Golden Comet chickens are a beautiful bird with stunning colors. This chicken is a red sex link created in the 1950s for incredible egg production. What makes these chickens so great? They are the perfect hybrid of a Rhode Island Red rooster and White Leghorn hen. You can effortlessly sex chicks from the day they hatch. And since the Rhode Island Red and White Leghorn are fantastic egg producers, the Golden Comet inherits this trait as well. But you may be thinking, Is a Golden Comet chicken right for me? Keep reading these pros and cons to find out!
Pro #1: Plenty Of Eggs
Is a Golden Comet chicken right for me? If you want up to 330 eggs per year, they are! You will love how reliable these birds are at giving you seven delicious large eggs a week. And since the Golden Comet chicken egg color is dark brown, it’s a beautiful addition to your egg basket.
And the best part is that Golden Comet chicken eggs keep coming all year round. Not even winter slows these production chickens down.
Pro #2: Early Layers
Not only does the Golden Comet chicken give you plenty of eggs. They also start laying their eggs sooner than other breeds. The Golden Comet chickens laying age begins at 16 weeks. That’s eight weeks sooner than most chicken breeds. So your chickens will earn their keep sooner.
Pro #3: No Accidental Roosters
Since the Golden Comet is a sex-link chicken, you are guaranteed from hatch day what gender they are. Males are born with light yellow coloring and grow up to be all white or white with red shoulders. Females are born bronze with stripes and grow up to be a reddish-brown with some white feathers.
You might wonder why knowing the gender is so important? Some people prefer not to have a rooster because they raise chickens strictly for eggs. And we all know you don’t need roosters for eggs. And for some owners, it’s essential because of city ordinances. Having Golden Comets ensures you won’t know the heartache of rehoming a chick you’ve raised.
Pro #4: Temperament
A Golden Comet chicken temperament is docile and sweet. They don’t cause strife with other hens in the pecking order. But Golden Comets also aren’t pushovers and hold their own. These hens tend to stick to the middle-ranking and don’t pick on smaller hens.
Your Golden Comet chicken will follow you around the yard, curious about everything you do. And they happily jump into your lap given the opportunity. That is why some people love these hens as pets.
Pro #5: Beginners
Another reason why Golden Comets are ideal for every owner is that they are easy to care for. They don’t require any special attention or diets. And they aren’t prone to lots of illnesses that other egg producers aren’t inclined to getting. So no matter if you are an experienced chicken owner or just starting. These chickens are right for you.
Pro #6: Healthy
No chicken breed is immune to diseases. But the Golden Comet chicken is a hardy creature. They have healthy antibodies that resist bacterial infections and respiratory illnesses. With a flock of Golden Comets, you won’t have to worry about them continually needing medical attention and antibiotics.
Pro #7: Dual-Purpose
While Golden Comets are mostly known for their egg production, they also make decent dual-purpose hens. Most Golden Comet chickens weigh 5-6 pounds when fully grown. So while they aren’t the best broiler chickens, it’s still possible.
Having a dual-purpose chicken is useful for when your hens are no longer producing eggs. It’s also good if you are breeding Golden Comets and get a few roosters, which is inevitable.
Pro #8: Non-Broody
As a result of their breeding, your Golden Comet chicken will rarely go broody. This can be good news for beginner chicken keepers. Broody chickens can be hard to break if they don’t have chicks of their own. In some cases, having a hen go broody for too long can cause serious illnesses.
Pro #9: Good With Kids
Because the Golden Comet chicken has such a sweet temperament, they are perfect for families. Your kids won’t have to be afraid of an overly aggressive chicken. That means you can recruit help to gather eggs and clean with no worries! Who doesn’t like help in the hen house?
Pro #10: Not Loud
For our urban friends, you will be glad to know that the Golden Comet is a quieter breed. They don’t startle easy, so they rarely make a fuss. And since they aren’t a dominant breed, they won’t get loud trying to establish a pecking order. Your neighbors will thank you, and so will your sleep.
Pro #11: Cost
Unlike the chicken that lays the golden eggs, a Golden Comet hen is affordable for everyone. Cheap chicks and pullets are nice because it makes it easier to replace your hens. And it makes it more affordable to have an entire flock of Golden Comet chickens.
Pro #12: Common
You can find Golden Comet chickens just about everywhere. You can order them online, buy in-store, or find a local breeder. They are also labeled as a Red Sex Link Chicken or under other brand names depending on the vendor.
Some experienced owners prefer to find local breeders instead of large hatcheries. The reasoning behind this is that sex-link chickens bred on a smaller scale have fewer medical problems.
Pro #13: Foragers
No one has ever gone broke trying to feed a Golden Comet. A Golden Comet has a big appetite to support all the eggs she lays. But they find most of their food through foraging. As long as they have a good-sized run or a yard to roam, they can fend for themselves.
Pro #14: Breed Your Own
If you wanted, you could breed your own Golden Comets. If you have the purebred Rhode Island Red roosters and White Leghorn hens, you could have a small chick hatchery. Doing this could give you a constant turn over of laying hens. And it allows you to make a little bit of money on the side to pay for feed.
The only tricky part to breeding your own Golden Comets is that you will have to use an incubator. Most White Leghorns don’t go broody very often, so they won’t stay on their eggs.
Con #1: Short Laying Years
Now it’s time to talk about all the reasons a Golden Comet isn’t right for you. One major con of the Golden Comet is their short laying years. While this chicken begins laying at an early age, it doesn’t last long.
After about two years, your Golden Comet will slow down significantly. So if you want to keep up with an egg-producing hen, you will need to replace it regularly. For some, this makes them not worth the time. But we think that our non-laying hens make perfect pets.
Con #2: Lifespan
The Golden Comet chicken does not live as long as other breeds. The average lifespan of a Golden Comet is 4-5 years. This shorter lifespan is due to their fast maturity rate. It’s also what contributes to their short laying years. For this reason, most people don’t think they are worth replacing.
Con #3: Breeding
The Golden Comet hen is not one that you should breed lightly. For starters, breeding two sex-link chickens does not produce sex-link chicks. But you could breed your hens to create a hybrid version of your own. Just don’t expect the hens to help you much.
Since Golden Comets were explicitly bred not to go broody, they don’t sit on their eggs. If you want to crossbreed, you will need to be ready with an incubator and brooder. Doing it this way takes more time and effort, but it is rewarding to some.
Con #4: Golden Comet Rooster
A Golden Comet chicken rooster is beautiful and elegant to look at, but they are aggressive. Your rooster will protect his hens well and take good care of them, just without the help of humans.
Your rooster will become even more aggressive during mating months and might protect his hens from you. They will charge, chase, bite, and scratch anyone who comes too close. So if you have children, a Golden Comet rooster isn’t for you.
Con #5: Medical Concerns
And finally, Golden Comet chicken is designed to lay lots of eggs in a short amount of time. Because of that, they are prone to a lot of reproductive problems. The most common issues are egg bound, egg yolk peritonitis, tumors, and nutrient deficiencies. With a well-rounded diet, regular check-ups, and not stimulating more rapid egg production.
Is A Golden Comet Chicken Right For Me?
It’s clear to see that there are so many reasons to go out and get Golden Comets. These chickens are the best egg producers known to man. And they are made even better by having such a sweet temperament. If you can look past the very few cons, the Golden Comet is right for you.
Below is a Pinterest friendly photo…. so you can pin it to your Backyard Chicken Board!!
