Combs

I said right back at the beginning of this blog that the dominiques have a pea comb. Recently Pepper’s comb has been getting very dirty so I did some research to see if anyone else has this problem. I didn’t find anything about dirty combs but what I did find was that I was mistaken about the pea comb. The dominiques actually have a rose comb. The difference is that the rose comb ends in a backward facing spike while the pea comb has no spike, just a rounded blunt edge. I am surprised that I haven’t realised this before as I have read loads about the dominiques.

My research about the dominiques comb stated that it should be fairly smooth which Dotty’s is but when I looked at lots of photos of dominiques, some had more knobbly combs like Pepper’s. Pepper’s comb has some deep grooves in it which is where the dirt collects.

Pepper’s dirty comb

This photo shows how black Pepper’s comb has become since we last washed it. I decided to wash it again last night and this time put some vaseline on it in the hope that this will protect it a bit from the dirt.

Pepper’s comb after it’s wash

Pepper’s comb looking much cleaner. It remains to be seen if it stays that way.

Dotty’s smoother comb

This photo shows Dotty’s comb which has less notches on it and stays much cleaner. It also shows her bare neck where Pepper has pulled the feathers out.

I have researched anti-peck sprays and read good reviews about them. They have a bad taste and smell and everyone that had used them said that it really worked at deterring the pecking. It can also be applied with cotton wool rather than spraying which would be better for the neck area as you don’t want to get it in the chickens eyes.

They cost between five and twelve pounds and there are many brands. My son, Steve, who is my I.T. guy has ordered a spray for me. I hope it comes quickly and we can stop this feather picking habit as soon as possible.