The Influence of Comb Genotype on Mating Behavior in the Domestic Fowl

ALTHOUGH there are many reports in the literature concerning the genetic basis for differences in behavior in the domestic fowl, relatively few cases have been described in which single pairs of alleles have been found to be associated with these differences. Siegel and Dudley (1963) reported that in intermingled flocks of chicks from the same strain, males with pea combs were socially subordinate to those with single combs. Marked differences in social and sexual behavior associated with plumage pattern have been described by Crawford and Smyth (1964c) in a segregating strain of Fayoumis. In a study concerning behavior of turkeys, Hale and Buss (1960) found significant differences in social rank between black and bronze sisters, and between white and bronze sisters, in populations designed to segregate for these plumage color genes. In the present report, data are presented concerning differences in mating behavior between rose and single comb birds of…