The Comet Sisters
My husband thinks every farm should have chickens. I was reluctant at first, but eventually agreed. I had no idea that chickens came in so many breeds and varieties! It took us hours of reading and research to settle on Golden Comet chickens. They are a hybrid chicken, bred for great egg production and known for a good temperament. They are the result of a mating between a New Hampshire rooster and a White Rock hen.
When choosing hens for Windyridge, we had to consider their ability to survive in our extreme temperatures. Kansas has blistering heat in the summer and frigid cold in the winter. We wanted a docile chicken, that would be grandkid-friendly. I didn’t want a rooster. I grew up hearing stories from my mother and grandmother about being chased and spurred by a rooster, and I wanted no part of that chaos. Since we eat unfertilized eggs, you can easily have a flock with out a rooster. We ordered pullets, females that are future egg-laying hens. We did not order males, which are cockerels that become roosters.
Some chickens in a flock that does not have a rooster, will become broody anyway and want to sit on eggs to try and hatch them. Golden Comet chickens are known for not being broody. They checked all the boxes and we ordered four. The hatchery sent five fluffy yellow chicks. Raising the chicks was pretty time consuming, but they turned into beautiful, friendly chickens. Each one lays about 300 eggs a year! I named them after comets, of course, what else could I do? They are Halley, Hubble, Levy, Temple and Tuttle.
I have never been around a friendly chicken before. If you squat down for any reason, or get close to something they are standing on, they will just hop on over and stand on you. I pet them, but honestly, I don’t like chickens standing on me. David loves it. He took some selfies once with Tuttle standing on his shoulder. If these barnyard selfies don’t make you laugh, check your pulse! Read more about our Golden Comet hens in the cozy mystery The View from Windyridge, Book One in the Jillian MacSweeney Mystery series. (Coming Spring 2026)
