are Midget White turkeys dominant white, or recessive?

[onthespot]

Just wondering. Someone asked me what they would get if the bred them to their other turkeys. I didn't know. I told them either pure whites, or mixed colors and some pure whites and mixed colors F2. Does anyone know?

 

[ziggywiggy]

Good question. I'll go out on a limb and guess recessive for two reasons. First, they were developed from different breeds most of which were not white. Second, any time I've crossed white poultry with a colored breed the chicks have come out predominatly with some color.

 

[onthespot]

hmmmmm.... do any of your white turkeys have a little bit of grey/black ticking, tiny streaks on a few feathers showing through? I was thinking if color bleeds through they might be dominant. I had heard that in chickens, dominant allows bleed through, and recessive is just blinding white, no other colors....

 

[ziggywiggy]

My Midget Whites are pure white except for their beards. I'm not an expert in genetics but, I do know that the Midget Whites were developed back in the 50's from a wild breed. So logically if it was bred with say a Rio Grande, the wild genes would become dominant and produce something closer to a wild turkey than the whites. Of course, my logic could be completely wrong. I doubt though that anyone would cross them on purpose because the value of the Midget White is in the pure breed.

 

[onthespot]

I know. Someone just wanted a cheap tom for his hen.... I don't think he knows or cares about pure.