Sophie Bennett
The top of a chicken's head is called a comb. It consists of soft, tall red points and helps the chicken regulate its body temperature in the heat. Combs were also used in cookery in England, France, and Italy.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the top of a chicken's head | Comb |
| Comb colour | Red |
| Comb shape | Single, cup, cushion, horn, leaf |
| Comb function | Regulates body temperature, acts as a radiator |
| Beak | Keratin beak with no teeth |
| Tongue | Triangular tongue with tiny barbs |
| Nostrils | Two nostrils surrounded by a raised tan patch called the cere |
| Eyes | Small, yellow with black, grey or reddish-brown pupils |
| Vision | 300-degree field of vision, colour vision, UV cone, motion-detecting cone |
| Earlobes | Fleshy skin located under the ear hole and the side of the head |
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What You'll Learn
- The 'comb' is the name for the red fleshy points on top of a chicken's head
- Beaks are made of keratin and used for eating, killing prey, and grooming
- Chickens have excellent colour vision and a wide field of vision
- Chickens have earlobes, which are located under the ear hole and the side of the head
- The feathers around a chicken's neck are called 'hackles'
The 'comb' is the name for the red fleshy points on top of a chicken's head
The red fleshy points on top of a chicken's head are called combs. They are soft and tall and help chickens regulate their body temperature in the heat. As the comb sticks up, blood flows into it and cools the chicken down. Conversely, chickens with large combs may struggle in cold weather, as they are prone to frostbite.
Combs come in many different types and shapes, depending on the breed of chicken. The principal ones are: the single comb, which extends in a single line from the top of the base of the beak to the back of the head; the cup comb, or buttercup comb, which is cup-shaped with spiked edges; the cushion comb, which is compact and cushion-shaped with small protuberances; the horn comb, or V-comb, which has two spikes in a V shape; and the leaf comb, or shell comb, which resembles a butterfly with partially opened wings.
There are three known genes that affect the shape of a chicken's comb: Rose-Comb, Pea-Comb, and Duplex-Comb, the latter of which has one allele responsible for buttercup combs and another for V-combs.
Historically, combs have been used in cookery, particularly in French and Italian cuisine. They were often used as garnishes or combined with other luxury ingredients in sauces.
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Beaks are made of keratin and used for eating, killing prey, and grooming
The red fleshy points on top of a chicken's head are called combs. They help chickens regulate their body temperature in the heat. As the comb sticks up, blood flows into it and cools. The comb also has some sex appeal for chickens.
The mouth of a chicken is known as a beak. Beaks are made of keratin and used for eating, killing prey, and grooming. They are also used for manipulating objects, probing for food, and feeding their young. Inside the beak, there are no teeth. Instead, tiny barbs cover a small, triangular tongue. Because of this, chickens must always have access to water as they use it to help soften and swallow food. Food travels from the beak to the crop, which stores food until it moves to the stomach.
Chickens also use their beaks to groom themselves, running their feathers through their beaks to smooth them. The beak does continue to grow throughout a hen's life and may need to be trimmed to prevent damaging pecking. This is a delicate procedure, so it may be best left to a vet or poultry specialist.
Combs and beaks are both used in cookery, often in combination with wattles or chicken kidneys. They were formerly used in French cuisine as garnishes and to prepare salpicons served in vol-au-vents, profiteroles, and other luxury dishes.
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Chickens have excellent colour vision and a wide field of vision
Chickens have tetrachromatic vision, which means they have four types of cones that let them see red, blue, and green light, as well as ultraviolet light. This gives them the ability to see many more colours and shades than humans. In addition, chickens have a motion-detecting cone in their eyes, which allows them to sense even the slightest of movements much more easily.
The superior colour vision of chickens is due to the well-organized structure of their eyes. Most avian cones have a specialized structure that acts as "cellular sunglasses," with a lens-like drop of pigmented oil within the cone that filters out all but a particular range of light. This extra sensitivity to colour may help chickens find mates, as they often have colourful plumage, or when feeding on colourful fruit.
Chickens have a wide field of vision due to the lateral placement of their eyes. They can see about 300 degrees around without turning their heads, although this is not as wide as a horse's field of vision, which is 330 degrees. Chickens also have bifocal vision, which gives them good depth perception. They can use each eye independently on different tasks simultaneously.
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Chickens have earlobes, which are located under the ear hole and the side of the head
The colour of a chicken's earlobes can also provide information about the colour of the eggs it lays. Generally, chickens with white earlobes lay white eggs, while those with dark-coloured lobes lay brown eggs. For example, the Araucana breed of chickens may have earlobes in pale green or blue and lay eggs of corresponding colours. This relationship between earlobe and egg colour is due to the presence of porphyrins, which are formed from the breakdown of hemoglobin, the oxygen-transporting molecule found in red blood cells.
Chicken earlobes are typically more prominent in roosters compared to hens and tend to grow larger as the bird ages. While the earlobes themselves are not mentioned frequently in genetic literature, their colour has been the subject of genetic research. For instance, studies have investigated the inheritance patterns of earlobe colour variations and the genomic regions associated with white/red earlobe colour traits in certain chicken populations.
In addition to earlobes, chickens have other distinctive features on their heads. One notable feature is the comb, which consists of soft, tall red points on top of the head. The comb plays a crucial role in helping chickens regulate their body temperature. As the comb sticks up, blood flows into it and cools, aiding in heat dissipation. Beaks, wattles, hackles, and feathers are also important components of a chicken's head anatomy, each serving specific functions.
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The feathers around a chicken's neck are called 'hackles'
Chickens have a variety of distinctive features on their heads, and a unique vocabulary has developed to describe these. The red fleshy points on top of a chicken's head are called the comb. The comb helps the chicken to regulate its body temperature in hot weather, acting like a radiator as blood flows into it and cools. Combs come in a variety of shapes, including single, cup or buttercup, cushion, horn or V-shaped, and leaf or shell.
Below the comb are the chicken's two nostrils, surrounded by a raised patch called the cere. The chicken's beak is made of keratin and is used for eating, killing prey, manipulating objects, and grooming. Chickens do not have teeth but have a small triangular tongue with tiny barbs to help them move food to the back of their mouths.
Below the beak are the wattles, fleshy red, brown, or blue lobes of skin that also aid in regulating body temperature. The feathers around a chicken's neck are called hackles and are often highly decorative. The head and neck feathers together are called a cape, while the long tail feathers are called sickles.
Chickens have small eyes with excellent colour vision and a 300-degree field of vision. They also have a motion-detecting cone in their eyes, allowing them to sense even slight movements.
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Frequently asked questions
The red thing on a chicken's head is called a comb.
The comb helps chickens regulate their body temperature. Blood flows into the comb, allowing it to cool.
Combs come in many different types and shapes, including single combs, cup combs, cushion combs, horn combs, and leaf combs.
Yes, historically, the term "cock's comb" was used to refer to the comb of a chicken.
