My funky golden comets

[HLAC]

I have 13 golden comets that I bought as chicks from TS. Almost all of them were laying by 15 weeks and have laid reliably since then. With the exception of one.

I present to you: Useless the chicken. (don't feel too bad about the name because otherwise it's name would be 'Stew'

)

Useless doesn't lay... never has. It doesn't squat. It's a tad taller than the others and it's comb is on the bigger side. Doesn't crow. I thought maybe it would turn into a rooster but it's now 9 months old. Wouldn't it more 'roostery' if were really a boy? I'm guessing it's just an incomplete bird. It's nice enough and doesn't eat much so it doesn't have any immediate date with the stewpot.

Here's Useless (in the back) with my other somewhat strange comet.

Only that tail feather is weird. She's a good layer. She's not real fond of the snow tho'. (can't blame her)

Just thought I'd share.

 

[PeakyBeaky]

No expert....but the body looks like a pullet, the head a roo. Maybe it's just a little slow to lay with winter and all

 

[Cowgirl71]

Useless is definitely a hen (Golden Comets are sexlinks, with white males and red females). Sometimes that happens and they just won't lay, period. Although with that large red comb I would think she's laying. How are you sure she's not? One way to tell is by measuring the distance between her pin bones (pointy bones located on either side of the vent). If one finger or less can fit, then she's not laying. If two or three fingers can fit then she's laying.

That sure is an interesting tail feather on the other hen!

 

[punky rooster]

Quote:
x2 but I'm not sure those are GC

 

[14 chickens & counting]

I think she's pretty!

 

[HLAC]

She/it has a very laid back personality. (All of this batch is very easy to work with. They don't mind picked up or carried around. To control Japanese beetles, I'd pick one up and carry it over to a plant and the chicken would grab the bugs off the leaves while I held the bird. When I wanted them to eat the green cabbage caterpillars I'd hold the bird in one hand and point to the worm with the the other. They learned pretty quick to look at what I was pointing to.

)

When they were little fluff balls, this chick was almost white.... which made me suspicious of it even back then.

TSC said they were golden comets.... but you know how that goes.

 

[Cowgirl71]

They are Golden Comets. Also known as Cinnamon Queens, Red Stars, Red Sexlinks, Gold Sexlinks, etc.

 

[Illia]

The second girl is a Sex Link hen, yes. The first girl is also a hen but NOT a Sex Link.

Also, 15 weeks is awfully early for a hen to be laying. Do not give up on the other one!! A hen normally begins at 21 weeks.

 

[RAREROO]

Quote:
How do you know shes not a sexlink ? I know her coloring is the typical coloring but there have been several other members here with Sexlinks that color.

 

[Illia]

Most golden/brown sex links have dominant white in them. The top bird has none, and is in fact more Wheaten based. Such a color would require a wheaten bird x another wheaten bird, no dominant white, no excessive black or columbian.

She's quite likely just a normal Production Red cross. (production red, new hampshire, etc)

Gold Sex Links are used by a difference of "golden" versus "gold" genes in the males and females, with dominant white as a really good aid in telling the two apart. The female will be dom white over a normal gold/red columbian bird, the male will be dom white over a golden bird, making him entirely a creamy yellow and white (with of course the possibilities of a red shoulder) Without the dominant white, you'll only notice the golden vs gold color much later in their growth. It would be like trying to sex golden duckwing vs gold duckwing. Takes a while.