Crests verses Tassels - What's going on Genetical

[sjango]

Are there different genetics that govern crests and tassels? Crest like that on a Polish, and tassels, like on a Crested Legbar.
Does this have to do with comb type, or some other combination or genes or is it two different genes? I know it's not simply dominance, because Crested Legbars breed true and don't have offspring with large plumes like the crests of a Polish.

Thank you all in advance!

 

[MysteryChicken]

It's all the Crest Gene.

Little Crest: Cr/cr+

No Crest: cr+/cr+

Big Crest: Cr/Cr

 

[MysteryChicken]

Each bird is bred to have a certain crest type.

 

[sjango]

Each bird is bred to have a certain crest type.

But it Crested Legbars truly were heterozygous for the crest gene, 25% of the offspring should have big crests. And 25% would have no crests, right? I haven't seen a Legbar with a huge crest before, of course I know there are Legbar without crests.

 

[MysteryChicken]

But it Crested Legbars truly were heterozygous for the crest gene, 25% of the offspring should have big crests. And 25% would have no crests, right? I haven't seen a Legbar with a huge crest before.

Comb type also interferes with crest size. Legbars have single combs, & most single combed chickens have a smaller crest.

 

[sjango]

Ahh, thank you! I thought that might have something to do with it.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Ahh, thank you! I thought that might have something to do with it.

You can also have little to no crest on birds with Walnut, Duplex, & pea comb. But most of the time they will have large crests if they have 2 copies.

 

[sjango]

Interesting! I was just looking at the Schijndelaars on Greenfire and noticed they had very small crests AND very small crests. This got me a little perplexed, but that does look like a pea comb to me.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Interesting! I was just looking at the Schijndelaars on Greenfire and noticed they had very small crests AND very small crests. This got me a little perplexed, but that does look like a pea comb to me.

View attachment 2482393

I can't really tell comb type, but it kind of looks like a single.

 

[Amer]

It’s all just selection. People bred Polish crests to be bigger. This is what they used to look like:
https://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGK/OldPol/BRKOldPol.html
So they are genetically the same