Backyard genetics

[Kcottenmyre]

First, new chicken person, please be kind. I accepted 6 school hatched chicks last spring that were from a backyard mix. I was told that there was a silkie rooster so if any had black skin or a fifth toe, they were from the silkie. So I ended up with 4 roosters and two hens. One rooster had the fifth toe trait, but otherwise does not resemble a silkie. He has an interesting comb and is smaller than the other roosters. I am left with the fifth toed rooster and 2 hens. The rooster and one hen are both white with black dots. The other hen looks like a black australorp but is very skittish and aggressive always has been. She went broody and has hatched 6 eggs.( and is proving to be a great hen-mother despite wanting to eat all human faces off) They all have the fifth toe, but all look very different. All that to ask, does anyone have experience with this kind of cross and should I expect more silkie like features or is the fifth toe just a regular dominant trait. Any experience shared would be appreciated! Thanks

 

[NatJ]

should I expect more silkie like features or is the fifth toe just a regular dominant trait.

Many of the distinctive Silkie features are caused by dominant genes.

5th toe is caused by a dominant gene.
Crest is caused by a dominant gene.
Muff/beard is caused by a dominant gene.
Rose comb is caused by a dominant gene.
Pea comb is caused by a dominant gene.
None of those gene are linked to each other.

The typical "walnut" comb of a silkie is genetically rose + pea (two different dominant genes.)

Of those, I think I see 5th toe and rose comb in your rooster. I cannot tell if he has a small crest or if he has no crest. I don't think I see muff/beard or pea comb. Because those are all caused by dominant genes, he can only give his chicks the ones he himself shows.

I think I see a rose comb on the black chick at the bottom of the picture, but not on the other black chick or either of the light-colored chicks.

Silkied feathers are caused by a recessive gene. They have a chance of popping up in chicks from normal-feathered parents, if both parents are carrying that recessive gene.

Black skin is caused by a sexlinked recessive gene (allows dark color to show in the skin) and a dominant gene (makes the dark color into actual black, and colors the meat/bones/etc of the bird as well. Fibromelanosis is the word, if you want to do research about that particular trait.) The rooster is showing the dominant gene for light skin, but I can't say whether or not he is carrying the recessive gene for dark skin. If he does have the sexlinked gene that allows dark skin, you will see it in some of his daughters. If he carries that gene, and is mated with a dark-skinned hen, the trait will be visible in some of his sons as well.
You will not know either way about fibromelanosis unless some chicks get the gene to allow dark skin.

 

[Kcottenmyre]

Many of the distinctive Silkie features are caused by dominant genes.

5th toe is caused by a dominant gene.
Crest is caused by a dominant gene.
Muff/beard is caused by a dominant gene.
Rose comb is caused by a dominant gene.
Pea comb is caused by a dominant gene.
None of those gene are linked to each other.

The typical "walnut" comb of a silkie is genetically rose + pea (two different dominant genes.)

Of those, I think I see 5th toe and rose comb in your rooster. I cannot tell if he has a small crest or if he has no crest. I don't think I see muff/beard or pea comb. Because those are all caused by dominant genes, he can only give his chicks the ones he himself shows.

I think I see a rose comb on the black chick at the bottom of the picture, but not on the other black chick or either of the light-colored chicks.

Silkied feathers are caused by a recessive gene. They have a chance of popping up in chicks from normal-feathered parents, if both parents are carrying that recessive gene.

Black skin is caused by a sexlinked recessive gene (allows dark color to show in the skin) and a dominant gene (makes the dark color into actual black, and colors the meat/bones/etc of the bird as well. Fibromelanosis is the word, if you want to do research about that particular trait.) The rooster is showing the dominant gene for light skin, but I can't say whether or not he is carrying the recessive gene for dark skin. If he does have the sexlinked gene that allows dark skin, you will see it in some of his daughters. If he carries that gene, and is mated with a dark-skinned hen, the trait will be visible in some of his sons as well.
You will not know either way about fibromelanosis unless some chicks get the gene to allow dark skin.

Thank you so much! This info is very helpful. Dad doesn’t really have a crest, his feathers just stick up a bit around his comb.

 

[NatJ]

Thank you so much! This info is very helpful. Dad doesn’t really have a crest, his feathers just stick up a bit around his comb.

Sometimes the crest gene causes feathers to stick up like that, and other times it just happens without the crest gene. I was more noticing the feathers that puff just a little behind his comb, like they aren't laying down quite flat, but I couldn't decide whether that was caused by the crest gene or whether it was just something that happens anyway.

If he does have the crest gene, then some of his chicks might show it a bit more obviously than he does.

Crests can look different in different breeds. They tend to be big and puffy in Silkies and Polish, but stick up and forward in Spitzhaubens, while Cream Legbars have crests that are smaller and lay backward: all apparently caused by the same crest gene, but modified by other (unknown) genes.

 

[Kcottenmyre]

very interesting! One chick is presenting with feather fuzz down its legs, which dad had one or two feather ducts on his legs, but the never fully feathered, just looks like a picked off feather. I’ll post pics here in a week or so. I’m excited to see what we get

 

[Kcottenmyre]

Slightly fuzzy legged chicks as promised.
Again, thank you so much for the insight to dominant gene traits. It has been an interesting experience.

 

[TwoCrows]

View attachment 3864034View attachment 3864035Slightly fuzzy legged chicks as promised.
Again, thank you so much for the insight to dominant gene traits. It has been an interesting experience.

Cuteness overload!