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I agree with what Bo stated. The females play a big part in determining the offspring's resulting comb structure. As for 7 points vs. some other number, yes it's genetic, but again, like Bo was saying, you have to assess the bird in total when deciding whether it should be part of your breeding program. I would hesitate to cull a bird with 7 points on its comb if everything else about it were fantastic. On the other hand if you have 2 birds of equal type and quality and one has 7 point and the other has 5 points, I'd use the bird with the correct number of points assuming of course that the comb was also correct for size and conformation. Another technique that works with mixed results is to match up a bird with too many points to a bird with too few points. I pay more attention to the points on the combs of my Blacks and Whites than I do on the other varieties that I raise at this time. Why? Because the Blacks and Whites should be to the point now where they are more refined and of higher general quality than the other varieties because many more breeders have been working with them for many years. With a variety like Partridge, I'll forgive a comb that has 4 or 6 points if the bird has type and decent pattern going for it. There are many factors to consider when selecting your breeders and overall type should be first and foremost. The head/comb are a small part of that, although usually the first thing noticed on a bird.