Any Good Chick Coloration Genetics Resources?

[NatJ]

What do you mean by Aph on these? Just curious. This might be a dumb question but is that the abbreviation for autosomal red?

Yes, that is the abbreviation for autosomal red.
I believe it stands for "Autosomal Phaeomelanin" (phaeomelanin being the red pigment involved.)

Also- what about those first chicks makes you say they have autosomal red?

As adults, probably the amount of salmon color in the breast of the hen.
As chicks, maybe it's figured from how they looked when they grew up? If that's not it, then I'd like to learn it too!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

This is a useful document! Perhaps I can contribute a bit?

I would greatly appreciate contributions from someone of your genetic expertise! I think the OP is gone now unfortunately and I have been so busy I haven't even looked at it in a long while.

What do you mean by Aph on these? Just curious. This might be a dumb question but is that the abbreviation for autosomal red? Also- what about those first chicks makes you say they have autosomal red?

I need to organize my photos and add some in here. I'm going to bump it up on priority and try to get some added this wk

Aph is autosomal red, yes. It's not so much the chick down that distinguishes them, but the adult plumage. The reddish tone that reaches beyond the breast of the Aph female and into the shoulders / coverts of the wing versus a lack of that in the non-Aph female, as well as the depth of that reddish tone in the breast versus a paler reddish tone on the non-Aph hen:

Is it possible that she is a blue partridge? I think I have a mauve or chocolate partridge chick here at the moment. She is still super young though so no adult pics

I don't believe she was blue diluted, no. She just was very glossy and it made her black plumage look deceptively bluish in pictures. The only known dilution gene in her genetic ancestry was her grandmother's lavender dilution, which she definitely did not express.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

As adults, probably the amount of salmon color in the breast of the hen.
As chicks, maybe it's figured from how they looked when they grew up? If that's not it, then I'd like to learn it too!

Yeah, this basically! As chicks, I do feel like the Dorkings (the ones with Aph) had more of a deep reddish-brown coloring in their stripes versus a more 'pure' brown coloring in the stripes of the OEGB (the non-Aph), but the pictures don't show it very well.

 

[Amer]

I would greatly appreciate contributions from someone of your genetic expertise! I think the OP is gone now unfortunately and I have been so busy I haven't even looked at it in a long while.




Aph is autosomal red, yes. It's not so much the chick down that distinguishes them, but the adult plumage. The reddish tone that reaches beyond the breast of the Aph female and into the shoulders / coverts of the wing versus a lack of that in the non-Aph female, as well as the depth of that reddish tone in the breast versus a paler reddish tone on the non-Aph hen:

I don't believe she was blue diluted, no. She just was very glossy and it made her black plumage look deceptively bluish in pictures. The only known dilution gene in her genetic ancestry was her grandmother's lavender dilution, which she definitely did not express.

View attachment 4102857

Personally I'm not really satisfied with Brian Reeder's explanation on the topic of Aph. While there is autosomal red on that hen, and there are autosomal red genes besides Mahogany I don't believe silver grey Dorkings are supposed to have autosomal red (since they have silver shoulders on the males.) I believe the cause of autosomal red is a gene however I don't think it's necessary to get a salmon breast like he says.

 

[Amer]

Post in thread 'Chicken Genetics Blog' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-genetics-blog.1635047/post-27917076

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

The males in this line did have red in the shoulders, which is why I believed they were a good example of Aph on silver, though I would definitely defer to you on that topic as my experience with Aph is pretty limited. They are definitely not supposed to have red in the shoulders, though, you are correct on that!

 

[Amer]

The males in this line did have red in the shoulders, which is why I believed they were a good example of Aph on silver, though I would definitely defer to you on that topic as my experience with Aph is pretty limited. They are definitely not supposed to have red in the shoulders, though, you are correct on that!

Okay, in which case, you're probably right!

 

[Amer]

It sure sucks that there's no standard abbreviation for autosomal red though...