Backyard flock genetics

[User635240]

Hi, I have a mix of Cayuga, khaki, golden 300, and Pekin. If left to breed on their own, will the future generations revert back to mallard coloring and size?

 

[cheezenkwackers]

No, not necessarily. Your ducks have several genes wild Mallards normally do not have. The main ones being sex-linked brown and extended black. They are also bigger than wild Mallards. They would only lose these traits if there was selective pressure for many years against those traits. For example, if being black like a Cayuga made the ducks so hot that many died each summer from heat stroke. Over time, the frequency of black would decrease. If there is no selective pressure, the frequency of the different traits would remain similar. It is called “Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium” if you are bored and want to look it up.

 

[User635240]

No, not necessarily. Your ducks have several genes wild Mallards normally do not have. The main ones being sex-linked brown and extended black. They are also bigger than wild Mallards. They would only lose these traits if there was selective pressure for many years against those traits. For example, if being black like a Cayuga made the ducks so hot that many died each summer from heat stroke. Over time, the frequency of black would decrease. If there is no selective pressure, the frequency of the different traits would remain similar. It is called “Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium” if you are bored and want to look it up.

That's very interesting. Thanks for the explanation and reference.