Rose or Pea Comb White Layer

[MandaRae]

Hello friends. I've been really wanting a white layer chicken but most of the standard breeds have Huge floppy combs and with the winters here I stress enough with frostbite.
I like the polish but I have all standard size chickens and I'm worried about them getting picked on.

Has anyone had any luck breeding a Rose or Pea Comb White Layer?
What breeds did you mix?

 

[The Moonshiner]

Look for some rose comb brown Leghorns.

 

[Amer]

Look for some rose comb brown Leghorns.

X2 or rosecomb Anconas or rosecomb Minorcas.

 

[DarJones]

Agree re rose comb Brown Leghorns. I had rose comb brown leghorns from McMurray about 20 years ago. They will hit 280 to 300 large white eggs per year and a good strain will rarely go broody. They are a bit flighty but that is typical of Leghorns. One note, they have rose comb with nibs which are small protrusions above the rose comb. They don't cause a problem in winter. There is a separate gene interaction that causes the nibs associated with chromosome 1 straight comb gene, chromosome 7 rose comb gene, and another gene I don't know where located. That third gene comes in at least 2 different variants one of which causes a smooth rose comb and the other rose comb with nibs.

 

[saysfaa]

White eggs? Or white chickens?

White Chantecler lay light brown or tinted eggs.

 

[MandaRae]

White eggs? Or white chickens?

White Chantecler lay light brown or tinted eggs.

White eggs

 

[EggSighted4Life]

White eggs

Rose combed brown leghorn was a great suggestion.

It looks like Ancona are also white layers accepted in rose comb variety.. probably harder to find than leghorn.

Polish DO come in standard size also, not just the bantam size.. Crested birds can sometimes be feather pecked in non crested flocks. Despite it never having been and issue for me, I do know of other flocks that face it. Rosecomb is a bantam breed that lays white eggs.. if bantams are a consideration with their small egg size.

I've also never had issues keeping bantams in a large fowl flocks without an LF rooster. But I do recognize that every flock will have it's own dynamics.. One thing for sure.. don't add just a single one crested or bantam.. add several and help their odds of fitting in. My family hated the bantam eggs for using in recipes, though I didn't mind.

Straight comb birds don't all get frost bite, they can be pretty good at tucking their combs into feathers. Keeping moisture down with proper ventilation (not extra insulation) can go a long way towards preventing frost bite.

Has anyone had any luck breeding a Rose or Pea Comb White Layer?
What breeds did you mix?

All comb types are dominant to straight.. straight comb is lack of another gene.. generally speaking.

Getting white eggs, may be more complicated.. but should be doable within a few generations. Breeding projects with a purpose are good fun.. the right information can save you tons of time.

Best wishes!

 

[MandaRae]

Rose combed brown leghorn was a great suggestion.

It looks like Ancona are also white layers accepted in rose comb variety.. probably harder to find than leghorn.

Polish DO come in standard size also, not just the bantam size.. Crested birds can sometimes be feather pecked in non crested flocks. Despite it never having been and issue for me, I do know of other flocks that face it. Rosecomb is a bantam breed that lays white eggs.. if bantams are a consideration with their small egg size.

I've also never had issues keeping bantams in a large fowl flocks without an LF rooster. But I do recognize that every flock will have it's own dynamics.. One thing for sure.. don't add just a single one crested or bantam.. add several and help their odds of fitting in. My family hated the bantam eggs for using in recipes, though I didn't mind.

Straight comb birds don't all get frost bite, they can be pretty good at tucking their combs into feathers. Keeping moisture down with proper ventilation (not extra insulation) can go a long way towards preventing frost bite.


All comb types are dominant to straight.. straight comb is lack of another gene.. generally speaking.

Getting white eggs, may be more complicated.. but should be doable within a few generations. Breeding projects with a purpose are good fun.. the right information can save you tons of time.

Best wishes!

I did look at Ancona but everything I read said they don't do well in Cold weather. That is my main reason for wanting pea combs to avoid frostbite issues.

 

[WIchickMama]

I have Polish mixed in with other standard hens and they are fine they don't lay a pure white egg though, mine are tinted/cream colored

 

[MandaRae]

So far I've only had frostbite issues with my single comb rooster thisnpast winter but not the single comb hens.
My Rose comb EE Roo hasn't had a single issue this is his 2nd winter.