Is this a going to be a Rose comb????

[Peppercorngal]

I don't know if this is the correct place to ask. I have 4 day old chicks, hatched from my incubator and I'm wondering what type of comb this one will be. It looks like a piece of wax on this babies head! Will this be a rose comb????? This is a chick from a Leghorn mom, and, I believe a Ameraucana/Wellsummer mix rooster. Thanks.

 

[NatJ]

A chicken cannot have a rose comb unless at least one parent had a rose comb, because rose comb is caused by a dominant gene.

Ameraucanas have a pea comb, so your Ameraucana-mix rooster probably has a pea comb, and thus the chick could have inherited the gene for pea comb.

Some pea combs have three little rows of lumps (like peas), and some are just a tidy little lump on the bird's head.

If the chick is a pullet, there's a fair chance she'll lay blue or green eggs when she grows up-- the gene for pea comb and the gene for blue eggs are closely linked, so a chick that inherits the pea comb from an Ameraucana ancestor usually inherits the blue egg gene too (not always, but usually.)

 

[Peppercorngal]

A chicken cannot have a rose comb unless at least one parent had a rose comb, because rose comb is caused by a dominant gene.

Ameraucanas have a pea comb, so your Ameraucana-mix rooster probably has a pea comb, and thus the chick could have inherited the gene for pea comb.

Some pea combs have three little rows of lumps (like peas), and some are just a tidy little lump on the bird's head.

If the chick is a pullet, there's a fair chance she'll lay blue or green eggs when she grows up-- the gene for pea comb and the gene for blue eggs are closely linked, so a chick that inherits the pea comb from an Ameraucana ancestor usually inherits the blue egg gene too (not always, but usually.)

Ok, I don't know much about combs, obviously!! Here's a photo of the Dad and Mom. Blue eggs would be a big plus! I've had chicks from my easter eggers, but they never produced a blue egg layer. I guess they have to have 2 blue genes and easter eggers only have 1??? Something like that, I don't get genetics actually!!!

 

[NatJ]

The father has a pea comb and the mother has a single comb.
So the chick must have either a pea comb or a single comb.
Based on your picture of the chick, I think it has a pea comb.

There are lots of kinds of chicken combs, and it can certainly get confusing!

As for blue egg genes--one blue egg gene is enough for a hen to lay blue eggs. But some Easter Eggers only have one blue egg gene themselves, so they lay blue eggs. They pass the blue gene to half of their chicks, and the not-blue gene to the other half of their chicks. But having "half" lay blue eggs is just like having "half" of chicks be cockerels: sometimes you get quite a few of one kind!

Plenty of people raise chickens just fine without ever learning about the genetics. But I got interested in genetics some years ago, and I've been learning a bit here and a bit there--over time, it adds up to a lot of pieces of knowledge

 

[Peppercorngal]

The father has a pea comb and the mother has a single comb.
So the chick must have either a pea comb or a single comb.
Based on your picture of the chick, I think it has a pea comb.

There are lots of kinds of chicken combs, and it can certainly get confusing!

As for blue egg genes--one blue egg gene is enough for a hen to lay blue eggs. But some Easter Eggers only have one blue egg gene themselves, so they lay blue eggs. They pass the blue gene to half of their chicks, and the not-blue gene to the other half of their chicks. But having "half" lay blue eggs is just like having "half" of chicks be cockerels: sometimes you get quite a few of one kind!

Plenty of people raise chickens just fine without ever learning about the genetics. But I got interested in genetics some years ago, and I've been learning a bit here and a bit there--over time, it adds up to a lot of pieces of knowledge

Thanks for clearing up the comb issue for me. Genetics is not my forte, I have hatched at least 8 eggs from my easter eggers, but never gotten a blue egg layer, only brown. I'll keep my fingers crossed this time. I have two roosters, but I know that Harvey, my Jersey Giant only gives me black chicks. So I know the yellow chicks are from Fowler. This time I got 9 chicks from the incubator, 4 yellow and 4 black and one grey. So cute. They are out in the brooder now, it's really a bird cage, 5'x8' by 6' tall, so I can get in it. They are jumping and running around really enjoying the large space! They are 4 days old now. Thanks again!

This is my Harvey. He's a big boy!

 

[NatJ]

I have two roosters, but I know that Harvey, my Jersey Giant only gives me black chicks. So I know the yellow chicks are from Fowler.

I understand (genetically speaking) how a white rooster can sire black chicks. But you had a photo of a white hen, and it may be possible to get yellow chicks that grow up white from the combination of a white hen and a white rooster.

It depends on the genetics of the hen and the rooster--there are some pairings where white x white gives all black, and others where white x white gives white. So I don't know in your particular case. (And for the chick you posted a photo of: if you're sure of the mother, then the comb tells me that the Ameraucana-mix rooster is indeed the father.)

 

[Peppercorngal]

I understand (genetically speaking) how a white rooster can sire black chicks. But you had a photo of a white hen, and it may be possible to get yellow chicks that grow up white from the combination of a white hen and a white rooster.

It depends on the genetics of the hen and the rooster--there are some pairings where white x white gives all black, and others where white x white gives white. So I don't know in your particular case. (And for the chick you posted a photo of: if you're sure of the mother, then the comb tells me that the Ameraucana-mix rooster is indeed the father.)

The only yellow chicks I got were from my white leghorn eggs. So, yes, the mother is that leghorn in the photo. I've hatched lots of eggs when Harvey was my only rooster and ALWAYS the chicks were black! So, I know that Fowler was the Dad. Thanks for all your help! I appreciate you!

 

[NatJ]

I've hatched lots of eggs when Harvey was my only rooster and ALWAYS the chicks were black!

That sounds like a very good test! As long as you hatched some white leghorn eggs during that time, I agree that he always sires black chicks from your hens.

 

[Peppercorngal]

That sounds like a very good test! As long as you hatched some white leghorn eggs during that time, I agree that he always sires black chicks from your hens.

No, actually I didn't hatch any leghorn eggs before because I only got them last summer! These are two of Harvey's chicks grown up. The one with all the red is from an easter egger, and I don't know the mother of the other one. Could be RiR, red star, Wyandotte, black giant and/or others. The blackest chick I named Brooke because of her wild red eyebrows!

Lilly:

Harvey's offspring all seem to be like him, very large! Lilly is huge! They are all brown egg layers too.

 

[NatJ]

Pretty hens!

No, actually I didn't hatch any leghorn eggs before because I only got them last summer!

Were you getting any white chicks, with either rooster, before you had the Leghorns?

From what I can find online, it's likely that the Leghorns might produce white chicks from both roosters.

And I'm sure your White Jersey Giant rooster could produce white chicks with some hens: certainly with a White Jersey Giant hen he would!

White is certainly confusing in chickens, because of the different genes that can cause it.