What are silver hens and gold cocks?

[Direchicken]

Hello all! I have a question that neither Google nor a rummage through BYC forums has answered to my satisfaction. On the subject of sex-linked crosses, it has often been written that "gold cock X silver hen = golden girls and silver boys", or something along those lines. This statement is often followed by a few examples of gold breeds and silver breeds, but I have NEVER seen even the briefest of explanations as to what determines whether a breed is gold or silver or neither. The simplest explanation, and one that is almost consistent with the examples I've seen, is that silver = all predominantly white breeds, gold = predominantly red/brown/buff. However, one detailed explanation of gold/silver crosses stated that some white breeds (e.g. White Leghorns) were not suitable. Does that mean that White Leghorns aren't silver? Or just that not all silver hens will successfully produce auto-sexing offspring when under gold cocks? If the former, is there a big list of breeds that can be called silver and breeds that can be called gold? Or is there some feathering criterion that allows one to determine whether a breed is silver or gold from first principles?? Many thanks for any help anyone out there can give me with this!

Best wishes,

Mark

P.S. I have a particular interest in White Leghorn crosses, as I just hatched an white egg in my incubator from a farmyard where the running roo was a Buff Orpington and the probable mum is a White Leghorn. It only hatched about an hour ago, so I'll wait until it's a bit drier before taking some photos and posting them up. I am willing its feathering to be gold, whatever that would mean!

 

[nicalandia]

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that's because they are based in Extended black or ER Birchen and have dominant white to make them white plus alot of other genes,Blue, Mo, and Barring...

but a self white bird can be Sex linked gold or Silver... that's why a Self white bird is the least of the birds you want to use ...

The best example is Silver Duckwing OEG for Silver and Gold or Black Breasted Red OEG for Gold...

 

[nicalandia]

Quote:
Quote:
that's because they are based in Extended black or ER Birchen and have dominant white to make them white plus alot of other genes,Blue, Mo, and Barring...

but a self white bird can be Sex linked gold or Silver... that's why a Self white bird is the least of the birds you want to use ...

The best example is Silver Duckwing OEG for Silver and Gold or Black Breasted Red OEG for Gold...

P.S you can also have a homozygous Silver bird with Red shoulders.. thanks to Mahogany....

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

It's not specifically breeds, but varieties that determine whether a bird is gold or silver. (and it is golden boys, silver girls, not the other way round).

Generally all-white birds are not great choices for sex-linked breeding as you cannot tell for sure whether the white is silver or gold based. White hides the other colours present in hte birds; it is an OFF switch. Using a bird who shows red or gold in ground colour areas makes it certain that the bird is gold; using one that is white in only the ground colour areas makes it certain that it is silver.

 

[Arielle]

Try this.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=261208