Lavender Wyandotte Comb?

CoastChick

Chirping
Jan 22, 2022
32
42
94
Northern California
I have a 12 week old Lavender Wyandotte -or is she an Orpington? (The feed store sign was inconclusive šŸ˜) Emmilou has the weirdest comb and curly feathers. It could be a rose comb - which all my other Wyandottes seemed to have but it has this wee little nub and is otherwise flat? Is this a rosecomb and is she a Wyandotte?
 

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Sheā€™s so cute! Someone who knows more than me will surely respond but two of my lavender birds have the shredded feather issue which accounts for the ā€œcurlyā€ look I believe. Mine are orpingtons with single combs though.
 
There are two specific gene pairs that form the base for a comb type. The pea gene and the rose gene. If a chicken has only the pea gene then it has a pea comb. If it has the rose gene (like yours) then it has a rose comb. If the chicken has both pea and rose genetics then you get a walnut comb. If a chicken has neither the pea nor rose genes then you get a single combed chicken.

But the fun doesn't end there. There are other genetics that affect the appearance of the comb, whether rose, pea, walnut, or single. A comb may be small or big. It may stand upright or flop over some. There is one that can make them a Vee shape like the Polish breed, another gene that can make them more of a cup shape like the Sicilian Buttercup breed. Lots of variation.

What I think you are seeing is a rose comb with additional genetics that make that one look kind of flat.

Chicks generally undergo two or three juvenile molts before they reach full size. They outgrow their feathers and need to replace them. At 12 weeks I would not be surprised that yours is molting. Some are fast molters and drop a lot of feathers at a time. These can look pretty ragged while slow molters look pretty smooth even when molting. Have you seen some feathers that color floating around?
 
Check out this Lavender for good comparison pics!! I have a 9 week old Lavender Wyandotte with a black rose comb. I'm not positive that you have a Wyandotte because she should have yellow legs. But then again, the Roo in this thread doesn't have yellow legs either.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/lavender-chick.1507750/
I have wondered too. The sign on the pens said lavender Wyandotte but the sign up front of the store said lavender Orpingtons ā€¦ sooo? Sheā€™s such a big girl though - 3.5 lbs at 13 weeks - sheā€™s bigger than both my boys.
 
I have wondered too. The sign on the pens said lavender Wyandotte but the sign up front of the store said lavender Orpingtons ā€¦ sooo? Sheā€™s such a big girl though - 3.5 lbs at 13 weeks - sheā€™s bigger than both my boys.

Orpingtons have single combs. There is no way to get a rose comb chick from two parents with single combs. Since your bird has a rose comb, she cannot be an Orpington.
 

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