Hen has HUGE comb and waddles - pic included

[stcroixusvi]

Here is one of our RIR - 16 weeks old today. Have you ever seen such big waddles and comb? And her brooder mates aren't nearly as big. You can see a couple of her "sisters" in the second picture. How much longer must I wait?

 

[NYRIR]

Wow! That does appear "hennish". Are you waiting for her to crow?? Or are you waiting on eggs?

 

[allieloveschickens]

I have a black australorp with comb and wattles like that, and huge long ear lobes too- mine isn't laying yet either.

 

[pippsqueak]

My RIR (Lucy) was big like that at 15 months and now her comb is flopped over. She didn't start laying until about 20 weeks. You might see her lay sooner though. She's my best layer right now though!

 

[WhySayWhat]

My Barred Rock had a huge comb starting at about 4 weeks old, but she was my first to lay an egg too! She beat my SLW by by 3 weeks and I'm still waiting on the other SLW to lay (they'll be 24 weeks tomorrow).

 

[chickeebabies]

My white Plymouth Rocks have big combs too. I was hoping they wouldn't crow. Finally, at 17 weeks I started getting eggs. I free range but have egg laying boxes in their coop. I don't know if you free range any, but I found our first eggs under the blackberry bushes in the garden. Then I found more eggs under the glider swing where it was cool and shaded. I took some eggs in the house but also put some in the egg laying boxes so they would get the idea of where I wanted them to lay. I had plastic easter eggs in their laying boxes, but I guess they weren't easily fooled. Luckily they got the message and only lay in the boxes. I think. Hope you get your eggs soon.

 

[AnimalCrazed]

I hated just having to wait it out, when my Barred Rock was that old she had way bigger come and waddle than the rest i thought she was a boy for sure but then they all started laying!

now the others are all pretty close in size to her but they are over a year old.
i wonder why that happenes?

BEFORE 5 months AFTER 1 year 4 months

 

[X2Farm]

That is a beautiful production bred RIR pullet... see the nice rounded feathers on her rump? Right before her tail? If that was a cockeral, they'd look very pointy and sort of stringy

 

[GardenGal]

Thanks for sharing - it's good for us newbies to know they're not all roos!

 

[stcroixusvi]

I was pretty sure she wasn't a roo, but thought for sure she'd be an early egg layer because of her maturity. The wait is k i l l i n g me. I've had eggs in the nest boxes, and occasionally I place them in the nests, but they just hop out. I do not free range because we are in the woods, and I would hate to loose any of them. They are pets.

Thanks for posting the pictures - it's nice to see others. I ordered 5 RIR, got 6, and all are pullets. (Phew - as we have plenty of roos.)