CHCKEN COMBS

[cherrychicken]

ok heres the deal, i have two sexlinks with really big combs. I have three cochins with small combs. I have one crazy polish

. I recently went to a chicken show and there was a chicken 'expert' there. I started to talk to her about winter and chickens. She said that if a comb gets frozen, it will just fall off and they will grow a new one. This story seems a little weird. Is there any truth to this whatsoever?

 

[chickenlady]

Combs do not grow back.

 

[Matt A NC]

The comb absolutely will NOT grow back.

If a hen's comb freezes I would not expect an egg from that hen for several weeks. The pain of the frost bite and the time it takes to heal takes a toll on the hen. It is best to have a good house for them so that they keep each other warm at night and they don't get frost bite on their combs.

Matt

 

[JennsPeeps]

Reptiles grow back body parts. Birds do not.

That chicken "expert" is a dumb cluck.

 

[cherrychicken]

oh, but will the comb actually fall off?

 

[Jarhead]

It will fall off. A truly frost bitten body part will fall of of any living creature. Fingers and toes are common casualties of frost bite in humans.

 

[CUDA]

Yep, you can combat frostbite by dubbing. You can read more about it on my site HERE . Good luck!

 

[Jarhead]

I have an question about dubbing. From what I have read the function of the comb and wattles is in body heat regulation. They act like radiators to keep the chicken cool in hot weather. This is just speculation on my part, but I think if you make them smaller than the chickens ability to cool itself will be diminished. Therefor I would think dubbing would cause problems for those who live in the south where hot temps are the norm. Is that assumption correct?

 

[CUDA]

They may do that somewhat, but think about this... Hens have small combs, and they seem to do fine. Plus, gamecocks have been completely dubbed for years without a problem, and they do it in some very hot environments. I personally think that combs and wattles are more for show because of how roosters are the ones with large ones. Kind of an ornamental thing. I dub all my fowl with large combs, and have never had any problems either. Good luck!

 

[prariechiken]

The combs allow for the wild jungle fowl to advertise himself as a mature, healthy male in the jungles of southeast asia. At the same time, many oriental breeds have small almost nonexistent combs and wattles, and they too are from hot environments. The combs may play some part in heat transfer, but were probably more naturally selected for identification in the brush and vines of the forests of Southeast asia. After all, passing on the genes to the next generation is what all living things are about.