Where does a black comb come from??

[CAranchgirl]

Hi,

I have a flock with many different breeds, and last year hatched a chick that was half partridge bantam cochin, not sure of dad. She was the prettiest hen, black and white barred feathers, black feet, and a black comb. We have no other birds with black combs, so I was wondering where it came from? Can black combs occur in any breed? Are they rare? Unfortunately she was killed by a dog attack

and I don't have any pics, but I am wondering if we can ever hatch another that looks like her.
Thanks!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

She almost certainly had black skin, caused by the Fm gene. There are several breeds that carry Fm, silkie being the most common.

 

[pdsavage]

black comb like this?

i have some eggs of theres getting ready to hatch...when my 2 girls where in with a buff orpth roo...but im getting them a sumatra roo soon....

 

[Kev]

Another option is "gypsy face".. one example being Sumatras. The black is confined to face with body skin being normal color.

It's not exactly rare, especially for hens with black faces/combs.. it is common in silkie mixes/mutts and is not that rare in solid black hens with gypsy face genetics.

 

[CAranchgirl]

Thanks for the insight! I never looked at her skin, but she had the same black as the hen in the picture, no red on her face whatsoever. But I guess I won't know if it was gypsy face or the Fm gene! I remember that I have seen silkies with the black comb, but I just thought it was interesting since I have no hens or roos with black combs, and no silkies or sumatras. Maybe some of my chickens had a recessive gene for it?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I guess my question is teh reverse: what is responsible when a bird has dark skin but a red comb? I find that occasionally with crosses. Most of the time a bird inherits both dark skin and comb, but when it inherits dark skin and red comb it is the dickens to breed out.