrive but wondering if I should put a couple of pallets in the run for them??
Jm

[palomino]

How old are the Pekin boys? Red legs tend to happen when their testosterone is starting to kick in... and they're about to start behaving like LADS!

[Glutton4...]

How old are the Pekin boys? Red legs tend to happen when their testosterone is starting to kick in... and they're about to start behaving like LADS!

I'll second that - 3 of my 4 my young Roos have red legs. Asbo did, but his are now dark grey, but he's 16 months old now.

[jessmorris]

Ho-ho, now THAT totally makes sense - they are 9 months old and have recently moved from their brood sisters and brothers to an unrelated flock of big, actively laying hens! They both crow one after the other and hop up onto the big girls trying their very best to be manly, but the legbars are obviously not too impressed and shrug off their tiny 'jockeys'.
Thankyou both for solving a mystery.
JM

[its hilly]

And thats solved a mystery for me too. My Wyandotte banty cock 'Trousers' went red last spring and is starting to again..now I needent worry.