Any Good Chick Coloration Genetics Resources?

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Thank you!! This is super helpful, and yea I think it would be great to have corresponding adult pics

Will do! I'm running around like a madwoman this morning getting things around for what will hopefully be my first hatch of the year, but will get those and more chick pictures added ASAP!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Okay, I added as many chick pictures as I could find in my files and corresponding adult pictures, along with genetic components if I knew them. Unfortunately, some of my older pictures of chicks seem to have been lost to time (all I can find for some of them are the ones I uploaded to a photobucket account I no longer can access so they have the photobucket watermark across them, blocking most of the detail ). I may have to look at the E extended black based ones again because according to a knowledgeable breeder's post that I found yesterday, there may be some E^R birchen in there instead of E extended black... But everything else should be correct.

 

[RememberTheWay]

Hi!

I feel like I've read a lot about adult chicken color genetics, and I've found some really solid resources for learning more about that. But I have found it really hard to find anything about what genes(/gene complexes) have what sorts of effects on chick colors/markings!

I know that adult feather patterns come in and often completely change what they looked like as bitty first week chicks, but I am curious about what colors/patterns you can spot right from the beginning, beyond just the sex identification characteristics that are fairly commonly discussed due to their utility.

I do see lots of individual identification posts - ie someone posting a picture of a pic and folks identifying what it's adult plumage will likely be; but I would really like a more comprehensive resource that breaks down the factors at play. Though maybe it's just very simple? It does seem like chick coloration is mostly down to that e-locus gene (duckwing vs partridge vs extended black vs wheaten etc), maybe some hint of the various base color modifiers (dominant white, splash, etc), and like, skin color genetics.... I would just really like a chart

I completely understand what your looking for and I'm also searching for information on this topic. Mainly because chicks change as they mature and I want to know what things I can see in a chick that correspond directly with mature traits. How all the chick down colors and patterns translate to mature feathers and are their certain colors and patterns that can be seen in down that are indicative of desirable and undesirable traits on a mature bird. I've been asking around and searching for information on this for months and haven't quite found what I'm looking for yet

 

[RememberTheWay]

I assume that OP means chick down coloring, as in chipmunk striped chicks grow into duckwing, brown chicks grow into partridge, etc.? I have similarly been looking for such a source for a long time as well. There was a post I referenced on another forum for a while, but it's since vanished and I haven't been able to find another resource for that info. I have a genetics book, Poultry Breeding and Genetics by R. D. Crawford, that has chick down coloring pictures and the e-locus genes they're associated with on page 117, but the pictures are in black and white and don't really show all of the variations, so it's only somewhat useful for that. I've kind of had to logic out genetics of chick down colors for myself based on breeds whose genotype I know and how they look as chicks versus adults. If you find a chart of some kind, though, please share! I'd love to have a more confident grasp on that aspect of genetics as well!

Also looking for this information. Would love to know specific things that can show up in down that indicate desirable/undesirable traits at maturity. Example - silver laced Wyandottes - does reddish brown down on these chicks mean anything and does it indicate that chick will have red leakage later? And many more questions like this. BBS Andalusians - are their specific blue down patterns that are more desirable? What about splash? Another example would be on lavender orpington chicks, when they are chicks if they have more yellow in the lavender down it directly translates to bad lavender coloring at maturity. The yellow in the down does not go away, so when picking higher quality lavender chicks choose the full lavender ones, they will always be diluted if you keep the more yellow ones.

Can you recommend some books or online resources for learning about poultry genetics overall and how they interact with one another in real life application? The book you mentioned - is that a good book otherwise?

 

[RememberTheWay]

That would be amazing!! I have a lot of chick pictures of various breeds I've raised that I can try to dig up if that would help, too!

Oh- yes! I would love to collaborate on this project as well. Same questions and seeking answers here too. I was thinking I was going to have to track progression with down color and patterns as well as combs, beak, feet, eyes, etc to see eventually what kind of patterns and parallels I could see in down and the traits it indicates at maturity.

Very interesting topic! At least IMO

 

[Worm94]

I would also be interested in this! Their looks can change so drastically n it'd be cool to learn more about how their patterns show what they'll look like as grownups

 

[NatJ]

I feel like I've read a lot about adult chicken color genetics, and I've found some really solid resources for learning more about that. But I have found it really hard to find anything about what genes(/gene complexes) have what sorts of effects on chick colors/markings!

I agree about that being hard to find.

I would really like a more comprehensive resource that breaks down the factors at play. Though maybe it's just very simple? It does seem like chick coloration is mostly down to that e-locus gene (duckwing vs partridge vs extended black vs wheaten etc), maybe some hint of the various base color modifiers (dominant white, splash, etc), and like, skin color genetics.... I would just really like a chart

I don't have a handy chart, but hatchery websites often have photos of chicks and adults of each breed. Looking through several hatcheries, and multiple breeds of each color, seems to support what you have noticed: e-locus and a few other genes account for the majority of the chick-down variations.