If you are looking for reliable, efficient egg producers, then the Golden Comet chicken breed is worth considering.
Bred for the commercial egg industry, these beauties are compact, good-natured, and ideal for the homestead and backyard.
Let’s check them out in more detail.
About the Golden Comet Chicken
The Golden Comet is also called the Red Star, Golden Bluff, Cinnamon Queen, or Gold Sex-Link chicken.
It’s a hybrid breed developed from Rhode Island Red rooster strains of New Hampshires and Cherry Eggers with hens from Rhode Island White and White Rock. Some hatcheries prefer to use the silver factor rather than the dominant white gene.
Golden Comet Characteristics
The hybrid cross enhances the egg-laying ability, early maturity, and fast growth of this breed. The Golden Comet Chicken seems like a prime example of all the best characteristics a chicken can offer.
But this fast growth and early laying comes at the cost of a short lifespan, and some have problems with their reproductive tract. Still, there are always compromises, and this bird might just be perfect for you.
First of all, they are beautiful birds. Their coloring is a mixture of copper and ginger tones with flecks of white, with yellow legs and orange-yellow eyes.
For the early distinction between sexes at the chick stage, males tend to be a pale yellow, whereas females are golden shades with a stripe effect.
This ability to determine the sex between young chicks is handy when you can’t have roosters in your neighborhood.
Both the hens and roosters have single combs.
1. Size and Weight
Generally, roosters grow to six pounds, and hens four pounds. They are smaller than many breeds, which helps if you have a smaller space available or when handling them.
They are compact, but make up for size with their ability to be good egg producers.
Their temperament and size make them great for children to learn how to look after chickens.
2. Temperament
People say they have one of the best temperaments, potentially one reason this breed is widespread across the States, both commercially and in backyards.
Due to being hybrids, they are not overly broody. This characteristic has been dulled down to suit the egg-laying industry. Broody hens stop laying, so this breed has vastly reduced the desire to sit and hatch to maximize egg production.
Golden Comet chickens are nosey, highly intelligent, and perfect for families with children.
3. Egg Production
A Golden Comet Chicken at maturity will consistently lay an egg a day for the first two to three years. After this, egg production is reduced.
Roughly, though, they will lay around 330 eggs yearly in those first years. Many breeds, such as heritage or backyard mixes, stop laying during seasonal changes and molting. The Golden Comet continues to lay during molting or the short winter days.
Because they grow and mature more quickly, they typically start to lay at just 16 weeks old.
The eggs are brown and, as the bird ages, can be larger, even if they are less frequent. Our older girls may not lay every day, but they make up for that with the whoppers they do every other day.
It’s a smart idea to add younger hens to your original flock as they mature. Then, you get the best frequency and sizes.
4. Meat Production
Being smaller in stature means the Golden Comet is best for egg production rather than meat. After all, that’s its hybridized purpose.
At best, you could make some tasty stock, but unfortunately, a decent roast dinner is out of the question with this breed.
Golden Comet Care
Caring for your feathery friends is extremely important. If given the right nurturing and environment, you will be rewarded with eggs and some entertainment.
The life expectancy is four to five years, mainly due to the laying intensity and how they have been developed.
Unfortunately, Golden Comets are at high risk of organ issues later in life. With the proper support and care, though, they will flourish.
1. Feed and Nutrition
If there is one thing that is vital when caring for all chickens, it is feed, water, and nutrition.
To promote the Golden Comet to lay consistently and productively, they must have the right balance of calcium, minerals, protein, greenery, and fresh water.
A high-grade chicken feed is ideal, but these chickens love scraps from the kitchen table. Yes, even meat. Remember, chickens are omnivores. Ensure all scraps are eaten up to avoid attracting unwanted guests at night, though.
We have a kitchen tub for scraps to go to our chickens daily. The exception is avocado, rhubarb leaves, and raw beans, which are toxic. Also, moldy or off-meat food items should not be given.
A crushed garlic clove and apple cider vinegar in their water is also advantageous, as this helps ward off sickness.
If you have an elderberry tree, freeze the ripe berries and give them to your flock now and again. This assists with fighting ailments as high in Vitamin C. Our chickens thrive on it.
Chickens need grit, so provide them with crushed oyster shells, washed crushed egg shells, or a grit mix. This is important, mainly if the Golden Comets aren’t free-ranging, as they need grit for good egg quality and for grinding food in their gizzards.
Specialized feeders and waterers for chickens can be easily purchased.
Investing in good equipment will reduce food loss to wild birds and keep the water cleaner for longer. Helping to keep the chickens healthy and reduce costs through loss of feed.
2. Housing and Fencing
Golden Comet chickens require at least two to three square feet per bird. The more space, the better, as they are great foragers and need to be able to move, graze, and do chicken stuff freely.
They need a house suitable for perching, laying, and escaping extreme weather.
For bedding, shavings are ideal, and a deep layer will lock away pathogens from their waste. It also can be easily cleaned out and used in the compost pile.
Even if free-ranging gives them a safety base, they will return every evening to roost.
As there are plenty of predators keen for an easy chicken dinner, security must be featured in any such enclosure and home. A lockable door is ideal.
Regular checks for signs of digging into the coop can give you an early heads-up that something is trying to get to them. You can then take steps to protect the flock further.
For large numbers of chickens, consider a guard goose or dog to deter attacks.
If setting up a rigid fenced chicken run with the coop, one that you don’t plan on moving, make sure the fencing is 4-6 feet high as chickens can fly. This also deters some predators from getting to your flock.
Having trees and branches close to or in the chicken run (away from the fence) will deter an aerial attack from red-tailed hawks, red-shouldered hawks, eagles, and owls.
Also, collect the eggs daily to avoid leaving a tempting snack for snakes, weasels, raccoons, and other opportunists looking for an easy meal.
3. Health and Support
Light and access to sunshine, fresh air, and foraging are essential for the flock’s well-being, and you will get rewarded with tasty eggs.
Stressed-out hens do not lay; happy hens lay each day.
As the Golden Comet chicken is highly intelligent, they can get bored. Provide space to roam and be creative with snacks hanging on a rope, such as lettuce and apples. These activities stimulate them, particularly if they aren’t free-ranging.
Did you know chickens make great ground clearers? If you have an area of the garden or homestead you need sorted, let the Golden Comet chicken do the work for you. They will also fertilize that spot as they go to work on grass, weeds, and bugs.
In turn, it will assist in keeping feed costs down and stimulate the hens to lay.
Diseases and Pests of Golden Comet Chickens
Reducing the attractiveness of the coop and run for wild birds and other creatures is essential. This can be achieved by installing proper feed stations for the Golden Comet. Wild birds and animals can bring diseases and pests to your chickens and vice versa.
Good hygiene, regular cleaning of feed and water containers, monitoring, and keeping up care routines also assist in keeping disease and pest problems in check.
Diseases
- HPAI (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza)
- Marek’s Disease
- Fowlpox
- Newcastle Disease Virus
- Infectious Bronchitis
- Fungal Diseases
- Salmonellosis
- Mycoplasmosis (Chronic Respiratory Disease)
- Favus
- Avian Encephalomyelitis
- Aspergillosis
Keeping up good husbandry, deep bedding protocols in nesting boxes, and the enclosure will also reduce the impact of chicken pests. Regular checks of the chickens ‘feathers, legs, egg vents, combs, and skin will alert you early to problems.
Use diatomaceous earth, spinosad, garlic juice, petroleum jelly, and permethrin to treat and deter pest issues.
Providing an area in the enclosure for dust baths is advantageous in preventing infestations in the flock.
Pests
- Lice
- Ticks
- Worms (Roundworms, Tapeworms)
- Protozoa
- Mites (Northern Fowl Mites, Red Mites, Scaly Leg Mites)
Breeding Golden Comet Chickens
There is one issue with breeding Golden Comets: the chicks will not resemble the parents. You end up with a second-generation mixed breed, even if you use a Golden Comet rooster and mother.
Remember, they’re first-generation hybrids, so they won’t breed true.
Not to let that stop you if you want to breed home-style chooks from what you have. An incubator or friendly hen is likely required because the Golden Comet is not particularly broody.
Breed Alternatives
We have a wealth of articles on other breeds of egg-laying chickens that may also suit your yard. Follow the links to explore some more.