KindVonDerMond

Songster
Aug 25, 2017
50
129
122
I have a small mixed flock of five hens. Two of which are wyandottes. One is golden laced and the other is silver laced. Both birds seem to be healthy, but our silver laced has a weird, kinda stumpy comb. She doesn't get bullied for it, (as we also have a dark cornish, which has no comb) but I'm worried it might be a sign of an underlying problem. As far as I can remember she's always had it, and she's about a year and a half old by now. Pictures below comparing the two combs. IMG_20200128_165050931.jpg <-- the okay comb.
IMG_20200128_164835007.jpg <-- the weird stumpy comb.
You can also see the SL has a strange Y shaped growth coming out near the top of the comb.
IMG_20200128_164835007~2.jpg
Is this anything to be concerned about? Is this a sign of malnutrition early in life? Or is she just like that?
 
It is common for combs to pale and shrink during the shortest days of the year. Red combs are usually an indication of productively active birds which indicates their gonads have been rejunenated by lengthening days.
I wouldn't be concerned.
 
It is common for combs to pale and shrink during the shortest days of the year. Red combs are usually an indication of productively active birds which indicates their gonads have been rejunenated by lengthening days.
I wouldn't be concerned.
Her comb hasn't shrunk though, it's always like that.
 
Combs are pretty variable, and genetics plays a large role. And unless you have bred your own birds for a while then the genetic line is often not very pure, so oddities happen. I've got two wyandottes that have completely different combs, one is completely wrong for the breed, yet she looks like a wyandotte in every other way, so mixed lines somewhere in her geneology. I honestly would not worry about it. As long as she's healthy and acting normally, this is just how she looks. Sometimes comb variations are the best way to tell birds apart!
 
Combs are pretty variable, and genetics plays a large role. And unless you have bred your own birds for a while then the genetic line is often not very pure, so oddities happen. I've got two wyandottes that have completely different combs, one is completely wrong for the breed, yet she looks like a wyandotte in every other way, so mixed lines somewhere in her geneology. I honestly would not worry about it. As long as she's healthy and acting normally, this is just how she looks. Sometimes comb variations are the best way to tell birds apart!
Thank you! That's very reassuring, good to know she's just a little funky (and a little chunky).
 

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