The Old Folks Home

[Bunnylady]

I did not bunnylady. But I appreciate you telling me. I have 6 comets and they are the best. I was hoping to reproduce some more.

Yeah, I was disappointed when I learned that, too. I had some Golden Comets once, and I really liked them.

 

[Wisher1000]

If I had Golden Comets and wanted to raise chicks, I would be tempted to get a Buff Orp rooster. You will not get sex-linked chicks, but I bet they would have the temperament, production, and look that you want.........j/s.

 

[CanuckBock]

Does anyone know where I can buy 1 golden comet rooster? Would take a chick but prefer 2 months or older.

Laugh, I've been compiling and getting permission from people with certain chicken breeds to use photos for a post I have in the works regarding Red Chanteclers (Partridge x Buff)--a terminal cross.

There are SEVEN impurities in colour for the chickens shown below...SEVEN heterozygous combinations--one different allele from each parent in seven of the genetic colour series. Not just gold/Silver in the s-series but SEVEN differences.

Kinda pretty chickens for impure mutts, eh?

Red Chantecler large fowls - Male Redmond-2010 / Female Medusa-2009.

​

This term I use as in "terminal cross"...the Golden Comet is meant to be the END of breeding, end result...it terminates there but (and a big butt I have!)...

Alternatives you may try...

Get a Plymouth Rock or a New Hampshire male (a Production Red--whatever those are? or even a Rhode Island) and use him on the Golden Comet hens. These are some of the chicken "breeds" I see that have been claimed to have been used to make the Golden Comets.

You will NOT likely produce a gender linked mating as in being able to "tell" by physical expression (the down colour in GC's) what gender the chicks are. I quite frankly ABHOR this practise. Killing either sex at hatch bothers me immensely, but hey, to counter, ain't got no problem with Crested Ducks--it's complicated, eh?

I choose to proudly raise heritage chickens where the egg and the meat production is balanced (general purpose fowl) so I may keep hens (and appropriate roos) for breeding and egg production and the males that are extras may be grown out and fattened for our plates. For me, that is harmony and does not cross that line I have over killing creatures based on genders only.

By using any of the breeds as sires on your GC hens, you will likely still produce enough diversity to have hybrid vigour but still maintain enough of the similar characteristics you have come to like in the GC's. Next time you breed, take the female offspring and original dams and cross to another breed of male to get another whomp of diversity ongoing. This is a practise done in cattle breeding often termed "3-way" or even "4-way" crosses...commercial cattle production based on a herd of mixed breed (commercial) productive female cows and the operator brings in new herd sires...of various purebred breeds. Buying the best males their pocket book may afford and producing awesome steers and more herd dams. Every generation pops because they keep adding new stuff or diversity. Now if you wanted a reliable set type, always using a different breed will cause what is called outcrossing depression where you are producing everything and anything under the sun...no predictable peas in the pod outcomes because you CAN lower the fitness of the offspring with too much diversity. All things in moderation...even having FUN!

The world record for eggs laid by a chicken is held by a pure breed...the Australorp--take THAT hybrid terminal crosses!

http://www.livestockconservancy.org/index.php/heritage/internal/australorp:


Note to Wisher...1890-1900; the Australorp originated from the BLACK Orpingtons exported to Australia!

You may also use the method of using a purebred male to grade up from mixed mutt females which means taking the girls of unknown origins (or even another breed in theory) and crossing them repeatedly to the ONE breed (males &/or females) you want to create until the offspring are like 15/16th or 31/32nd pure. We see this done to save rare breeds that may be highly inbred and suffering inbreeding depression. The cross to an outside animal that does not share a lot of the same traits puts hybrid vigour (heterosis) into the lines.

Another alternative if you would like...you may create your very own Golden Comets by acquiring Plymouth Rock x New Hampshire or the other breeds in the formulas used.

I find it amusing that GC's are deemed egg layers (reading comments like "best egg-layers in the chicken world") since both parental breeds are dual purpose fowls.

Last alternative...choose Rocks or Hamps or Rhodes and breed the one breed and make yourself independent and self sufficient with keeping a heritage breed of poultry; end your slavery/dependence on others for your stocks in birds--go REAL and let hens raise rooster guarded chicks and enjoy the Fancy to the fullest extent. I am an advocate of the we need to EAT them, to save them groupies.

I love when people step up and choose to keep REAL BREED chickens and make themselves their own bosses of their own destinies.

I am a tad confused since hatcheries use the term "Golden Comet" to describe terminal crosses of Rhodes, Rocks, and New Hamps plus "Production Reds." Seems the label Golden Comet can mean a whole lotta things...


Some quick internet searches turned up...


Mt. Healthy advertises it sells cockerels and pullets in the "Hubbard Golden Comet."


eFowl sells males/females & straight run and states this about GC's:

​

I see that Cackle Hatchery sells cockerels...they say they use " Production Red male and the Rhode Island White female" to make what they label "Golden Comet." They will let you order one to two males with females, minimum order is five chicks it seems.


This BYC thread shows images of birds and the eggs from one person crossing GC x GC.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/119304/golden-comet-rooster-x-golden-comet-hen-pictures


Good fortune with your endeavours whatever you decide...at least you have lotsa options!

Doggone & Chicken UP!

Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada

 

[pollo randy]

Wow didn't know it could be so complicated. I have 6 comets I purchased this spring. They have really grown. I've yet to see what their egg laying abilitys and not sure if I will put them on the table or not. What I do know is that they are the best little chickens as far as temperament friendly and just good pets. When I'm around they come a runnin they love the worms. They will also let me pick them up and they like to get on my shoulders. I have also incubated some Rhoad island Reds and to be honest they have been kinda troublesome. Out of 12 I wound up with 5. Two of those 5 has curled toes. I went to water them last evening and notice that one that looked perfectly healthy has something wrong with its leg. It don't appear to be in any pain but it's leg twist to the right when it walks. Like its broke or not stable enough to hold the chicken. I figured as long as he/she is eating and not down completely I will let it go. So I was just thinking if I could breed more of the "comets" I would love to have some more. Guess I will hope for a Roo out of the five Rhoad island reds and go from there.

 

[CanuckBock]

Temperament is genetic and environmental (could explain why some kids turn out bad from good families!).

Are any of your Rhodes males and sorta OK...think you are down to what, maybe two?

They are one of the breeds used to make Golden Comets...white ones though I think.

Do the GC's go setty? If you like the GC Momma's temperaments...let some for the girls set on eggs sired from a RIR and have the nice girls raise up some nice chicks.

Tara

 

[pollo randy]

Well I'm not sure of any of the RIR are male. Not sure how I tell. I was gonna wait until they was old enough. I am hoping that one if them is male and okay. . What are the odds? Of they are I'm in business if not I'm gonna have to find one.
The girls are to young yet for setty but we are certainly going to find out.

Thanks for all your advise and anyone else who chimed in.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Well Guy as you know I'm a huge Cards fan it's a shame Pujols just hit number 500 as a Angel

Good player to be sure but we were so over Pujols shortly after he left.
The team was one game shy of going to the World Series the year after he left and 2 games shy of winning the World Series the next year.
His departure actually contributed to our success and the lack thereof for the Angels.
The Cards initially offered him a 5 year deal (for a 32 year old player) and he was insulted. Then they offered him $210 million for 10 years. Again he was insulted. He then stole $254 million from the Angels fans.
That was 210 million the team used to keep Yadier Molina (best catcher in all of baseball) and some other important cogs in the wheel of a perennial playoff machine.
Pujols was a bust in his first year in LA and a little better than average since. The Angels won't make the playoffs with their high dollar aging superstars. The TV deals and the fans are the losers. Pujols and the Angels are winners since they stole so much money from the TV market with the signing of declining players.
http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/sto...ujols-st-louis-cardinals-fans-angels-reaction
The Cards only have 8 players in their 30s. Most are in their early 20s, they and the best of the older players are tied up with long term contracts and they're winning with them.

We do need to go to a game at the new Busch stadium though.

I know

and will let your ladys tell you about that kind of show. Good to have everybody back home safe again. Will miss alll of the Pic's though!!

Scott

I hopefully will get my daughter to download her pics to my computer and I can bore you all some more.

Don't let it get you down, Bamadude, it happens to the best of us........

. It is sometimes easy to forget that we "Old folks" are not the only ones reading on this wonderfully FAMILY FRIENDLY web site. Anytime I "set us straight" it is because I know how easy it is to slip a bit of adult humor (or conversation) in without thinking. No worries, you're back! Just remember - all humor is not blue.......

When I first joined BYC, I quickly learned how much thin skin there was here.

It wasnt this thread. It was 1 i stumbled into. Looking back i was a little bit rude to them. But it was on the jokes thingy thread. So i thought we could joke. Anyways... i missed yall a little.

Quote:

Bunnylady: im just venting my frustration a little. Hopefully they have learned their lesson and will let me say whatever i want now lol. Its not going to come to me changing my id or anything. Im just talking big. I dont want to get thrown out of here. I truely enjoy talking to u guys. I dont facebook or tweet or anything else.

I so much like to kid people. I even do it to people I just met on an elevator. They're sometimes appalled that I have the nerve to speak on an elevator. They apparently don't have such a quick wit as mine.
I sometimes get into trouble because I rarely use smileys. I thought people would just get the joke.

Love that one.

I spent 32 years in a factory where the joking was quite harsh. One had to grow thick skin or die.

Well we had an interesting evening. Got home from work and started doing the chores. It was very windy so we were trying to get them done as quick as possible. DS and I were in the barn when we heard a terrible racket. I knew exactly what it was right after I started hearing the noise.


Yes my barn is a total of four years old. We had it built brand new when we had the house built. The metal roof peeled off the barn. We contacted the builder to see if he was going to make things right and his response was that home owners insurance should cover the damage. I am so angry with this "so-and-so" I would like to peel him.

So today I have to contact the insurance company and hope I can find a good contractor in this area. I wouldn't use this guy to build a pig sty at this point. I have reported this to the BBB and to Ripoff Report. I am going to track down every consumer website I can to spread the word about this idiot.

What was the wind speed that day?

bamadude I hear you but I really do like to stay within the confines of the law

No need to be crafty because I really do believe that Karma does find a way to pay people back for how they behave or treat others. It may not happen when you would like but it does happen. I have seen this time and time again and all I have to do is pretty much sit back and watch the fun. I am putting negative reviews on sites about him and his company mainly because that is how I find contractors and handymen. If they have bad reviews or no reviews, I don't even contact them. I wish I had been able to find stuff on him when I was looking for a contractor. Unfortunately, local word of mouth was not available to me because I was moving here from another state. I would like to kick my realtor too for suggesting him. She grew up in the area and knew his reputation and yet still recommended him. Beginning to think most realtors are like used car salesmen. OK 'nuff said or I will have to go read some more "dang" you autocorrects to cheer me up again.

There is an engineering standard for wind speed resistance for metal roofs. I used to install solar panels on roofs and the attachments needed to meet those standards.

I have scored two warnings and an infraction on my BYC rap sheet.

We with strong opinions eventually learn the limits

I hear ya!

I have been invited to go gold panning in the river this weekend!

The Middle fork of the Cosumnes River is less than a mile from my house. That may or may not be where we're going; when folks around here say "the river" they almost always mean the Middle Fork, otherwise they specify North or South fork, or the other rivers in the area by name.

I'm kind of excited, as a local friend who looked at the seasonal creek bed running through my Ranch propety last fall (when it was dry) told me there was probably "something worth finding" in the pool areas under the waterfall. He meant for "collectible" sake, not as a money maker. Whatever I learn this weekend will make it far more likely I will actually mess with it in my very own stream.

I practiced panning in Arkansas a long time ago with plans to go to Arizona and do so long term. Never got the plan to fruition.
Sounds fun. Get a big nugget for me too.
I'll live vicariously through you for the time being.

Does anyone know where I can buy 1 golden comet rooster? Would take a chick but prefer 2 months or older.

IDK, would golden comets breed true?

 

[dsqard]

ChickenCanoe I would say it was blowing steady 20mph and probably gusting to 40 or 50 mph for short periods. I am not sure what the building code requirements are for Utah. I know in Florida it was much different but that was because they had to build with hurricanes in mind. I know what happened. The wind got under the edge of the metal and once that happened it was pretty much over but the

My other gripe about this is trying to get contractors to contact you back. I have called around 8-10 businesses. I have heard back from 4. One called back to say he was too booked (which I do appreciate). One was supposed to have his "roofing guy" call me but since our conversation yesterday I have heard nothing but The other two are coming out today to hopefully write an estimate. In the mean time we are supposed to get a bunch of rain Saturday/Sunday and the barn roof (such that it is right now) leaks terribly. Yay

 

[tcmstalcup]

Any advice for a first time Turkey processor? I've processed my dual purpose chickens but just never a turkey. A neighbor gave me a white Tom to eat because he can't kill an animal. He is under my carport currently in a big dog crate. He will meet his demise in the morning. I can't put it off since he has little clearish yellowy bugs crawling on him and I don't want him exposed to my birds.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Any advice for a first time Turkey processor? I've processed my dual purpose chickens but just never a turkey. A neighbor gave me a white Tom to eat because he can't kill an animal. He is under my carport currently in a big dog crate. He will meet his demise in the morning. I can't put it off since he has little clearish yellowy bugs crawling on him and I don't want him exposed to my birds.

Same anatomy as a chicken, with a couple notable differences:
1. If you use the hatchet method to off the bird, be warned, they are VERY powerful birds. The one I processed whipped me around good (sans head) and was "flying" in the air (with me holding on to the legs) for a good 20 seconds (which seemed to last 2 hours). You can imagine the scene, not pretty and it hurt.
2. Had a very hard time getting the bird in the scalder and then into the bucket to cool it off since it was so big. It got stuck in a 5 gallon bucket and was quite awkward to get it back out.


Other than that, very easy.

In other turkey news, my thanksgiving dinner hatched today under the best broody hen in the world. Miss Banty is a good sport and has hatched many ducklings for me (which is cute to see her sit on them even when they're bigger than her at a week's age) but this is her first attempt at turklets. She's still got 2 turkey eggs under her, but I was kinda disorganized when I stuck them under her over the course of a few days, so if they don't hatch in the next 24 hours, I'll move them to another broody hen (currently all of my cornish hens are broody, who knew games were such broodies?) to hatch.



And for giggles: