Comb Development

[Sphinx]

I have a white leghorn pullet that was hatched the last week of March. So, she's now around 15 weeks old. Her comb is still very small and very pale.

I saw a leghorn yesterday that was a month older, and she was SIGNIFICANTLY bigger, but more importantly, her comb was at least 3x the size of mine's, and hers was bright red. She'd been laying about two weeks.

Mine seems light years younger though.

Do I have an immature for her age pullet, or is there that dramatic of a change between 15-19 weeks?

 

[Sphinx]

Maybe I'll need to go take a picture of her, and then someone will have an idea?

 

[Dora'smom]

It seems to me that with our different sets of chickens, comb development sometimes happens quite suddenly. Suddenly there is growth, and the redness appears. Sometimes almost overnight.

 

[Mandalina]

I have the opposite issue, one BSL pullet with a huge floppy odd looking comb and her sister who has a tiny dinky delicate one.Maybe it is just how it happens sometimes?

 

[allmypeeps]

Maybe she is a runt- she may catch up! I was a runt too....lol

 

[felidaet]

My pullets for this year are 13 - 15 weeks old. All of them have very small pale combs. I don't think you need to worry. My pullets last year all had small light colored combs until just before they started laying. Some of them were even fairly small (but red) when they started laying. It took awhile for them to fully grow out.

Mandalina - Are you sure your bird with the big comb is not a rooster?

 

[RRBARFARM]

Hi:

New to the forum, but not new to this issue!

There are 4 distinct styles of "combs" some breeds are known by them, but the two we see the most often are called

"rose" and "standard" Rose combs are small, and seem somewhat insignificant. Standards can be quite large.... color can be dark red to black or pale almost white, it depends on the breed.

There are also double combed birds and tulip combed birds.

At about 6 weeks they usually start do develop their combs and they don't fully mature until the hens do at about 1 year.... I have 10 barred rocks and half are rose and half are standard... go figure.

 

[Mandalina]

Quote:
seeing as she is a black sex link I am 100% certain she is a hen, and her wattles are small, just the massive floppy comb that makes her a little ugly

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Leghorns are one breed in which the hens and roosters can have rather large, sometimes floppy, combs. If she wasn't a Leghorn (and wasn't laying), I would be wondering if your "she" was actually a "he."

A bright red comb in a laying hen is a sign of good health. Blood circulates through tiny capillaries in the comb and gives it that bright red color. (Some breeds do not have red combs, such as some kinds of Silkies).