This is the part I'm having trouble with.....it sounds like you are making the blue gene sex linked along with the gold or silver...in this example, the blue would have to come from the female, but it would not be true with all male/female combinations of blue and black. Going to have to plot this one out after I think it over....
I'm pretty sure that this breeder breeds blue and black from silver based birds...
These are just my thoughts and opinionsSo, it's basically a toss up unless you somehow know 100% that your rooster is pure for either S or s+. Because there are no visiable clues on what your hen is carrying from my understanding. I've never seen a leaking female. If your male is leaking does that mean he's pure for the wrong base gene or can they leak if they are split? Can a split male not leak? Will a blue male pure for silver not leak? If he is split will he leak gold or silver? I am asking because I have seen a blue male with the reddish tint in hackles when in the sun, but I've also been told a blue male can leak silver, which I understand will be white. If that's the case, then leaking is tied to something other than whether the bird is carrying the wrong base color, right?
And here's a pic of a splash I once had and while I have heard that red is gold and white is silver, I've never really had a answer as to what this straw color is considered. Any opinion or answer on that?
And another interesting thing regarding leakage is that in his case this didn't show up until year two. In fact, I've seen this sort of thing happen on other occasions also, stuff popping up after their first year molt or later molts. That could explain why leaking is still happening because many use cockerals or even year old birds in mating.
Editing to add that I think I found some answers. Melanizers are what is needed to prevent or hide leakage of gold or silver. I knew that, I just forgot about that aspect of it.
Regarding the color of the leakage in the above splash, is it possible that the particular color he shows is a result of him being split for gold and silver? Obviously, he is not carrying enough melanizers to cover, but why is the leakage not red or white? Is it gold being diluted by silver or is it gold being influenced by something else?
Would you do some research on the Pg gene??? I have never seen an Ameraucana with true lacing...what we have is edging, and I believe it is because of the lack of the Pg gene.....is this gene recessive?? Is that how it gets lost??? I know that there are some people working to produce laced ams from Wyandotts and Andalusians, but they are still in the process of restoring type after the outcrosses...I'm thinking I would like to try this myself, but I just don't know if I can pull it off with my limited genetic knowledge...
edging....if you place a feather on a white piece of paper, you will see that the feather edge is almost clear...a feather with lacing will have the black laced edge that the SOP calls for, like a silver laced Wyandotte ...very few breeds have true lacing in blue... I found an old post on the ABC site about some folks working on it. Been A while and I don't know how it is progressing, but I do know of one breeder with Andalusian / Amercauana F1 cross birds...http://ameraucana.org/forum/index.php?topic=1797.45
