Why do chickens and turkeys have combs?

[jimmy p]

What's the deal with them?? what biological function do combs on chickens (and turkeys) have? They just look like ugly pieces of red flesh. I mean, other birds don't have them, why do poultry?

 

[Monique]

Why does a peacock have a long tail, to impress the ladies ofcourse
It could be that the original function was to cool blood or something, but that is just a wild guess.

 

[nautica]

What is interesting about the comb shape of chickens is their mode of inheritance. New comb shape phenotypes result from the interactin between the alleles of 2 gene loci.

When a true-breeding rose-combed bird is crossed with a true breeding pea-combed bird, the result is 100% Walnut-combed in the F1 generation. Then when F1's are crossed a 9:3:3:1 ratio of walnut:rose:pea:single occurs in the F2.

Nautica

 

[jimmy p]

those crazy chickens with their crazy bits of random flesh, i can't seem to find ANYTHING about them and its irritating. wonder what it tastes like?

 

[Njorl]

Originally posted by jimmy p
those crazy chickens with their crazy bits of random flesh, i can't seem to find ANYTHING about them and its irritating. wonder what it tastes like?

...tastes like chicken...



Njorl