crested chicken born without a crest?

[chicken-rooquacks]

i'd imagine there is such a thing...but being a very small farm, i have never seen one, myself, and have only found info that it indeed happens in crested ducks. Even with my mutt-chickens...it seems that if only one parent has a crest, the offspring still get a crest. so my first question is, is it possible for a chick of a crested CHICKEN breed to be born without a crest?

And my second question is, if it is possible, what do hatcheries & breeders do with the ones that don't get a crest? I'm not a big fan on culling unless you got a homicidal rooster or something u know is suffering n needs to be humanely put out of it's misery. So i really hope they dont cull it just bc it doesn't have a poofy head. but that's probably what i'm gonna get as an answer here.

 

[sourland]

Yes it is possible. Hatcheries just sell them with no qualms. Breeders sell them as 'pet quality' birds.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Which breed? Legbars, crested olive Eggers (created with legbar breeding) and some other crested dont have discernible cresting at hatch. I have crested olive Eggers in the brooder now that at just shy of 5 weeks are finally beginning to develop the beginnings of cresting, prior to this their heads were identical to mon crested. Polish show visible cresting in their down at hatch, but not all crested or partially crested chicks do

 

[aart]

And my second question is, if it is possible, what do hatcheries & breeders do with the ones that don't get a crest? I'm not a big fan on culling unless you got a homicidal rooster or something u know is suffering n needs to be humanely put out of it's misery. So i really hope they dont cull it just bc it doesn't have a poofy head. but that's probably what i'm gonna get as an answer here.

This seem a rather inflammatory and leading question.
Why would you think that?

 

[chicken-rooquacks]

Which breed? Legbars, crested olive Eggers (created with legbar breeding) and some other crested dont have discernible cresting at hatch. I have crested olive Eggers in the brooder now that at just shy of 5 weeks are finally beginning to develop the beginnings of cresting, prior to this their heads were identical to mon crested. Polish show visible cresting in their down at hatch, but not all crested or partially crested chicks do

things you can normally tell as day-old babies, such as polish and slikies, etc.

 

[chicken-rooquacks]

This seem a rather inflammatory and leading question.
Why would you think that?

because i have heard of hatcheries culling ducks for no crest, as well as culling for the wrong shape of crest. so it's actually not an assumption, it's a fact. i was wondering if that was the case for chickens, as well, which it probably is.

 

[chicken-rooquacks]

Yes it is possible. Hatcheries just sell them with no qualms. Breeders sell them as 'pet quality' birds.

i'm glad they find another use for them - i know some places that do cull and sell them as 'leftovers" or "adoption" but others that cull things i've herad actually kill them.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Commercial hatchers and non reputable breeders send them out like any other chick......repursble breeders sell anything with obvious deviations from the standard at hatch (or as they grow)as pet/production quality

 

[EdgeC]

i'd imagine there is such a thing...but being a very small farm, i have never seen one, myself, and have only found info that it indeed happens in crested ducks. Even with my mutt-chickens...it seems that if only one parent has a crest, the offspring still get a crest. so my first question is, is it possible for a chick of a crested CHICKEN breed to be born without a crest?

And my second question is, if it is possible, what do hatcheries & breeders do with the ones that don't get a crest? I'm not a big fan on culling unless you got a homicidal rooster or something u know is suffering n needs to be humanely put out of it's misery. So i really hope they dont cull it just bc it doesn't have a poofy head. but that's probably what i'm gonna get as an answer here.

I know this is old, but just wanted to add first hand experience. (with mixes/mutts) I have white crested polish mixed with black australorp... while most of their off spring DID have a white crest, a few had no crest and even fewer had Black-green-purple crests, (or a mix of). So yes, but not as much.