Eye Color Genetics - Help me, Help me

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pips&peeps

pips&peeps

There is no "I" in Ameraucana
Jan 18, 2008
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Newman Lake, WA
I am having a hard time locating any real substantial information on eye color genetics for chickens.

From the little info I have found; I believe there is Br - brown or black, br - yellow or red and pk - pink eyes.

I would like to know if eye color is sex linked. Would a bay eye be considered red (br)?

And, the most obvious fault I have found in ameraucana eye color is a green eye. I have found no literature referring to it, so I need an expert's take on it.

Thanks,
 
pips&peeps :

I am having a hard time locating any real substantial information on eye color genetics for chickens.

From the little info I have found; I believe there is Br - brown or black, br - yellow or red and pk - pink eyes.

I would like to know if eye color is sex linked. Would a bay eye be considered red (br)?

And, the most obvious fault I have found in ameraucana eye color is a green eye. I have found no literature referring to it, so I need an expert's take on it.

Thanks,

Eye color is a complicated subject. I have not experimented with eye color so I have no practical information to add. I have to admit eye color is one thing I have neglected.

I have read several studies on the subject but can not recall anything definitive to post. I will have to go back and see what I can find.


I believe sex linked dermal melanin may have an effect but I will have to read up on the subject and get back.

Green eye- that is a new one for me- blue yes but green.

Pink eye is genetic but is associated with a form of albinism.

Black or dark brown eyes are usually associated with extended black birds.

Some birds do have red eyes which is different than reddish bay.

That is all I have off the top of my head.



Tim​
 
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I have been told that the reddish bay eye color is dominate over other colors. This was told to me by an experienced breeder of Cubalaya (the breed's eye color is reddish bay). So perhaps it acts like brown in human eyes and can mask other colors? In otherwords you could have two birds showing reddish bay eyes, and some of the offspring have green eyes because the parents were actually heterozygous for green.
 
Genetics guru chiming in here..........(I'm fascinated by gentics)

Here's what I found. It may give you a direction for furture research.

"Eye color is also associated with the E locus alleles (black produces darker eyes) and genes like dominant white will dilute the eye color. I would expect blue and lavendar to do this too.

I had a Blue splash Ameraucana rooster that had bright orange eyes with red streaks in them. I bred him for two generations (the second one back to his daughters) because I like the eye color, but I never got anymore like him. Eye color is pretty much a genetic mystery for chickens.

Smyth in Poultry Breeding and Genetics, 1990 Crawford, ed. Cites a Sex-linked brown eye phenotype (Br). The normal color is called bay. Brown eyed birds are also seen in association with dark shanks and the id^M sex-linked dermal melanin allele. The dominant E allele is associated with brown eye too.

Pearl eye is thought to be recessive to bay eye. I'd think that there were at least two genes involved, but the genetics aren't known. Something inhibits carotinoid deposition and also melanin deposition in these eyes. White skin is known to inhibit carotinoid deposition in the skin, but Smyth claims that it isn't involved in pearl because yellow skinned Cornish can have pearl eyes.

The color I had in my Ameraucana was not the normal bay color it was a bright orange eye with blood red streaks in it. It was pretty striking and could not be confused with the normal bay.

The red color may be carotinoids (the pigment left in fall leaves and can be seen in vegetables like carrots and red peppers). "

Quoted from http://www.edelras.nl/chickengenetics/mutations2.html#gen_mut_eye
 
I heard flamingos turn pink because of carotiniods or something like that. Does that have anything to do with chicken eye color genes? I have a friend who is trying to breed an all green-eyed flock.
 
Rosecomb Lover said:
I heard flamingos turn pink because of carotiniods[COLOR=333333] [/COLOR]or something like that. Does that have anything to do with chicken eye color genes? I have a friend who is trying to breed an all green-eyed flock.
Click to expand...


Haha is that me? Also, @chicken stalker, I was quite intrigued by that blue splash Ameraucana with the orange eyes and red streaks. If you take a look at my avatar, you'll see ol' Rainbow Eye has a similar phenomonon. I'll breed him to the orange eyed pullet I have (Lorangobella) and see what I get. Chicken eye colour is what I'm sort of breeding for.
 
Cuban Longtails said:
I have been told that the reddish bay eye color is dominate over other colors. This was told to me by an experienced breeder of Cubalaya (the breed's eye color is reddish bay). So perhaps it acts like brown in human eyes and can mask other colors? In otherwords you could have two birds showing reddish bay eyes, and some of the offspring have green eyes because the parents were actually heterozygous for green.
Click to expand...
Hello, I'm trying to better understand what "reddish bay eye color" looks like. Can you please decide on more detail for me please? I'm new to all this and trying to learn. Thank you for your help.
 

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