Since slate is just white with id+ (lack of the inhibitor of dermal melanin gene), Id inhibits the dermal melanin so a slate legged bird becomes white legged bird when a male is Id/Id or Id/id+, or a female is Id/-. According to the calculator, a male can be heterozygous for Id and still appear white legged which makes since, since the male likely inherited at least one id+ from one of his parents I would think. And if his parents were Id/id+ or Id+ you would see white legs in the contributing parent. If you have never seen white legged birds crop up in your line the gene would have had to have spontaneously mutated, otherwise you would have seen it before now. Correct me if my math ain’t mathing.
Yeah, definitely a spontaneous mutation (if it is genetically caused) though I don't know id it's a new Id mutation or something else.Since slate is just white with id+ (lack of the inhibitor of dermal melanin gene), Id inhibits the dermal melanin so a slate legged bird becomes white legged bird when a male is Id/Id or Id/id+, or a female is Id/-. According to the calculator, a male can be heterozygous for Id and still appear white legged which makes since, since the male likely inherited at least one id+ from one of his parents I would think. And if his parents were Id/id+ or Id+ you would see white legs in the contributing parent. If you have never seen white legged birds crop up in your line the gene would have had to have spontaneously mutated, otherwise you would have seen it before now. Correct me if my math ain’t mathing.
It is interesting when genes like this spontaneously crop up in a line! Sorry I geeked out hard on this.
