How to Create Rose Comb RIR

[CWhite67]

I’ve been wanting some rosecomb RIR bantams for quite some time, but such birds do not exist in in my part of Canada. I’ve got a spectacular line of sc RIR, and I’m thinking of what breed would y‘all cross them to, to get the rose comb? I show my line of bantam blacks and silver laced Wyandotte’s, and Hamburg’s, so I have the rose combs. What would y’all do?

 

[NatJ]

I would probably use the one that is closest in body type, and keep crossing offspring back to the Rhode Island Red.

Rose comb is caused by a dominant gene, so it should work to just cross to RIR, select a chick with rose comb, cross back to RIR, select a chick with rose comb, cross back to RIR again, and so forth until you have the right result.

The thing I am not sure about: whether those rose combs will be the correct shape. I know there are genes that affect the shape & size of a rose comb, but I have no idea whether your single comb RIRs will happen to have the right ones or not.

If you need to keep crossing back to the non-RIR to get the right shape in the comb, it will be a much longer project.

 

[CWhite67]

I would probably use the one that is closest in body type, and keep crossing offspring back to the Rhode Island Red.

Rose comb is caused by a dominant gene, so it should work to just cross to RIR, select a chick with rose comb, cross back to RIR, select a chick with rose comb, cross back to RIR again, and so forth until you have the right result.

The thing I am not sure about: whether those rose combs will be the correct shape. I know there are genes that affect the shape & size of a rose comb, but I have no idea whether your single comb RIRs will happen to have the right ones or not.

If you need to keep crossing back to the non-RIR to get the right shape in the comb, it will be a much longer project.

Thanks for your insight! That’s exactly what I was thinking of doing, but you’re right in the fact that the comb shape will be the most difficult part.