Single Combs On "Show" Silkies. What the Heck?

[Redcatcher]

This last batch of Silkie chicks that I am hatching out ALL have single combs! I have never seen them before in my birds and have bred them for years. These are from the same parents that produced show quality chicks earlier in the year. All of them had walnut combs. Usually Silkies with single combs are junk but these are otherwise correct and typey, with vaulted skulls. Now what?

 

[BamaChicken]

Unfortunately they are still culls if your breeding for standard. You don't want to breed it back in and keep adding the gene back that produced it. What color are they? A single comb type chicken may have been used in the past to add a color in and the gene is in the pool

 

[catwalk]

Two genes are responsible for combs, P and R. A walnut comb can be the result of several gene combinations, and it seems that your parent stock is PpRr. When such a bird is crossed with another PpRr, one possible result is pprr, or single comb. If the chicks are good enough, keep them to breed (not to each other), but know that there is a higher chance that their offspring will be pprr as well, and you'll have more pets.
http://kippenjungle.nl/kruisingFlex.html?DATA=S;Comb calculator;Chicken;F;PICS/;JPG;,G;R;Rosecomb;;;,A;R;R;;Rosecomb;D;;;,A;R;r+;;non-rosecomb;R;;W;,G;P;Peacomb;;;,A;P;P;;Peacomb;D;;;,A;P;p+;;non-peacomb;R;;W;,C;RP;Rosecomb;Peacomb;Walnutcomb;;;,C;RP;non-rosecomb;non-peacomb;Single comb;;;,C;RM;non-rosecomb;;;;;,C;RM;non-peacomb;;;;;,C;NVL;;;Single comb;;;

 

[ultasol]

I usually catch it as chicks and sell them before they are out of the brooder, but sometimes I don't. I was looking at some teenagers the other day and one really nice looking bird that I am pretty sure is a pullet has a single comb. She is now a cull and will be sold, it's not something I want popping up with any frequency. I get single combs rarely, and since I want to keep it that way I won't use single combed birds for breeding.

 

[silkieluver_07]

Don't you just hate single comb popups? I had one singlecomb chick and she was really nice but was sold to a pet home.