is it normal and common for a buff orpington rooster to have a huge comb?

[Eggette]

Hello everyone on BYC,
I have a nice looking rooster that was hatched out last spring by one of my orpington hens. He has a compact tail unlike his dad who is older and has a few trailing feathers, so I was considering him for breeding. My only problem with him is that his comb is huge! I don't understand this since his dad doesn't have near the size of comb he has, none of the roosters I've hatched out have such a large comb. Is this normal for a mature juvenile orpington rooster?
I know he is really going to suffer hard this winter having such a comb.
By what I have read in the orpington standard guidelines I'm worried that he wouldn't make good breeding material because of this comb issue. Am I right?

 

[troy4]

Big combs dont effect thingS!roosters are suppose to have combs real big!

 

[donrae]

Do you have a picture of him?

 

[3riverschick]

Hello everyone on BYC,
I have a nice looking rooster that was hatched out last spring by one of my orpington hens. He has a compact tail unlike his dad who is older and has a few trailing feathers, so I was considering him for breeding. My only problem with him is that his comb is huge! I don't understand this since his dad doesn't have near the size of comb he has, none of the roosters I've hatched out have such a large comb. Is this normal for a mature juvenile orpington rooster?
I know he is really going to suffer hard this winter having such a comb.
By what I have read in the orpington standard guidelines I'm worried that he wouldn't make good breeding material because of this comb issue. Am I right?

Hi,
Welcome to BYC ! ,
Did you raise this cockerel in a restrained space? Cage raised males can develop larger combs.
Breed him to a hen from a family of smaller combs and see what happens. Combs size counts for
very few show points. If size is the only problem, try and breed past it. Yes, I understand about the
cold. It took my males several months to heal up after the bitter winter last year. But they are fine now.
Best,
Karen in western PA, USA

 

[Eggette]

Unfortunately I don't have a picture to upload at the moment, but I will try and take one so you can see him.
I did separate him earlier this year from the rest of the flock after my rooster killed one of them, and I've kept him since then in a cage about the size of a chicken tractor. But he grew up in quite a large chicken run.

 

[Eggette]

Okay, here are the few snap shots I was able to take of him. First I learned he is camera shy, and then my camera went dead on me.
The other pictures are of his dad, Eggbert who didn't mind at all posing for me.













My Eggbert

 

[donrae]

Hi,
Welcome to BYC ! ,
Did you raise this cockerel in a restrained space? Cage raised males can develop larger combs.
Breed him to a hen from a family of smaller combs and see what happens. Combs size counts for
very few show points. If size is the only problem, try and breed past it. Yes, I understand about the
cold. It took my males several months to heal up after the bitter winter last year. But they are fine now.
Best,
Karen in western PA, USA

Karen, do you know why that is? I've never heard that and would be interested in the why behind it.

Eggette, sorry I don't have more input for you, hoping someone more experienced picks up here. I agree that's a lot of comb, and not especially attractive. I guess it's just up to you if you want to breed him to smaller-combed hens, or take your chances breeding his sire again to try to get a better bird next hatch.

 

[3riverschick]

Karen, do you know why that is? I've never heard that and would be interested in the why behind it.

I don't know the why of it. I read it in a couple of places by noted authors.
I would be interested to know too.
Best,
Karen

 

[Eggette]

I have a few more young roosters coming along that were sired by my older rooster, I'll be watching to see what comes out in them as far as comb wise. I also have two new rooster chicks that came from mcmurray early last month, so I'm gonna be watching them as well. If I don't like the look of them I will probably start looking for an English orpington rooster to replace my rooster with. I love him to death, and he will be around until his death but not sure he is going to work out for breeding.

 

[Yellow House Farm]

The reality is that in raising out birds there will be a variety of comb sizes and qualities that pop out. The more highly bred a group of birds is, the more controlled these factors will be. The APA/ABA breeder goes to his or her Standard and learns whether it is supposed to be a small, medium, or large comb, and then it is selected in proportion to the size of the bird. In raising out stock, this would be done comparatively. Over time, as you work more closely with the stock, the combs, as well as other traits, will become more uniform. It is not so much the bird but the strain that matters.