Reddening Comb

ness · « **on:** January 06, 2008, 20:00 »

Hello
I have 3 chooks, 2 youngsters (hatched July) and mother hen. I've noticed the young'uns combs have really reddened up in the last week or so. Does that mean there may be eggs on the way or am I getting far too excited about nothing?!?

Ness x

Selkie · « **Reply #1 on:** January 06, 2008, 20:02 »

Ness, I'm pretty sure it is connected to laying/maturity -- our two now have much brighter red combs than they did a couple of weeks ago (when they were still on a winter break from laying eggs)

richyrich7 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 06, 2008, 20:39 »

July sounds about right 20 -24 weeks is generally when they start to lay, but day length, food etc etc affects this.

Selkie · « **Reply #3 on:** January 06, 2008, 20:39 »

Is the reddening comb a visual sign to the cockerel that they're ready to make babies?

richyrich7 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 06, 2008, 20:45 »

Quote from: "rosemarycallsthegoddess"

Is the reddening comb a visual sign to the cockerel that they're ready to make babies?

Hope your not asking me those complicated kind of questions Rosemary

To be honest I've got no idea, but it sounds like a good feasible answer, also I think it may be linked to pecking order as the top hen in my flock always seems to have the biggest reddest comb

Selkie · « **Reply #5 on:** January 06, 2008, 20:47 »

Sorry Rich

, I will try and look it up in some of my old uni books and see if there's anything about it to answer my questions

richyrich7 · « **Reply #6 on:** January 06, 2008, 20:50 »

Quote from: "rosemarycallsthegoddess"

Sorry Rich , I will try and look it up in some of my old uni books and see if there's anything about it to answer my questions

Goodie I'll just go back to the corner with my pointy hat and "D" on it then.

ness · « **Reply #7 on:** January 06, 2008, 21:19 »

Thank you, am going to try not to get too excited. Mother Hen has had a wonderfully red comb through out caring for her babies (now adults) but shes not laying, once red do they just stay red whether laying or not?

richyrich7 · « **Reply #8 on:** January 06, 2008, 21:26 »

Well I can only go on my experience ness ( which is not huge ) but yes I seem to find their combs go paler when not in lay.

Aunt Sally · « **Reply #9 on:** January 06, 2008, 21:27 »

They tend to get smaller and paler when they are off lay ness.

chickychick · « **Reply #10 on:** January 06, 2008, 22:01 »

Yep I recon there are eggs on the way

My chickens definately had redder combs just before they started to lay and the combs became noticably bigger too.

slowef · « **Reply #11 on:** January 06, 2008, 22:06 »

My girls have redder combs in lay and some also flop to one side depending on the breed. They go very pale when the bird goes into a moult, my buff's comb was almost white poor little love but she soon recovered

Selkie · « **Reply #12 on:** January 07, 2008, 12:46 »

Well I've had a trawl through some of my old books and couldn't find anything about hens' combs, but I did find some interesting stuff about pecking orders, though I only have two hens so it isn't really relevant to me :roll:

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Reddening Comb

Selkie

Selkie

Selkie

Selkie