Combs and breeds

[Beccazon]

I read the article on combs. Completely intrigued. Now I want to know...
Can any breed end up sporting any random comb style???

 

[Ladybird CA]

Occasionally single combs can pop up in a non single combed breed

 

[Beccazon]

Occasionally single combs can pop up in a non single combed breed

So otherwise only specific breeds have "their" own combs? For example ...In the article (here in BYC) "buttercup combs" are just on buttercups. But in the contest here, they were on many breeds.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Certain breeds have certain comb types. That's because that's the genes they carry. They will not have pop ups of other comb types because they don't have other comb type genes. They can only produce comb types that they have genes for.
Some breeds carry other comb type genes and usually they're recessive so that will cause pop ups of incorrect combs.
Wyandotte often carry single comb genes. Single comb is recessive to rose so birds can carry single but also rose so the rose will show and the single stay hidden until birds with the recessive are crossed and an offspring gets a gene for the recessive from both parents then they get the recessive comb type. That's what the other poster means when they say some pop ups do happen. Its not that they just happen but the the genes were there but never showed until an offspring got two copies of that gene.
Now if you get into mixed breed birds you can be introducing all types of comb genes and depending what the offspring get depends what shows and also what is hidden that can show up later in their offspring.
Some combs are combinations of other combs so two different types can end up on the same bird to produce a whole different type. Silkies have walnut which is rose and pea together.
When dealing with pure bred birds it is unusual not to reproduce the same type from generation to generation. With mixing breeds its all up in the air but that's just because the genes are all over the place.

 

[Beccazon]

Wonderful explanation thank you! So their combs are like our eyes. Genetics determine it but there are dominant and recessive genes that alter the outcome. Makes complete sense! Does a comb that is not breed specific...so a recessive gene...make a chicken less desireble? As far as if one were breeding for sale?

 

[The Moonshiner]

Yes it is like how eye genetics work.
Less desirable depends on who's buy them and why.
I work with pure breeds so for me they would be less desirable for sure. I breed so if a bird carries genes that aren't correct for the breed then they'd be producing offspring that aren't correct or worse they'd be producing birds that carry recessive genes that aren't correct but don't show. Those can be passed on sight unseen for generations and are a pain to breed out.
I would be very discouraged to buy birds like that.
But on the other hand if I was raising just a mixed flock for eggs or fun then its cool to be able to keep fewer birds and breed them to get a grab bag of results. In that situation mixed genes gives you more variety in what you can hatch and excitement to see just what all different things do come out. I can see it being a bonus in that situation.