So I have some Pilgrim geese that are auto-sexed and I have had the Golden 300 hybrid ducks from Metzers that are color sexed. Both are sexed visually although the geese are auto-sexing as a breed and the 300 ducks are not. The 300s loose the color-sexing with the next generation. I have been doing some research on breeding the color or auto sexed birds and I understand some of it but need help with other bits.
I understand that color sex linkage and Auto-sexing are not the same. Sex-linked are two breeds or two colors of the same breed crossed to create a sexed batch of babies. For color sexed, the male babies will have the mothers color and the female offspring will look like their father. Auto sexing remains true for the breed, babies have the same color type as the parent of the same gender. Interestingly it is possible at least in chickens to use color sexing to create Auto-sexing such as for the Welbar. If done correctly it will hold true for future generations. The golden 300's from Metzers are a blend of multiple duck breeds to create the color sexing. I know they don't keep the color sexing if bred and are a blend of probably four or more breeds. Ultimately the last cross to create them must have a dark mother and a lighter father because the ducklings sold are the reverse.
Question: Do I have all this correct?
A chocolate drake on black duck gives chocolate female and black male offspring. This will work on pure colors but also the Ancona with their primary white with the marks being brown or black. This is color sexing.
Questions: Does the drake need to have 2 black parents and the female 2 chocolate parents for this to work? Or could the parents show the right color but have mixed colors genetics such as grandparent/s that are another color? If I understand it you would always have to be breeding back and forth to get the right genetics 2 or 3 gens down the line to do the color sexing. Is that right?
Some Welsh Harlequins can be sexed by bill color but this has been breed out of or lost in some strains.
Question: How would you know if you are getting that strain? Would the babies without this trait show one bill color or mixed bill color? Can it be bred back in and if so how? This sounds like its a stable color/auto-sexing gene but hasn't been culled for to maintain it, or possibly other breeds got in without this and were breed back to the Welsh cutting the bill color sexing?
Some chickens mixes can/have been breed to be sexed by barring, color, feather type, feather growth speed and probably more that I don't know about.
Question: What genetics other the color might be possible to breed into ducks? I have no interest in silkie ducks personally but I can see how it might possibly work as a sexing gene. I am more interested in auto-sexing like what my Pilgrim geese have or the Shetland geese. Something that could carry to next generations. I just can't think of any and am to unfamiliar with the genetics. Its all a bit fuzzy still to me. I know that some patterns are sexing and others not. It would depend on how it hides or not in the genes for the female. If I have all this straight.
The Pilgrim geese are Auto-sexing, they contain a stable color pattern. All females are grey/soft brown with a touch of white on the face and all males are white with some grey markings particularly under the wings.This is because the males carry two genes and the female carries one. So with one dilution gene the female is the soft grey and the male almost completely white. The Shetland geese also are auto-sexing. The females are white with brown wings and the males are white with a touch of grey on the flanks or tail. One color or pattern has to be hidden to show this.
Question: Are there any color or pattern genetics like that in ducks? Something that is gene dosage dependent.
I did find a few threads and websites talking about this but not for ducks. There are auto-sexing chickens, geese, pigeons and some quail according to some. It just seems to me that ducks with all the patterns and colors available in them should have an auto-sexing gene somewhere out there.
I understand that color sex linkage and Auto-sexing are not the same. Sex-linked are two breeds or two colors of the same breed crossed to create a sexed batch of babies. For color sexed, the male babies will have the mothers color and the female offspring will look like their father. Auto sexing remains true for the breed, babies have the same color type as the parent of the same gender. Interestingly it is possible at least in chickens to use color sexing to create Auto-sexing such as for the Welbar. If done correctly it will hold true for future generations. The golden 300's from Metzers are a blend of multiple duck breeds to create the color sexing. I know they don't keep the color sexing if bred and are a blend of probably four or more breeds. Ultimately the last cross to create them must have a dark mother and a lighter father because the ducklings sold are the reverse.
Question: Do I have all this correct?
A chocolate drake on black duck gives chocolate female and black male offspring. This will work on pure colors but also the Ancona with their primary white with the marks being brown or black. This is color sexing.
Questions: Does the drake need to have 2 black parents and the female 2 chocolate parents for this to work? Or could the parents show the right color but have mixed colors genetics such as grandparent/s that are another color? If I understand it you would always have to be breeding back and forth to get the right genetics 2 or 3 gens down the line to do the color sexing. Is that right?
Some Welsh Harlequins can be sexed by bill color but this has been breed out of or lost in some strains.
Question: How would you know if you are getting that strain? Would the babies without this trait show one bill color or mixed bill color? Can it be bred back in and if so how? This sounds like its a stable color/auto-sexing gene but hasn't been culled for to maintain it, or possibly other breeds got in without this and were breed back to the Welsh cutting the bill color sexing?
Some chickens mixes can/have been breed to be sexed by barring, color, feather type, feather growth speed and probably more that I don't know about.
Question: What genetics other the color might be possible to breed into ducks? I have no interest in silkie ducks personally but I can see how it might possibly work as a sexing gene. I am more interested in auto-sexing like what my Pilgrim geese have or the Shetland geese. Something that could carry to next generations. I just can't think of any and am to unfamiliar with the genetics. Its all a bit fuzzy still to me. I know that some patterns are sexing and others not. It would depend on how it hides or not in the genes for the female. If I have all this straight.
The Pilgrim geese are Auto-sexing, they contain a stable color pattern. All females are grey/soft brown with a touch of white on the face and all males are white with some grey markings particularly under the wings.This is because the males carry two genes and the female carries one. So with one dilution gene the female is the soft grey and the male almost completely white. The Shetland geese also are auto-sexing. The females are white with brown wings and the males are white with a touch of grey on the flanks or tail. One color or pattern has to be hidden to show this.
Question: Are there any color or pattern genetics like that in ducks? Something that is gene dosage dependent.
I did find a few threads and websites talking about this but not for ducks. There are auto-sexing chickens, geese, pigeons and some quail according to some. It just seems to me that ducks with all the patterns and colors available in them should have an auto-sexing gene somewhere out there.
