NEW Sussex Color (Cuckoo) - Page 8

Dogs carry pieces of DNA called tandem repeats. Tandem repeats are sections of DNA that repeat themselves and are found in genes. The tandem repeats are prone to mutations because of  slipped-strand mispairing during DNA replication. The DNA does not line up properly ( after replication) and when enzymes attempt to correct the mistake a mutation occurs ( within germ cells).

Research has found 37 different tandem repeats in 17 genes that deal with dog morphology. Some of the differences in dogs are found in these genes.

When you talk dogs and chickens, you are talking apples and oranges.

The standard calls for specific traits and not if a bird is from a specific line or from a certain breeder. For a bird to have the traits- it has to have a specific genotype. As long as the bird has the genotype (certain genes) it is purebred and it makes no difference what breed was used to make the bird.  I could take a male rhode island red and cross that with a female barred rock and in a few generations have a bird that is a delaware.  See picture below. The males needed some more work to get rid of the smut.








Now I know all you delaware people are going to pic apart all the problems with the birds and that is fine but the hen is a Delaware. The males needed some work- once the smut is gone they would be a good. 

Please, only point out any faults that would disqualify the female.  She does have two legs- it just appears that she has only one.

Tim

I found it interesting to read a bit in the book that was posted. The author states that occasionally an all black sussex popped up along with the barred sussex. Could it not be that Greenfire just happened to mate sussex with recessives for barring? Or is barring a dominant?

I'm new to the bird color genetics but am fairly well versed in dog and horse color genetics. Can anyone offer a parallel here with the barring genetics?

And I'm also curious as to the OP's program - is it still in full swing? Minus winter, of course.

I would love to see updated pictures of your birds!

Quote:

Originally Posted by BCF94605 

I would love to see updated pictures of your birds!

 Yes please.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hennypen 

So a chihuahua with a great dane 3 gens back in the pedigree is a purebred chichuahua because it has no resemblace to a great dane?   

Why are the rules different for chickens?


I would say a "sport' (genetic mutation) from a purebred line is a purebred.  But this doesn't sound like a sport.

Personally, I think the rules are different for poultry because they have so many sex-linked genes.

Also because in dogs, the male is xx and the female is xy. In poultry, the male is xy and the female is xx.

The breeding of dogs doesn't translate into poultry breeding except for the very general philosophies on

concentrating virtue in pedigrees. I say philosophies, not specific breeding systems. Poultry also have a much wider

genetic base than purebred dogs and can stand much more inbreeding withut ill effects.

 Best Regards,

 Karen Tewart

Bellwether Collies 1995-2009

Waterford Sussex since 2010.
 

Any updated pictures? 

Here's my hypothesis as to how the Cuckoo Sussex came to be...

Greenfire brought over the Silver Sussex and were crossing with Light Sussex to produce more chicks (which is true). The Silver Sussex began to lose their Silver Sussex appearance - started to feather out with too much white (true). Since a non-barred rooster over a barred hen will produce hens that share the appearance of Silver Sussex (true) Greenfire decided to cross one of their Sussex over a barred hen to darken up their Silver Sussex (this is a guess, but it is a common practice and has been done with Sussex in Australia and Canada). The barred gene then appeared in the chick you're friend bought from Greenfire Farms.

Just because Greenfire Farms (probably) used a barred hen somewhere along the line doesn't prevent your chickens from being "pure" Cuckoo Sussex. As long as your chickens meet the criteria for Sussex they are Sussex (chickens are not pure bred in the same way dogs or cattle are - chickens just have to meet the physical criteria for a variety).

Your chickens are beautiful by the way - I'm a big fan of barred/cuckoo birds.