Silver laced with single comb???

[Katy]

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You're not that far away! You should check out a use named Katy for some incredibly fine SLW, and she's not that far from you. She probably can help you with a stunning, winning bird. I don't think your fellow will make it in a show, since the single comb is a no-no. Where did you get him?

Geez you're making me blush!

My grandfather was born in the TImken area........back in 1885.

Single combs do pop up and not just in hatchery birds. A rose comb is the correct comb. I don't show so I don't know if it's a DQ or just a fault, but I'm thinking it probably is a DQ. Mrs. Turbo would know since they show. Since it's a roo I would not use him as a rooster if you're wanting to breed SLWs. Do you know where he came from? Breeder? hatchery?

 

[PeakyBeaky]

From what I've read, folks used to breed single combed birds back into their flock to help keep egg production higher in the offspring. I would venture, he would not show well with the single comb and would be DQ'd.

 

[Katy]

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Supposedly the single comb birds are supposed to have better fertility, but in my wyandottes I haven't found that to be true. I think it's another of those old wives tales that doesn't hold up. I don't keep any single combs in my breeding flocks and don't have any trouble with fertility. I've got one SLW pullet out there right now that has wonderful type and great lacing, but I won't be using her in the breeding flock. She's so pretty I want to keep her so I'll either pen her with a roo to see how many single comb chicks she throws or put her in with my Marans so I can tell which egg is hers.

 

[chick4chix]

I have a GLW hen with a single comb so big it's like a leghorns- fully flopped over on one side. I also have read as Katy mentioned, that breeders keep the occasional single combed wyandotte to keep fertility up and that using only rose combs will eventually lead to infertile flocks. Good to know that's not true- perhaps its just a way for hatcheries to continue selling the single combed wyandottes

 

[farmnfowl]

Ive heard you can take a silver laced bird to a barnevelder. To create silver barnevelders and with yours already having the single comb.It might help out making the first crosses.

 

[rancher hicks]

I ordered three from Ideal, two of them had single combs. Very disappointed.

 

[BlacksheepCardigans]

It IS true that single combs give you better fertility. Homozygous rose-comb makes the sperm substandard. Not only that, single comb makes the hens extra sexy (they're preferred by the roosters) and makes the roosters more eager. It's been studied for decades. However, in a typical show-breeding flock where each boy only has to service a few girls you're not going to notice it. If you got up to the numbers a commercial rooster is expected to service, you would almost certainly notice.

http://www.biolreprod.org/content/54/1/168.short is one of the more recent studies.

 

[Katy]

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That hasn't been my experience....in fact I have the best fertility of my different breeds with my BLRWs....and they are not penned as trios or quads. Last spring/summer was my first with my SLW and once my roos matured I had very good fertility with them too.

 

[rancher hicks]

Wyandottes are consider a "dual purpose" breed. I got 3 slw and three glw and none of them were either good layers or heavy meat birds. Nor were the Aussies either. They were in my first batch from Ideal.