The Chicken’s Comb – What Exactly Is It?
The Chicken’s comb is the fleshy organ on top of the chicken’s head and the wattles are what hangs below the beak. They both perform a similar function.
What Exactly is a Chicken’s Comb?
The chicken’s comb will tell you a great deal about how your chicken is doing and feeling.
The chicken comb is a vascular organ full of arteries, veins, and blood vessels. If your chicken’s comb is pecked or injured, you will see a tremendous amount of bleeding. The main function of the comb is to control and maintain body temperature. In the summer, it will release heat to help cool the chicken off and will retain heat in the winter.
Once your chicken has reached maturity, its comb should be bright and full. Most chickens have red combs but there are some breeds with black, gray, or purple. The important thing is to know what is normal for your bird and recognize when something is wrong.
Problems with Chicken Combs
- If you notice white patches on the comb, it could be a fungal infection.
- Blisters are a good indication of fowl pox.
- Black spots are generally from a pecking injury but could also be fowl pox. The blisters from fowl pox will scab over after a couple of days. For more info, check out that blog post.
- A pale comb could be a number of things, anemia from mites or lice, worms, heat stress, or a side-effect of molting.
- A flat or dry comb could indicate dehydration.
- If the comb has a purplish or blue tint, your bird may be suffering from a heart condition, circulatory problems, or a respiratory illness.
- If you see black on the edges, it could be the beginning of frostbite.
Your bird’s comb may become lighter throughout the day, especially during times of stress, heat, and egg-laying. Just monitor and make sure the color comes back.
Chicken’s Comb Come in all Shapes and Sizes.
- Single comb
- Rose comb
- Pea comb
- Walnut comb
- Strawberry comb
- Buttercup
- V comb
- Cushion
Chickens do better in cooler temps. However, if you have a bird with a large comb and you live in a cold climate, you will have to watch out for frostbite. Larger comb birds do better in hot climates and smaller combs in cold climates.
Being in Texas, we tend to purchase birds with large combs but not always. Our birds with smaller combs, I tend to monitor more closely in the summer and will intervene when temps are above 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Some birds have a hard time releasing enough heat with the smaller comb to stay cool. Check out my blog post on Keeping Chickens Cool in Summer.
Popular Breeds and their Comb Types
When we got Trixie, we thought she was a Rhode Island Red but her comb told a different story. The Dominique and the Barred Rock can sometimes be confused because of their coloring but again, different combs.
Single comb – Leghorn, Rhode Island Red, Barred Rock, Sexlinks, Australorp, Java, Welsummer, Isa Brown, Sussex
Pea comb – Buckeye. Ameraucana, Brahma, Cornish
Rose comb – Wyandotte, Dominique, Hamburg, Sebright
Buttercup – Sicilian Buttercup
Walnut comb – Silkies
V shaped comb – Sultan, Crevecoeurs
Cushion comb – Chantecler
You may notice that birds with larger combs tend to be more aggressive and will be at the top of the pecking order. They also lay more eggs than the smaller comb birds. You may not find this completely true with your flock, but in general, it’s pretty accurate.
Be sure and keep an eye on your chicken’s comb. It plays an important role in their well-being. If your bird has an injury and loses its comb, unfortunately, it won’t grow back. Your bird can survive without it but will require special care. With a partial loss (like to frostbite), your bird should recover just fine and it can probably be treated at home.
