A century of Turkey talk 2000-2100.

[R2elk]

Could you help me with this @R2elk since you raise Sweetgrass. Or anyone else with experience with Sweetgrass.

Which of these juveniles are looking Sweetgrass so far?

The one in the front is my favorite jake. I think he looks sweetgrass, is that accurate? We can refer to him as #1. The one in back (#2) is much lighter with no penciling. I'm sorry that is the best picture of #2 I managed to get.
View attachment 3570776
#3 is lighter also with what looks like may be semi penciling?
View attachment 3570777
#4 is semi penciled? and has a less defined tail band.
View attachment 3570781
And #5 is darker like #1. She is my favorite jenny.
View attachment 3570785

If I was selecting keepers it would be number 1 and number 5.

Number 4 seems to have something more going on.

I don't see the claimed penciling in any of them.

 

[KF0002]

If I was selecting keepers it would be number 1 and number 5.

Number 4 seems to have something more going on.

I don't see the claimed penciling in any of them.

Ok I'm glad my picks would be your picks also. That is reassuring that my brain is on the right track hopefully. So if not penciling, what causes the spotting in the tails? And is that not a desirable trait to breed forth? I like a cleaner looking tail in the sweetgrass but I was just curious.

Are 2 and 3 Sweetgrass? Just a lighter color? Or are they tri colored palms? I know it's hard to say without test mating them.

I was wondering about 4 also, as to why she doesn't have a tail band. She will likely go with the mixed flock and live out her days in the goat lot.

Thank you for input!

 

[KF0002]

Narragansett is a sex linked gene. Females can only have one Narragansett gene and that is all it takes for the trait to be displayed in hens. Because of this it is impossible for a hen with the Narragansett gene to pass it on to her female offspring. Females that have the Narragansett gene got it from their fathers.

Sweetgrass breed true and lack the Narragansett gene that would make them a Royal Palm.

Tri-color Palms may or may not breed true. I have never seen the explanation for the brown color that causes a Royal Palm to be a Tri-color.

Calicos also don't breed true. They do have the Narragansett gene and one red color gene.

Test breedings is how I would differentiate the three.

Not all Tri-color Palms are Calicos. Calicos have a red gene. A turkey can be a Tri-color palm without having a red gene therefore it is not a calico.

Ok that makes a lot of sense. I realize now that tri colors are merely royal palms with brownish colors in their feathers. Almost like parasitic white in Black Copper Marans but maybe not exactly the same. A less desirable trait for those breeding Royal Palms for exhibition.

Calicos are tri colored palms with Rr. I get it.

I think the sires of my birds carried Narragansett so I have some work cut out to test mate and refine the line to eliminate it.

 

[R2elk]

So if not penciling, what causes the spotting in the tails? And is that not a desirable trait to breed forth?

It's pretty normal in Sweetgrass. Most of my birds have some of it. I select for lack of the speckles but others like it and select for it.

 

[R2elk]

Are 2 and 3 Sweetgrass?

Possibly.

I was wondering about 4 also

Wouldn't surprise me if she has a red gene.

 

[KF0002]

It's pretty normal in Sweetgrass. Most of my birds have some of it. I select for lack of the speckles but others like it and select for it.

The Sweetgrass jake has a little bit of spotting but not a lot. I will single mate 1 and 5 and if they throw some palm daughters I will know if he is carrying Narragansett.

If he does I can test mate the 2 Fall Fire jakes and the red sweetgrass jake as well to see if they carry it. From what I see on Porters, only half of the male progeny of a split for Narragansett male mated to a Sweetgrass hen will inherit the recessive gene.

 

[KF0002]

Possibly.


Wouldn't surprise me if she has a red gene.

Would that make her Calico or a Fall Fire?

 

[R2elk]

From what I see on Porters, only half of the male progeny of a split for Narragansett male mated to a Sweetgrass hen will inherit the recessive gene.

Correct. The Sweetgrass hen can't pass it because she doesn't have it. A split to Narragansett tom only has one gene to pass on to half his progeny. The unfortunate part is that small sample size can really throw off the expected results.

 

[R2elk]

Would that make her Calico or a Fall Fire?

Or Red Sweetgrass.

 

[KF0002]

I have the blue sweetgrass (or blue palm) jenny that I will have to let feather out more before I can tell if she has light beige/brown in her feathers. She is so light it's hard to tell what may be light beige-brown or just staining to white feathers.

Then there is this penciled palm (possibly tri colored palm as she is getting a little beige in her tail?) Her sire was a penciled Fall Fire. The only penciled tom he had breeding at the time. If she is penciled palm, she is proof the Tom carries Narragansett.