What the cluck?

[cluck queen]

So, as I've mentioned beforehand I've got around 30 birds. (3 rotten ducks too) and some of the gals I hatched out are mutts. They are completely black without combs. Not laying yet as I've sat outside and meticulously watched them lol I've got to much time on my hands yes I know. Anyways, these gals are soon to be laying I presume but every article I've read says "look for the CoMbS" red wattle this red comb that. They have NONE! They're nearly 8 months too or possibly older. So do some hens just not get combs? Also these are some of my pretty eggs that I'm super proud of to have lol

 

[NatJ]

So, as I've mentioned beforehand I've got around 30 birds. (3 rotten ducks too) and some of the gals I hatched out are mutts. They are completely black without combs. Not laying yet as I've sat outside and meticulously watched them lol I've got to much time on my hands yes I know. Anyways, these gals are soon to be laying I presume but every article I've read says "look for the CoMbS" red wattle this red comb that. They have NONE! They're nearly 8 months too or possibly older. So do some hens just not get combs? Also these are some of my pretty eggs that I'm super proud of to have lol

Your chickens have combs. I can see them both in the photos. Almost all chickens have combs*

But some kinds of combs are very small, and some of the genes that affect comb size can also affect wattle size, making them very small as well. Pea combs are the ones most likely to be very small and look like they are not there, but it can happen with other comb types too. Even single combs can be very small in some chickens.

And some chickens do have black combs (Silkies are a common example of this.)

In your photo, I can see a small black comb on the black bird in the back, and the one in front has a dark comb (sort of black/red mix) and red wattles.




*Technically, there is one breed of chicken with no combs, Breda. But they are very rare so I usually ignore their existence.

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

So, as I've mentioned beforehand I've got around 30 birds. (3 rotten ducks too) and some of the gals I hatched out are mutts. They are completely black without combs. Not laying yet as I've sat outside and meticulously watched them lol I've got to much time on my hands yes I know. Anyways, these gals are soon to be laying I presume but every article I've read says "look for the CoMbS" red wattle this red comb that. They have NONE! They're nearly 8 months too or possibly older. So do some hens just not get combs? Also these are some of my pretty eggs that I'm super proud of to have lol

nice eggs! I've got a hen who lays blue ones

 

[K0k0shka]

They do have combs, I can see them. They are just small and dark. Some chickens take a long time to start laying, especially if they miss the boat to start laying before days get really short in the winter, then they just wait until days start getting long again even if they are otherwise ready to lay. Spring is coming though, have patience and they'll start laying soon enough. The one on the left looks farther along than the one on the right, because her wattles are redder and more prominent. Look for overall face redness, not just the comb - wattles too. I've had some pullets lay their first egg at 9 months old.

 

[cluck queen]

That makes me feel so much better. I was wondering if they were somehow stunted. I'm glad though. Sorry the photos are fuzzy. These ladies are crazy like leghorns typically are. Super flighty lol I'd have a better chance of snapping a Pic of the lochness moster than them standing still lol also do you think the eggs will be brown or white? I can't tell on the ears. I assume brown.

 

[TinyRaptorDodos]

They have combs! Some hens will have small combs, some hens will have pea combs. Here’s some of my small combed hens for example! I’m not positive which combs types they are but the first is one of my four Easter eggers, Vinny. The second is my mystery hen, Bullwinkle. The last is my Brahma hen, Milk. They look like they could still be growing in their combs based off the color? Or they could just have some Fibro leakage

 

[NatJ]

That makes me feel so much better. I was wondering if they were somehow stunted. I'm glad though. Sorry the photos are fuzzy. These ladies are crazy like leghorns typically are. Super flighty lol I'd have a better chance of snapping a Pic of the lochness moster than them standing still lol also do you think the eggs will be brown or white? I can't tell on the ears. I assume brown.

I don't know what color eggs they will lay.

The only way earlobe color can help predict egg color with purebreds is by indicating what breed a chicken is (white earlobes on a White Leghorn who lays white eggs, red earlobes on a White Rock who lays brown eggs, blue earlobes on a White Silkie who lays cream eggs, etc.)

With mixed breed chickens, if all parents had the same earlobe color, the chicks should too. But if there are a mix of earlobe colors, and a mix of egg colors, they can match up in any combination (including red & white in the same earlobe of the same chicken.)

For predicting what color eggs your birds lay: if you know what color eggs they hatched from, you know what color their mother lays, which can help predict. Other than that, mixes of brown layers with white layers will usually produce some shade of light brown or cream, and mixes of brown layers with other brown layers will almost always produce some shade of brown, so overall they are more likely to lay brown eggs than white, unless you have a white-egg rooster and they also hatched from white eggs.