Breeding questions

[Ridgerunner]

Where does the straight or single comb come in?

Not sure what you are asking? And I'm trying to remember what a CLB is, maybe not enough coffee yet.

I was trying to lay out basic comb genetics. Aart, I think you already know this but I'll go through it anyway for others' benefit. Assume R is the dominant rose comb gene, r is the recessive not-Rose comb gene. P is the partially dominant pea comb gene, p is the recessive not-pea gene.

RR;pp or Rr;pp ............... rose comb

rr;PP ................................ pea comb

rr;Pp ............................... what I call a wonky pea comb. You can see the affects but it is not a full pea comb.

RR;PP or Rr;PP ................... cushion or walnut comb. Same thing, different names.

RR;Pp or Rr;Pp ....................I'd assume it is a wonky cushion or walnut. Maybe just a bit different.

rr;pp ................................. a single comb.

All this is really pretty straight forward. The complicating factor is that there are several modifiers that can change these into really weird shapes, Vee and Buttercup are examples. And there are size genetic modifiers.

The OP's question was whether or not the hen or rooster had more influence on the size of the comb. The correct answer is that neither male or female makes a difference, it just depends which one happens to have which genetics and how they mix.

 

[aart]

rr;pp ................................. a single comb.

This^^^
CLB is Cream Leg Bar...or CCL is Crested Cream Legbar...pretty much same birds.
They have fairly floppy single combs, from leghorn in genetic background(I think).

 

[Mosey2003]

OP, in your situation and with your goals, I would choose your hens and then try to make sure you can separate who laid what. Then, when you see your chicks grown, if any of them have what you're after you know who to breed again.

 

[Notaneggspurt]

Here's a draft of the American SOP and it does say single comb.
http://creamlegbarclub.com/breed-1/
I can't for the life of me remember the thread on here (couple years or longer back) regarding someone working on a project to develop a pea comb line. I think they lived in Canada or somewhere similar in climate.

 

[Notaneggspurt]

To the OP, this may help some with visual references.
https://articles.extension.org/page...or-small-and-backyard-flocks:-an-introduction
The main thing would be to properly identify the comb type you have. A small comb isn't necessarily indicative of a type. It could simply be a defect. Can you post pictures of the combs on the ones you are looking at breeding?

There are a number of factors to look at, even for a personal hobby flock. There are some great discussions all over the site regarding how to choose breeding stock. The best advice I can give is to keep good notes.

 

[Ridgerunner]

This^^^
CLB is Cream Leg Bar...or CCL is Crested Cream Legbar...pretty much same birds.
They have fairly floppy single combs, from leghorn in genetic background(I think).

Thanks, I just drew a blank. I just did a bit of research. The Cream Legbar was presented as a new breed in the UK in 1947. It was developed from the original Chilean blue egg layers and a leghorn. It's possible other breeds were also used, I don't know.

If you recall your history, the original Chilean blue egg layers were single combed, the pea comb came from another local breed of chickens and they got mixed up when presented to the rest of the world. So the single comb could have come from either or both of the birds used to develop it.

This article from the Ameraucana Alliance explains it. Supposedly the original blue egg layers had a small single comb so the big floppy probably came from the Leghorn.

http://ameraucana.org/DnLd/Early History by Richard Orr.pdf

 

[Mosey2003]

Also, in a single comb breed, an unusually small comb on a cock would give me pause, as it could imply he's less than vigorous.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Here's a draft of the American SOP and it does say single comb.
http://creamlegbarclub.com/breed-1/
I can't for the life of me remember the thread on here (couple years or longer back) regarding someone working on a project to develop a pea comb line. I think they lived in Canada or somewhere similar in climate.

Thanks for that post. I understand it is still a proposal and not yet approved but it cleared something up for me. I had heard about the internal debate about the required egg color for the American version of cream legbar. Was it going to be blue or, like the British version, was green also going to be allowed. Looks like they decided blue or green will both work. I guess we wait and see what is approved.

 

[Notaneggspurt]

Aside from things like comb, color, egg color, size etc...
What other factors do you use to pick your rooster that you will breed?
Should one always use the "top dog" ? Does personality pass on?

The personality question would more likely be about how they are raised. A good nature can be ruined by poor nurturing or vice versa. Broody raised chicks allowed to stay with the hen until she rejects them will often have similar responses. If the hen that hatched them (does not have to be the same one that laid the egg) is friendly and enjoys human interaction she will likely teach or the chicks will learn by observation.

Personality can be greatly varied based on phase of life as well as flock dynamic. A rowdy "teen" with hormones ramping up can have a totally different personality after their first molt (around 16-18 months). Some say you can't breed for personality. Probably true. I do believe you can breed for intelligence.

As far as what to look for in breeders, you'll see the terms vitality and vigor. Understanding things like body type and some basic anatomy is good too. Choosing "the best of the best" would mean being able to compare red delicious apples to red delicious apples. With mixed breeds you have more of a red delicious to granny Smith. So choosing the best within your flock would be careful observation of each bird.

There's a lot of articles and research as far as breeding methods. With a personal hobby flock you can apply some of the basic teachings. Again I suggest keeping very good notes of your flock. There are some traits that could take multiple generations to appear. With small hatches the 50/50 may not be obvious to spot if you catch 5 versus 50. 25/25/25/25 even harder.

There's some very interesting reading on people's projects on breeding 100% hybrids. I think the one I'm thinking about was specifically related to Isa Browns which have a 4 breed mix.

For some ideas you can search with BYC for "breeding project".

Best of luck!

 

[Mosey2003]

I think temperament can be inherited to some degree. I raise all my birds the same, and I remember one batch from eggs I ordered that turned out just the absolute rankest males I've ever encountered. I won't go near that line again. I won't breed a really rank cock if I can avoid it, either.