Comb questions

[CashewVulture]

Thanks for showing it!

I agree that the comb does not show any splitting in two, at the present time. The chick's comb looks more rose than cushion to me, and so does the comb on the Deathlayer hen you posted.

I tried to look up what kind of combs Deathlayers have, and I found Greenfire Farms saying they have cushion combs-- but all the birds in the photos have rose combs, not cushion, so I don't know whether to believe the words or the pictures!

A cushion comb is genetically pea + rose, but I'm seeing what looks like normal rose comb on your hen, and Greenfire Farms' Deathlayer page, and I think (but am not positive) on your chick as well. If no parent has the pea comb gene, then the chick cannot have it either (the Spitzhauben will not have the pea comb gene, the Deathlayer looks like she does not, and the Icelandic rooster in your other thread appears to have a normal single comb, so no pea comb gene from him either.)

But either way, I think the chick's comb looks like its mother's comb, and does not show any signs of having a V-comb gene (which could mean no Spitzhauben father, or it could mean Spitzhauben father but the V-comb gene really does not show any visible effects on a rose comb at this age.)

Huh that’s weird.

I think I read Icelandics can have many different types of comb including the rose comb. Our rooster has had many purebred Icelandic chicks and all of them had single combs however.

 

[NatJ]

Huh that’s weird.

I think I read Icelandics can have many different types of comb including the rose comb. Our rooster has had many purebred Icelandic chicks and all of them had single combs however.

Single comb is recessive to rose comb. If you have a rooster with a single comb, and hens with single combs, they will never produce any chicks with rose combs (because the single comb parents do not have any rose comb gene to give to their chicks.)

So even if the breed can have a rose comb, not every individual bird can produce rose comb chicks. If you breed your single comb rooster with a rose comb hen, you should get some chicks with rose combs.

 

[CashewVulture]

Single comb is recessive to rose comb. If you have a rooster with a single comb, and hens with single combs, they will never produce any chicks with rose combs (because the single comb parents do not have any rose comb gene to give to their chicks.)

So even if the breed can have a rose comb, not every individual bird can produce rose comb chicks. If you breed your single comb rooster with a rose comb hen, you should get some chicks with rose combs.

Ohhh okay! I didn’t know!

 

[CashewVulture]

Thanks for showing it!

I agree that the comb does not show any splitting in two, at the present time. The chick's comb looks more rose than cushion to me, and so does the comb on the Deathlayer hen you posted.

I tried to look up what kind of combs Deathlayers have, and I found Greenfire Farms saying they have cushion combs-- but all the birds in the photos have rose combs, not cushion, so I don't know whether to believe the words or the pictures!

A cushion comb is genetically pea + rose, but I'm seeing what looks like normal rose comb on your hen, and Greenfire Farms' Deathlayer page, and I think (but am not positive) on your chick as well. If no parent has the pea comb gene, then the chick cannot have it either (the Spitzhauben will not have the pea comb gene, the Deathlayer looks like she does not, and the Icelandic rooster in your other thread appears to have a normal single comb, so no pea comb gene from him either.)

But either way, I think the chick's comb looks like its mother's comb, and does not show any signs of having a V-comb gene (which could mean no Spitzhauben father, or it could mean Spitzhauben father but the V-comb gene really does not show any visible effects on a rose comb at this age.)

This is an updated picture of the same chick…the comb does seem to be split in two? Does that mean the father is Spitzhauben??

 

[NatJ]

This is an updated picture of the same chick…the comb does seem to be split in two? Does that mean the father is Spitzhauben??

Hmm, I think that does look split a bit, but I don't have any real experience with v-comb mixes.

@JacinLarkwell @Amer would you know if this is a V/Rose mixed comb?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Hmm, I think that does look split a bit, but I don't have any real experience with v-comb mixes.

@JacinLarkwell @Amer would you know if this is a V/Rose mixed comb?

I'd blame one of my spitzhauben hens if that bird showed up in my flock. Haven't ever had a rose/V split though so I'm not 110% sure

 

[Amer]

I'd blame one of my spitzhauben hens if that bird showed up in my flock. Haven't ever had a rose/V split though so I'm not 110% sure

X2

 

[CashewVulture]

I'd blame one of my spitzhauben hens if that bird showed up in my flock. Haven't ever had a rose/V split though so I'm not 110% sure

There are only two potential fathers, one with a single comb and one with a V comb. The V comb roo (Spitzhauben) is absolutely in love with the mother of this chick, so it would be very likely that it is a Deathlayer/Spitzhauben. But of course I can’t be sure.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

There are only two potential fathers, one with a single comb and one with a V comb. The V comb roo (Spitzhauben) is absolutely in love with the mother of this chick, so it would be very likely that it is a Deathlayer/Spitzhauben. But of course I can’t be sure.

Doesn't look like a single/rose comb

 

[NatJ]

There are only two potential fathers, one with a single comb and one with a V comb. The V comb roo (Spitzhauben) is absolutely in love with the mother of this chick, so it would be very likely that it is a Deathlayer/Spitzhauben. But of course I can’t be sure.

The only way I can think to be completely sure: let this chick grow up, breed it to a single comb bird, see if you get chicks with obvious double combs. If the chick has comb genes for rose and not-rose, along with V and not-V, breeding it with a single comb bird should give about even numbers of chicks with rose, V, both, and neither (=single). If the chick is pure Deathlayer, and you breed it with a single comb bird, you should get chicks with rose combs, and maybe some chicks with single combs, but none with V combs.

For now, I'm going to hope it becomes more clear as the chick keeps getting older, because that often does happen with confusing combs.