OEGB chicks, Duckwing genetics

[Canadian Wind]

I recently acquired a quadre of Silver Duckwing OEGB at a local livestock sale. I took care of their scaly leg mites, got their nails all trimmed, and made them as comfortable as I could in a repurposed small-animal cage (impulse purchase, bad me, didn't have coop space for them).

They must have appreciated all my efforts, because some of the hens began to lay. And when I used the quail-sized eggs, I noticed they were fertilized.

Being the not-so-bright person that I am, I figured, what the heck, and incubated some of the eggs. After all, I was raising a couple of ducklings indoor for the winter, why not tiny chickens, too? Three hatched over the weekend. There are two more batches in the incubator, due for the next two weekends, as well as one of the hens brooding another bunch.

Thing is, none of the chicks appear to be Silver Duckwings! Now, I'm very good at Muscovy genetics, passable at Rabbit ones, but Chicken genetics I haven't even bothered looking into, wanting to keep what's left of my sanity.

I've looked at many pics of the down colours on various OEGB, and am thinking these might be Mille Fleurs? But I honestly don't know... Is Duckwing an incomplete dominant? What other traits could these guys have hidden? Any ideas as to what my chicks might turn out to be?

1-2 days old

These were taken today, 3-4 days old:

 

[Egg Snatcher]

Breeding silverduck to silverduck gives u pure silverduck, this is also the same when breeding goldenduck to goldenduck, so I’d say you birds aren’t purebred. Is there any way u can ask the seller if they are mixed?
I’ve had a couple hens/Roos that I hatched out that look purebred for the breed but are mixed.

 

[nicalandia]

The hens look 100% Silver Duckwing, The male(rooster) is Silver Duckwing/Wheaten heterozygote. The yellow chick is eWh/e+

I suspect the rooster is the result of a Wheaten OEGB line introgression to a Silver Duckwing OEGB line about two generations ago.

 

[Canadian Wind]

Breeding silverduck to silverduck gives u pure silverduck, this is also the same when breeding goldenduck to goldenduck, so I’d say you birds aren’t purebred. Is there any way u can ask the seller if they are mixed?
I’ve had a couple hens/Roos that I hatched out that look purebred for the breed but are mixed.

No, unfortunately, he didn't have a business card and considering how they looked when I got them home, I don't think I would have trusted his word on it. I just got carried away and fell in love with the tiny things, lol!

 

[Canadian Wind]

The hens look 100% Silver Duckwing, The male(rooster) is Silver Duckwing/Wheaten heterozygote. The yellow chick is eWh/e+

Interesting. So, bred with those hens, I should be getting a mix of both? Are the two darker chicks Silver Duckwing then, even though the markings don't look right?

Can't wait for the little yellow one to feather up!

I suspect the rooster is the result of a Wheaten OEGB line introgression to a Silver Duckwing OEGB line about two generations ago.

Again, interesting. Wish I had the time and brain cells left to delve deeper into the chicken genetics!

Thank you!

 

[nicalandia]

Interesting. So, bred with those hens, I should be getting a mix of both? Are the two darker chicks Silver Duckwing then, even though the markings don't look right?

The darker chicks do look Silver Duckwing, but could also be split for another allele(like recessive wheaten). Some times Wheaten eWh can act as completely dominant(Yellow chick down) and some times completely or partially recessive(faint chipmunk stripes). But in any event the Hens do look 100% Duckwing wildtype e+/e+. Heterozygous females just don't have a very well defined Salmon breasts.

 

[Canadian Wind]

The darker chicks do look Silver Duckwing, but could also be split for another allele(like recessive wheaten). Some times Wheaten eWh can act as completely dominant(Yellow chick down) and some times completely or partially recessive(faint chipmunk stripes). But in any event the Hens do look 100% Duckwing wildtype e+/e+. Heterozygous females just don't have a very well defined Salmon breasts.

Thank you! I fear I have fallen into yet another rabbit hole, and the Muscovy are going to have to share my attention with the OEGB now, lol!

 

[Canadian Wind]

Update

Now I am seriously thinking I'm losing my mind. That yellow chick is now looking like the other two, all cockerels.

I think that's him in the middle, his feet were more yellow than the others. Here's another shot of him, by himself.

Additionally, another yellow chick was hatched and she is now white with black markings, and the feathers have a tannish hue to them. All the other chicks had the typical chipmunk markings. AND, two of the other pullets are not colouring up the same, being all reddish brown:

What kind of sorcery is this? lol

 

[Egg Snatcher]

Update

Now I am seriously thinking I'm losing my mind. That yellow chick is now looking like the other two, all cockerels.

View attachment 3391084

I think that's him in the middle, his feet were more yellow than the others. Here's another shot of him, by himself.

View attachment 3391086

Additionally, another yellow chick was hatched and she is now white with black markings, and the feathers have a tannish hue to them. All the other chicks had the typical chipmunk markings. AND, two of the other pullets are not colouring up the same, being all reddish brown:

View attachment 3391090

View attachment 3391091

What kind of sorcery is this? lol

Mixed color

 

[Canadian Wind]

Mixed color

Well, I can see that. What I'd like to know is, genetically, what is going on. People were saying the hens seemed to be pure Silver Duckwing, and the roo has some Wheaten in him. There seems to be a heck of a lot more going on, though, than just that.