LynnaePB
Free Ranging
Usually I get correct combs but incorrect combs do occasionally pop up. If I hatch out a chick from my flock with an incorrect comb I usually try to rehome as pet quality and won't grow it out since I can always repeat the pairing and try to get more chicks from that pair with correct combs. If I hatch out a single comb or pea combed chick from another breeder I grow it out to see how it turns out otherwise since it may not be easy to get more from that breeder.
If you do keep a bird with a fault like an incorrect comb you can breed the fault out but It takes more careful record keeping and you'll end up with more with that fault until you breed it out. Keeping a bird with a fault (like a single comb) can be good for test breeding as well to rule out a recessive single comb gene in the bird you breed with the single combed bird.
Even if you've bred out incorrect combs they can still happen sometimes. It is my understanding that the rose portion of a silkies comb is more fragile and can sometimes die before the comb forms leaving a single or pea comb depending on if your silkies genetically have walnut or modified rose combs. Both comb types look similar.
If I got rid of all my silkies with faults I'd pretty much have none to breed with (some of those faults are lesser and some greater). When you are starting out I think it is often better to understand it'll take some time to get a really nice breeding flock and just try not to pair up birds with the same fault. You can get more and more picky with what you keep as you breed better birds. I've got a lot of issues to work out in my own flock since I just started out breeding. I went with hatching eggs from multiple breeders to start my flock. Looking back it might have been easier just getting some really nice breeding pairs and going from there but it can be very hard to find those really nice breeding pairs.
I try not to breed any birds with health issues.
I'm not sure if my approach is the best as I am new to this though.
