What breed has a black comb?

[BrandySC]

We rescued this chick as a hatchling, with no idea on breed. Now that he is several weeks old his comb is coming in and it's BLACK! I've only heard of a couple breeds with that and they were rare. Any idea what this guy is? The inside of his mouth is white, his legs are black. His only other characteristics are he still has a white patch of down under his chin and his wings are crazy long. They wrap around under his tail and touch.

 

[Tookie]

I'm thinking a mixed breed.
Where did you rescue him/her from?

 

[NatJ]

We rescued this chick as a hatchling, with no idea on breed. Now that he is several weeks old his comb is coming in and it's BLACK! I've only heard of a couple breeds with that and they were rare. Any idea what this guy is? The inside of his mouth is white, his legs are black. His only other characteristics are he still has a white patch of down under his chin and his wings are crazy long. They wrap around under his tail and touch.

Black combs:
Sumatra
Svart Hona
Ayam Cemani
Silkies
Some mixes that include any of those, especially if the father is the black-comb breed.

Black combs in chicks are more common than black combs in adults. For example, Black Sexlinks sometimes have black combs when they are young, but the combs get red as they grow older.

This chick may grow up to have a red comb, or a "mulberry" comb (sort of a purple color), rather than an actual black one. Or it may stay black.

 

[MysteryChicken]

We rescued this chick as a hatchling, with no idea on breed. Now that he is several weeks old his comb is coming in and it's BLACK! I've only heard of a couple breeds with that and they were rare. Any idea what this guy is? The inside of his mouth is white, his legs are black. His only other characteristics are he still has a white patch of down under his chin and his wings are crazy long. They wrap around under his tail and touch.

I see pink foot bottoms. I believe you got an Australorp, or a mix of one.

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

I don't believe this bird is fibromelaniastic. The white mouth and foot bottoms lead me to that conclusion. Many young pullets of various breeds have dark combs and mulberry faces until they reach maturity. Is this a bantam?

 

[BrandySC]

I see pink foot bottoms. I believe you got an Australorp, or a mix of one.

I have several Australorps and their combs are red.

 

[BrandySC]

I don't believe this bird is fibromelaniastic. The white mouth and foot bottoms lead me to that conclusion. Many young pullets of various breeds have dark combs and mulberry faces until they reach maturity. Is this a bantam?

No.

 

[BrandySC]

I'm thinking a mixed breed.
Where did you rescue him/her from?

A farm store.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I have several Australorps and their combs are red.

Sometimes they get hyperpigmentation in the face due to their extended black genes. Not all will have that, red faces are more common.

 

[NatJ]

A farm store.

If you bought the chick from a farm store in the USA, it probably came from one of the major hatcheries.

It might be Hoover's "Mystic Onyx":
https://hoovershatchery.com/mysticonyx.html

Or it could be a Black Sexlink, which sometimes have black combs when young. They usually get red combs when they grow up, but that can take quite a while. (They are sold as Black Sexlink, Black Star, and a few other names. The consistent point is that the females are black while the males have white barring, and the females grow up to lay brown eggs.)

I'm pretty sure there are a few other kinds sold by hatcheries that can also have black combs when they are young, at least sometimes.