Ever been curious why a hen has a little red crown or how the color of her eggs is determined? We’ve got the details and some of them may surprise you!
Comb
This helps regulate a hen’s body temperature! Chickens cannot sweat, so they have to control their body temperature by some other method. This is where their wattles and comb come into play! It is the heating and cooling center of the bird. In summertime when it is hot, the comb will diffuse some of the body heat to the air, thereby reducing the temperature of the bird and in the winter it helps to prevent heat loss.
Beak
A chicken uses its beak to tear off grass, open seeds and otherwise break foods into manageable pieces.
Wattles
Wattles are two elongated, fleshy, thin lobes of skin that hang down from the lower side of a chicken‘s head. Both male and female chickens have wattles, which help them to stay cool during warmer weather.
Ear Lobes
Chickens do have ears, although they are hidden by the feathers on the side of the head. When the feathers are pushed aside, their ear openings appear. There is no outer ear, but chickens do have earlobes that can be clearly seen. The color of a hen’s earlobe actually determines what color her eggs’ shells will be!
