GOLDEN COMETS??? ARE THEY GOOD???

[peepsandquackes]

We are looking for a chicken that has long life and lays extremely good year round. (Brown Eggs) We recently heard about golden comets and that they fit the criteria...but would really like to hear from people with experience. We sell eggs as a family business so they have to be dependable. If these aren't good what kind do you suggest?? Thanks in advance!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Golden Comets are one of the commercial Red Sex Links. There are a lot of different "brands" of Red Sex Links depending on the hatchery/cross they came from (Red Stars, ISA Browns, Golden Buffs etc are other common ones). The commercial ones all are extremely good brown egg layers that are bred to produce a lot of eggs for about two years, then they are usually culled and replaced. For example, between 18-90 weeks of age the Hendrix company expects their various sex links to produce 400+ eggs. They do live longer than that and will continue laying longer, but like all hens, their egg laying slows down as they get older and they do tend to have more reproductive problems when older than non-commercial breeds. Still, if you are strictly looking at brown egg laying vs feed, I don't think the RSLs can be beat. If you are looking for a sustainable egg laying flock (to hatch your own chicks), the most popular brown egg layer is probably the hatchery Rhode Island Red.

 

[peepsandquackes]

Ok thanks! I was going to put them with my buff Brahms. I have a rooster in that flock. Would he reproduce with the golden comets? We aren't big, big, commercial type people...we love our animals too much!...

 

[Kelsie2290]

Ya, the Brahma roo would mate with the Comets or any hen he can, chickens don't care about what breed/cross they are, roosters/hens will mate with anything. If you hatched out those eggs, the mixes would probably lay better than the Brahmas, but not as well as the Comets. Commercial RSLs are special hybrid crosses where the different strains of parent birds have been bred and selected for how well their offspring will lay, (and so the sexes can be told apart by color at hatch), so while you can breed from them, the offspring of the RSLs won't lay as well as the RSLs do.

 

[ronniewayne]

I agree I raised some comets from mt healthy hatchery. the best brown egg layers ever. as kelsie stated the 1st 2 yrs are the best and then they are usually replaced. their eggs will then get too large most of them by that time will lay jumbo or bigger. and they will begin to have laying issues and of course will slow way down on laying . the commercial producers just replace them at that time. good luck with them .
Ronnie

 

[Bullitt]

We are looking for a chicken that has long life and lays extremely good year round. (Brown Eggs) We recently heard about golden comets and that they fit the criteria...but would really like to hear from people with experience. We sell eggs as a family business so they have to be dependable. If these aren't good what kind do you suggest?? Thanks in advance!

It seems that you want a heritage strain of Rhode Island Red, since you mention brown eggs, long life, and lay year round. (All chicken breeds with molt in their second year, so all chicken breeds will stop or really slow down their laying during this molting period.)

Golden Comet is a hybrid that has fast body development. So Golden Comets probably would not have as long of a life as a heritage breed, such as Rhode Island Red, Plymouth Rock or other such breeds.

You mentioned possibly breeding your Brahma rooster. Brahmas are mediocre egg-layers, so you would likely produce offspring that are mediocre egg-layers.

 

[peepsandquackes]

Thanks again! I love my buff brahmas but they are poor layers :-[ so wouldn't want to do that! Glad you mentioned it because I would have never thought of it.

 

[TXchickmum]

Our Golden Comets have been wonderful egg layers. -no issues. They have been laying daily (except when molting) for the most part. Ours are approaching two years old. They began laying around 18 weeks. They are at the top of the pecking order in our flock (more dominant than our other breeds). I suppose ours will start slowing down in the near future, based upon what has been gleaned/read. - suppose Rhode Island Reds would be a better choice for longevity. -love our Golden Comets, though. -have been quite dependable.

 

[Mifflin]

Gold Sex Links are great! They lay eggs everyday even during winter. The only time my Comets slowed down (2 eggs a week for 2 weeks from 3 hens) Was when they were molting and when old man winter came in and cut the daylight hours, pretty much both happened at the same time, so I can't blame the girls. The only ones that died early on me were killed by skunks I think. They are friendly, some aloof, but all come running when they see me or my wife, or our kids for that matter! I did hear they have shorter life span because they are hybrids. My flock is 2 years old and grew up with chickens here in the Atlantic north east region, hope this helps.

 

[peepsandquackes]

After tossing it around I think we have settled on the golden comets. Thanks!