Color genetics thread.

[jessicaagross]

Am I correct in thinking that if I cross a buff or saxony duck hen to my cayuga drake I will get blue offspring? And possibly a blue with white chest duck from the saxony x cayuga?

 

[Wappoke]

I gotcha, I will do my best to explain verbally.

Step #1: Choc roo X SLO hen = incomplete laced choc girls (F1 girls) and incomplete laced silver boys who are split for choc (F1 boys).

The next part depends on how many chicks she has, since breeding the F1 chicks together seems like it would be a crazy mishmash of genetics hoping for the luck of getting choc laced orps I figured she should out cross for genetic diversity and to solidify the lacing sooner.

Step 2A: Set up one pen with the F1 girls and a SLO roo = Roos split to choc (some will be laced, some will be incompletely laced, all should be pure silver though right?) and the hens from this are culls. (in this cross if the choc roo parent from step 1 was gold then the roos split to choc would carry silver and gold)

Step 2B: Set up one pen with the F1 boys and SLO girls = Some Choc Laced silver hens, some cull hens ( gold and or incompletely laced), and all cull boys since you won't know who carries choc and who doesn't.

Step 3: Set up a pen with the best laced roos from step 2A and the best laced choc laced hens from step 2B = nicely laced roos that are choc or split to choc and nicely laced hens that silver or choc laced.

Step 4: Take the best laced choc laced Roos and the best laced choc laced hens and put them together.....

Does that make sense?

sounds good to me

 

[newlinta]

Is it possible to cross silver laced polish with other colors(i.e: dun,khaki,blue,etc) and just change the color of the lacing and NOT the base color(white) of the feathers?

 

[junebuggena]

Is it possible to cross silver laced polish with other colors(i.e: dun,khaki,blue,etc) and just change the color of the lacing and NOT the base color(white) of the feathers?

Silver is the dominant base color, so it should override any gold genes. Cockerels may have red/gold leakage as they mature though. The difficulty is breeding in the new 'pattern' color and still maintain the crisp lacing.

 

[newlinta]

Silver is the dominant base color, so it should override any gold genes. Cockerels may have red/gold leakage as they mature though. The difficulty is breeding in the new 'pattern' color and still maintain the crisp lacing. 

So, since dun, khaki, blue only dilute/change black, would breeding to a solid colored bird of any of those colors to a silver laced bird only change the lacing color? ...but the clarity/definition of the lacing pattern might be compromised?

 

[junebuggena]

So, since dun, khaki, blue only dilute/change black, would breeding to a solid colored bird of any of those colors to a silver laced bird only change the lacing color? ...but the clarity/definition of the lacing pattern might be compromised?

No. You would loose the lacing pattern entirely in the first generation at least. Those solid colors are based on extended black (a solid black bird). It's one of the most dominant pattern genes, and will take some effort to breed out. The other issue with extended black, is that you can't 'see' what base color you are working with. You may introduce the pattern color that you want, but you may also be breeding in gold/red genes that will pop up from time to time or introduce 'leakage', which can be almost impossible to eliminate completely. You're first generation crosses will have to be bred back to a silver laced bird. Then those chicks will be bred back to the first generation chicks. Then you will have some chance of getting laced chicks with an altered pattern color. It will take many years and lots of breeding and culling to get both good lacing and the diluted black.

 

[newlinta]

No. You would loose the lacing pattern entirely in the first generation at least. Those solid colors are based on extended black (a solid black bird). It's one of the most dominant pattern genes, and will take some effort to breed out. The other issue with extended black, is that you can't 'see' what base color you are working with. You may introduce the pattern color that you want, but you may also be breeding in gold/red genes that will pop up from time to time or introduce 'leakage', which can be almost impossible to eliminate completely. You're first generation crosses will have to be bred back to a silver laced bird. Then those chicks will be bred back to the first generation chicks. Then you will have some chance of getting laced chicks with an altered pattern color. It will take many years and lots of breeding and culling to get both good lacing and the diluted black.

Thanks for your input...I figured it couldn't possibly be easy! Lol

 

[Hillbilly Mom]

I am new to the chicken genetics and trying to learn how to make chocolate mottled orpingtons.

 

[Lozuufy]

I am new to the chicken genetics and trying to learn how to make chocolate mottled orpingtons.

Welcome to BYC! You could try crossing a Choc (chocolate) rooster with mottled hen, then the roos will be split Choc (and split mottled), so maybe cross them back to the mottled hens and a small percentage of the pullets will be choc mottled, them crossed with a mottled split Choc roo you should get half Choc mottled babies. There are probably lots of other ways to get this but it was just one I found.

Here's a chicken color calculator if you haven't already seen it.
http://kippenjungle.nl/kruising.html

 

[junebuggena]

I am new to the chicken genetics and trying to learn how to make chocolate mottled orpingtons.

For chocolate, males need two copies of the gene to show chocolate coloring. Females only need one copy. Mottling is a true recessive. Both genders need two copies of the gene to show mottling. If you used a chocolate rooster and a mottled hen, all of his chicks would get one chocolate gene, but only the female chicks will 'look' chocolate. First generation chicks would all be split for mottling. You should use several mottled hens to breed with your chocolate rooster for longer term genetic diversity. Then, you need to grow them out for about 6 months so you can see which chicks have the best build. Take fullest, roundest birds, and breed them together. That should result in at least 50% of the chicks being both mottled and chocolate. Continue selecting for both build and color.