Regardless of whether you’re looking to raise chickens for commercial egg production or if you just want to add more variety to your flock, you should definitely consider going for a Golden Comet chicken breed.
That’s because this stunning golden-colored chicken is by far one of the best chicken breeds you could invest into if you want to add more colors to your farmhouse without lowering the production quality or quantity.
But as you can probably expect by now, going for different breeds altogether is never all that good of an idea if you haven’t looked into everything there is to know about the breed beforehand.
This is why for today we decided to bring you a complete guide that spans over everything that you need to know about raising your very own Golden Comet chickens.
So, let’s not waste anymore time and instead just hop into the basics when it comes to this stunning little chicken breed:
Golden Comet Chicken: History and Origins
While we do know a lot about the breed, sadly enough we don’t actually have all that much information regarding the Golden Comet chicken’s history. What we do know about them though is that the breed in itself is a crossbreed, although in a lot of places the breed may also be referred to as a sex link breed.
Regardless, the Golden Comet chicken breed is believed to have been the offspring of a New Hampshire rooster and a White Rock hen.
This combination alone was meant to create the perfect hybrid breed that would offer everything you could ever ask for in your backyard flock. The resulting chicken was known as the Golden Comet, with its name primarily coming from the unique color of the breed that stood out.
One of the main advantages of this breed is the fact that it is a type of a cross-breeding in which you can quickly tell the difference between the males and the females.
Their colors are completely different so you will never have to worry about ordering a batch of female chicks and ending up with all testosterone filled meatheads.
All jokes aside, the Golden Comet chicken are known for being very good backyard chicken even if you don’t have access to a rooster.
If you want to get your hands on female chicks only you can also quickly tell the two apart so you will be able to buy yourself a full hen flock without worrying one will suddenly start cock-a-doodling at 6 AM.
This is a huge bonus for breeders and clients alike as they can quickly separate the two as soon as they hatch and as such, they never have to worry about getting the wrong product.
On top of that, a lot of places don’t allow roosters, so a sex link breed such as the Golden Comet chicken is perfect for this case.
Even so, the breed still made quite a name for itself right off the bat, becoming a bit of an overnight sensation and spreading like wildfire all around the globe.
If you like the idea of owning a red sex link breed but you don’t want to invest or can’t find yourself a Golden Comet chicken, you can also opt for one of the following:
- The Red Star chicken
- The Golden Buff chicken
- The Gold Sex Link chicken
- The Cinnamon Queen chicken
But why would you get yourself a Golden Comet when there are so many other breeds for you to go for? Well, it’s simple really, they’re just borderline perfect chicken for you to invest into.
For one, they are very good egg layers that are capable of producing as many as 300 eggs every year, although this is closely tied to the quality of feed and care that you provide them with.
The egg colors vary a lot depending on the chicken, but in most cases you can expect them to be brown. You do have a chance to end up with a blue-green egg layer too if you’re lucky enough.
While red sex link birds are a lot more common than any other variety out there, you can also find black sex links very easily on most marketplaces.
Golden Comet Appearance
While there is no preexisting standard set for the bird, there are a few guidelines that we believe to be specific to the breed.
For one, most Golden Comets tend to be light to medium brownish-red colored, which is why the breed is referred to as “golden” in the first place.
At the same time, you should know that Golden Comet chickens tend to have vivid white in their feathers too, which in turn makes them shine brighter in the sun.
This is why you will hear a lot of Golden Comet owners say that their chickens are literally shining in the sunlight.
We should also mention right away that this is not a very large chicken breed, so if you were hoping for a good-sized chicken to eventually butcher for its meat, you won’t find it here.
Instead, the females are known for being quite small, only getting to be around four pounds heavy in general, with the males on the other side of the spectrum getting to be around six pounds heavy at most.
Any and all Golden Comet chickens are known for having a single upright red comb. On top of that their eyes are also known for being bright yellow and their beaks will always be brownish-yellow.
As far as the legs are concerned, you will find most Golden Comets to have bright to dark yellow footsies, with four toes on each one of their feet.
The standard Golden Comet chicken is also known for having an inverted triangle shaped body, with a very high-held tail and a stout stature.
The Golden Comet chick is known for looking very similar to chicks from other breeds, but the males are arguably way different from any other breed out there.
These females have yellow fluffy feathers that have a very interesting rusty tint to them which makes them stand out in the light.
As they grow older, most Golden Comet chicks tend to develop more adult characteristics which separates them from the average chicken breed.
Personality and Temperament
Now here comes the real shocker, these chickens, that were specifically bred to be around humans and to be raised by farmers all around the globe, handle themselves perfectly fine and are known for being very friendly and easygoing.
Yes, this may not be too much of a jumpscare to most people but it is true, the Golden Comet chicken breed is known as one of the friendliest chicken breeds your money could get you.
On top, their curiosity knows no bounds as this breed will pretty much never stop exploring its surroundings.
It is also very docile and easy to handle, and child-friendly so you can actually let your children play around with it while you’re away.
Interestingly enough, Golden Comets are also known for being very quick to mature. This means that they will go from being fast and energetic to being curious and friendly practically overnight, as they will follow you around all day long begging you for pets and snacks.
Just keep in mind that their curiosity and explorative nature doesn’t always work out in their favor. They will often times attempt to hop over the fences and get to places that they were never meant to get to in the first place.
They are capable of doing this simply because of how lightweight they are, which is why you should invest in a good clipper for their wings otherwise they will never stay put.
The Golden Comet chickens are known for loving every bit of attention they can get, pretty much always demanding kisses and pats on their noggin with every chance they get.
They also love being picked up and there are more than a handful of testimonies out there from people that state that Golden Comets are the best breed to go for if you have children.
This is because the children love messing with whatever creature is smaller than them, and the Golden Comets love every bit of attention they can get their hands on.
So, it’s pretty much just a win-win scenario for the chicken breed as it will never stop demanding attention and it will never get overstimulated no matter how many times you come over to pet them on the head.
Due to how small and friendly they are, it shouldn’t come off as a surprise that Golden Comet chickens are also not known to instigate fights.
In fact, in most cases they are the ones to be bullied around by other chickens, so make sure to keep a close eye on your flock if you introduce a brand-new Golden Comet chicken to their ranks.
They are also known for running as far away from danger as possible, so if you were expecting the breed to fight back against a potential predator, you will be sorely mistaken.
Because of their friendly nature and how proficient they are at egg laying, it’s no wonder that the breed is equally popular as egg producers and family pets.
But don’t take their docile nature as a sign that they will allow just any other chicken to step all over them.
If stressed out, these chickens will run across the coop all day long breaking everything in their sight just to get away from the threat.
If you want to start a new coop and you don’t want there to be any trouble with pecking order, we recommend that you pair the Golden Comet chickens with the following breeds:
- Cochins
- Faverolles
- Plymouth Rocks
- Rhode Island Reds may not sound like all that great of a choice, but because of their large size and aggressive nature, they get along quite swimmingly with the Golden Comets since they don’t have to fight for the same place in the flock hierarchy
- New Hampshire Reds
- Orpingtons
- Plus most other sex-link chickens as they tend to be very friendly and easy to take care of
Golden Comet Egg and Meat Production
If you are primarily on the lookout for a good egg laying breed, you absolutely should consider going for a Golden Comet chicken.
That’s because these beauties can lay as many as 300 to 330 medium to large eggs per year, which means that you can expect as many as six brown eggs coming up per week.
In the current economy we have going, that’s practically the same as winning a lottery ticket in our book considering how expensive eggs have gotten.
Another thing to note here is that Golden Comet chickens tend to start laying eggs much earlier than most other chicken breeds. So, if you’re looking for an instant reward type of an investment, this may be the right choice for you.
But how much of a difference does this make? Well, for example, the average Rhode Island Red starts laying eggs around the 18-20th week or so, while most Buff Orpingtons need 24 weeks to start laying themselves.
The Ancona chicken breed needs around 20 weeks while the White Leghorn usually needs 16 to 17 weeks until it can start handing out little omelets every morning.
The Golden Comet however is able to lay eggs around the 16th week mark, so by the time they get to be four months old, they’re already laying eggs like it’s nobody’s business.
The eggs will also grow as they grow, so you can expect the eggs to be a bit on the smaller end when they are pullets, but as they mature the eggs will start to get larger and larger.
One thing we should mention here is that most Golden Comets tend to start laying their eggs in random places at first, so you will need to direct them towards their nesting boxes when they are still pullets.
You can do so by putting false eggs in the nest boxes. You can also put golf balls or any sort of round white or light brown object in the nest boxes to indicate to your Golden Comet that this is where the eggs should go.
You will also need to clean their nests properly every day so that they understand that this is a clean environment for your chickens to lay their eggs in.
Last but not least you should definitely make sure that the nest boxes are properly decontaminated, cleaned and mite-free so that they don’t feel like they are laying their eggs in a hazardous environment.
The Golden Comet chickens can lay eggs for around two years or so, after which they will still lay a few eggs per week, but their production will start to slow down exponentially until they’re practically incapable of doing anything anymore.
As far as their meat production is concerned, while the quality of the meat is up there, it is not recommended to buy your very own Golden Comet chickens specifically for this purpose.
That’s because this is a very small breed to invest into. Most of them won’t even get heavier than five to six pounds each, so it would be a pretty big waste of money if that’s all you’re looking for.
In order for them to get to that size, they will also need to be raised for over a year or two, which is not that great of a deal considering just how little meat you can get from them in the first place.
So, while they are exceptional egg-laying birds, we don’t recommend going for Golden Comet chickens if you’re specifically looking for a good meat breed to invest into.
How Do You Know When the Golden Comet is Ready to Lay Eggs?
There are a handful of telltale signs you will need to look out for here, including the fact that their pink waddle and comb tend to become bright red and they start eating and drinking a lot more at that too.
The Golden Comet hens will also start to squat as soon as you approach them, which indicates the fact they are ready for the roosters by now.
Lastly, the chickens will also start to explore some of the lesser-visited parts of the coop in order to find the perfect place to start laying their eggs in.
Golden Comet Health Problems
As you can expect from a hybrid chicken breed, the Golden Comet chicken don’t have any of the health-related problems that most other breeds carry with them.
Still, you should keep a lookout for the following health concerns as they are universal scares that any chicken owners should be wary of:
- Lice, mites and worms – In order to make sure that your chicken doesn’t have to worry about these, make sure to clean their coop on a weekly basis and also treat your flock with natural parasiticides every now and then
- Short lifespans – As mentioned previously, the Golden Comet breed is here for a good time, not for a long time, so you shouldn’t expect your chicken to live longer than six to eight years in total
- Egg production concerns – This will always be a problem with any egg-laying breed, so issues like egg yolk peritonitis, reproductive tumors and other similar problems may sneak up on you. Make sure to feed your chickens plenty of calcium to avoid all of this
Conclusion
So, there you have it, that’s everything that you should know about raising your very own Golden Comet chickens.
Regardless of whether you’re looking for a good egg producer or if you just want a helpful pet to add to the household, the Golden Comet will more than fit the bill on both fronts admirably.
