Silkie color genetics

[Shared Acres]

Sonoran Silkies

Thanks so much for all your very helpful information. The whole lower case upper case dynamics confuses me---been a while since college genetics.

I would LOVE to have a chart that has all the colors of silkie on both axis, ie;


Black white splash buff Lavender
black
white
splash
buff
Lavender

And then a list of what you SHOULD/Supposed to get if you breed that color to the next and the percentages.

If someone wanted to write it out, i would be more than happy to make a chart for everyone!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

The problem is that it is much more complicated than a simple chart allows for. There is a very helpful chicken calculator at http://kippenjungle.nl/kruising.html

It allows you to start with a specific variety and alter specific genes to match your specific bird. Note that it makes a guess as to the genotype for a variety that may not match your specific bird. For example, you could take ANY variety and change the recessive white locus from C/C (not-white/not-white) to c/c (white/white) andteh bird's appearance would change in appearance from whatever it was previously to white.

Don;t be confused by the Dutch, English is also present.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Oops, forgot the first part of your query. Upper case letters indicate a dominant allele (variation of a gene); lower case letters indicate a recessive allele. The same letter indicates the same gene: C stands for colour, or you could say as I did above, not-white; and c stands for not-colour (white).

 

[Shared Acres]

The calculator is beyond me. And the parts I tried I'm seriously confused by the lack of English.

 

[insiderart]

Ok so let me get this straight. Say I have a white roo, he is obviously homozygous for white.

If I cross this white roo to a Buff hen, who is homozygous for buff. What are the possible offspring?

All permutations. Thanks Sonoran!

 

[insiderart]

Wait. I think I've figured out the calculator now. There will be a segregation in the offspring.

So White x whatever... you don't know what will pop up.

But any white X white will always be white. cc X cc

But white X some color will have color segregation in the offspring or produce the color only .

cc X Cc = 1/2 white and for example 1/2 buff
cc X CC= 100% for example buff

 

[Rachel_chick]

This is an awesome thread! I am so glad I ran across it, you have all answered so many questions for me. I guess I will just have to breed my birds to find out what pops up. Thanks!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
If buff were C, you would have it correct. However, white is not actually a colour. Rather, it is an OFF switch for the plumage colour and pattern genes present in the bird. Meaning that if you add cc to a partridge, it will be white. If you add cc to a blue, it will be white. If you add cc to a buff, it will be white. If you add cc to a lavender, it will be white. If you add cc to a grey, it will be white. Etc.

Since white bred to white will give white without indication of the colours or patterns that are hidden, you could be breeding the white (blue) to the white (partridge) and their offspring to the white (buff) then to the white (grey), then to white (partridge), then to ... You aren't selecting for the hidden genes or the quality of their colour and pattern. So you end up with a jumbled mess of colour and pattern genes. Each bird can and is likely to carry a wide and unique variety of genes. Take away a copy of c and that wide and unique variety is exposed.

Unfortunately, you chose buff for an example--buff is a very complex colour. Something like blue or black or lavender is relatively easy--one gene plus perhaps some helper genes to perfect the colour. Buff, however requires a number of genes, and there are several ways to make buff, which is also a factor in how it mixes with another colour.

In general, silkies are eb/eb. If you start with a buff bird and add even one copy of Pg and you will end up with some penciling, which translates into smutty feathers on a buff. Partridge need red, not the diluted buff, so you don't have a partridge, either. Take away Co and you remove some of the black restriction. Add silver and you dilute the buff, add mahogany and you darken it, add melanizers and you darken any black and may add incomplete lacing, add ... The problem is, you have no idea which of these genes your white bird carries and which it does not. Think of white as a genetic joker--it can be anything.

"If I breed my buff to another bird, what will I get?" That is the same question as "if I breed my buff to a white, what will I get?"

You explained one gene above. Here are punett squares for 2 and 3 genes; the first contains chicken genes, the 2nd does not, but serves to show how each additional gene multiplies the outcome.

 

[humster]

I realize this is ten days past, but could you explain more about the buff? Where does the red/mahogany come from. I was very interested in your descriptions of the whites and it made much sense. I have a beautiful buff roo and no real idea what its genetics entail (sounds like it's very difficult to tell anyway). Regardless, I'm just wanting to learn more.

Aside from the buff I have mainly partridge. How does a red/mahogany color relate to a gold or golden color? Seperate alleles? And it sounds like you are indicating partridge should be bred to partridge? What if a partridge has a golden color and another mahogany?

This is a new hobby for me and I intend for it to be a very slow-going, enjoyable experience. In fact, I'm more interested in NOT knowing exactly what I have to begin with. Just looking for a bit of starter direction!

 

[Henk69]

Quote:
Which lack of english?

Sonoran, that punnett diagram of Seller's is not correct: