Sultan Hen x Buff Silkie Roo

[MyBabiesTheChickens]

I bred a Buff Silkie Rooster to a White Sultan Hen and got a chick that has black skin with white downy and a single black dot. What is the expected coloring? I assume the Sultan has a recessive white since an extra color appeared on the downy. The five toes and booted feet and afro are characteristics of both parents, which was my goal, and I know it will come out looking like a Satin Silkie. I just need to know what the color is expected to be since the wingtips have just begun feathering in white. So excited to raise this baby. Pic of chick is included.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Dominant white is the 'leaky' white gene, not recessive white, so your Sultan would actually be dominant white. With just one copy of the gene, it frequently lets flecks of black through. From those parents, your chick should grow up to be a white chicken with some black flecks and probably some reddish or gold leakage showing through as well. You are correct that they will be smooth-feathered, not silkied, but will carry the silkied gene and pass it to roughly half of their offspring.

 

[MyBabiesTheChickens]

Dominant white is the 'leaky' white gene, not recessive white, so your Sultan would actually be dominant white. With just one copy of the gene, it frequently lets flecks of black through. From those parents, your chick should grow up to be a white chicken with some black flecks and probably some reddish or gold leakage showing through as well. You are correct that they will be smooth-feathered, not silkied, but will carry the silkied gene and pass it to roughly half of their offspring.

Well, I was close. I would have thought the leakage was due to recessive since it would take a codominance to leak other colors. That rule doesn't seem to quite apply to chickens I guess. But I am excited regardless of how this chick turns out. This baby is my first Sultan Silkie cross, and it's name is "Spades". Thanks for the info! ❤

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Yeah, dominant white is the leaky one! Several varieties like Red Pyle and Buff Laced are based on dominant white leaking red / gold pigment, and the Paint variety in Silkies is the effect of the birds having one copy of dominant white over a solid black bird, allowing black flecks leak through.

Recessive white just doesn't show up if only one copy is inherited, as would be the case if you crossed a Buff rooster to a recessive White hen. What you would have seen instead is whatever color recessive white was hiding on the mother, most frequently solid black in my experience.

 

[MyBabiesTheChickens]

Yeah, dominant white is the leaky one! Several varieties like Red Pyle and Buff Laced are based on dominant white leaking red / gold pigment, and the Paint variety in Silkies is the effect of the birds having one copy of dominant white over a solid black bird, allowing black flecks leak through.

Recessive white just doesn't show up if only one copy is inherited, as would be the case if you crossed a Buff rooster to a recessive White hen. What you would have seen instead is whatever color recessive white was hiding on the mother, most frequently solid black in my experience.

I am mind blown!That explains a lot though. Thank you for the info! ❤