Golden comet chickens can hold their own when it comes to egg production. If you are considering them for egg production, they are easily a good pick and they can fit just as well in small chicken coops, yes, in your backyard and they are the most rescued breed and you can get them from the hatcheries.
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Lifespan of Golden comet chicken
The downside of this amazing egg production is that after two to three years, you will need to replace the flock because the egg production reduces significantly. The period of laying eggs takes a toll on their bodies and this subsequently makes the golden comet chickens’ lifespan short. Golden comet chicken live up to at most four years when they are well taken care of. The golden comet chicken lifespan however can be reduced or improved by other factors which we will be discussing here.
Golden Comet Chicken Origins
Golden comet chickens are a result of a cross breed between the White Rock Hen and the New Hampshire Rooster. When hatched, their eggs produce a different breed, golden comets only come from the White Rock and the New Hampshire mix.
Description
They have red wattles and combs with yellow feet. Golden comets are light to medium reddish brown and are flecked with a bit of white. Golden comets are sex linked chickens; their sex can be determined by their colour on the day they are hatched which is not possible for some breeds. This makes it so easy to pick the hens only and to avoid the males when you are selecting chickens for a hatchery. Some communities do not appreciate the noise made by the males so you are guaranteed that you can collect a quiet group for yourself.
Golden comets are not your go to when you are looking for meat, their bodies are rather small with an average weight of 1.8kgs and they are usually sent to the slaughterhouse when they are two years or older.
Egg production
This breed of chickens was developed for intensive egg production. They lay as early as sixteen weeks and they have prolific output. They can lay up to three hundred eggs a year in their prime and they can survive in any climate.
Diseases
While raising chickens isn’t awfully hard, occasionally they do have health complications or other issues that you can’t figure out. Like all the other breeds, the golden comet chicken lifespan can be shortened by diseases. There is need for one to take extra care to make sure that the chickens do not succumb to the various diseases, the basic idea is that once you have an ill bird, you should remove it from the flock and isolate it, in case the disease is contagious.
Chicken Mites
These tiny bugs drink chicken blood. When unchecked, they can cause chicken illness and death. You can easily tell about their presence through examining the underside of the roosts for mites and the chickens themselves will avoid the infested areas so continuous checking is necessary. To get a step ahead of these mites, and to improve the golden comet chicken lifespan, you should keep the coop sanitary and you can also use vet approved insecticides.
Reproductive tumours
Chickens that are bred for large scale egg production are likely to develop ovarian tumours due to continuous production. This challenges the golden comet chicken lifespan because they develop by the time the hens are two years of age. The tumours are difficult to identify until their growth is well advanced leaving the chickens very vulnerable.
Egg yolk peritonitis
The weight of the chickens at laying age is very important that one has to adhere to the proper weight required for the specific strain in their care. Stimulation by light to underweight birds’ forces them to start laying eggs earlier than they should. On the other hand, overweight birds tend to have erratic ovulations and mortality associated with egg peritonitis. EYD is an inflammatory response caused by the presence of yolk material in the peritoneum from a raptured egg or a retained egg in the oviduct that can negatively affect the golden comet chicken’s lifespan. After three years of age they become susceptible to reproductive organ issues, such as peritonitis and tumours, due to the heavy use of these body parts.
Nutrition
Breeders have to pay attention to the nutritional needs of their chickens. There is need to make sure that they do not starve or overfeed the chickens, overweight chickens are vulnerable to health issues with their backs and legs as the most affected. Chickens benefit greatly from the commercially manufactured feed because of how it is designed to meet their nutritional needs at every stage of their lives. If a problem arises or egg production slows down, the first place to look is the nutritional value of the feed that the birds are being given. Changing the feed to a better-quality feed with higher nutrition restores good egg production as well as health. The golden comet chicken lifespan is improved or dependent on the balance between being overweight and being scrawny.
Environment
Clean, dry, warm coops with adequate food and water allow the golden comet chicken lifespan to be longer than the ones with living conditions on the other extreme end where there is marginal nutrition and fending for self. Although they tolerate confinement, golden comet chickens thrive in environments where there is adequate space and they can express their natural behaviours. Golden comet chickens are relatively lightweight, flying is easy for them to do therefore there is need to use an enclosed run or to clip their wings in order to keep them controlled.
Golden Comet chickens are sociable, peaceful and prolific layers, they make excellent backyard birds, but at the price of a short life and susceptibility to reproductive tract issues. Golden comets are easy to maintain but one just has to keep an eye out for any issues that may arise to help ensure that they are well. The golden comet chicken lifespan is shorter, compared to other breeds that can go as far as seven years and they do not make good eating meat. Although The golden comet chicken lifespan is not that long, with ideal care however, they can live to be four years old!