Ameraucana question

[PoultryPedia]

Note: If your two chickens are full siblings, the pullet would definitely be heterozygous.

 

[Momo]

Not necessarily. If both parents are heterozygous, then there's a 1 in 3 chance that the pullet is homozygous (since 25% of the offspring would be homozygous muffed, 50% heterozygous muffed, and 25% homozygous non-muffed). Since the cockerel had to inherit a recessive non-muffed gene from each parent, either both parents are heterozygous (but phenotypically indistinguishable from homozygous individuals), or one is clean-faced (and I doubt that Paul Smith would have a clean faced chicken in his breeding pen).

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

The tuft gene carried by araucanas is lethal in the homozygous state. There is no lethality associated with the rumpless gene; there is, however lowered fertility.

However if your pullet is heterozygous, 25% of chicks will be heterozygous, and 75% will be homozygous "clean-faced".

No, it's 50/50.

Even if the pullet is full sister to the cockerel, she is not necessarily heterozygous for Mb. Assuming both parents are het, there is a 25% chance she is hom Mb, 50% chance of het Mb.

If one parent is het and the other hom for mb+, she is het.

Since one offspring is muff & beardless, no chance that either parent is hom Mb.

Mb is incompletely dominant--there should be a noticeable difference between het and hom birds.​

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

heterozygous (but phenotypically indistinguishable from homozygous individuals)

Yes, with simple dominant/recessive, but muffs & beard are incompletely dominant. The phenotype of the het state is intermediate between that of the hom dominant and the hom recessive states.​

 

[PoultryPedia]

Momo & Sonoran Silkies--
I see the logic on the pullet. Thank you for correcting me!
And SS, thank you for the info on incomplete dominance.

 

[~SunSetsWest~]

Thank You All!! Your input is greatly appreciated

 

[Tailfeathers]

I quickly scanned the replies and didn't see anyone answer your question about leg color.

Yes, in the WBS Variety the legs of chicks will go from a pinkish color to slate blue. I don't remember exactly the timeline but if you go to "My Babies" album on my website, you'll see pictures from one day old to a couple of weeks to a couple of months to almost a year.

If I can remember, I am going to keep a photo record of my chicks this year. Btw, my birds came from Paul.

God Bless,

 

[Momo]

Cool - I didn't know it was incompletely dominant. I have a few EE x black sex link pullets with some pretty crazy muffs & beards and I had read that it was a dominant gene so I *assumed* it was a regular dominance pattern. Thanks for the info.

 

[~SunSetsWest~]

Quote:
Thank you! Tailfeathers, I have been on your site and seen your birds ( they are beautiful) and the change in leg color, but was wondering about the time line..
Marina