LittleDinosaur

Chirping
May 20, 2017
60
38
86
Adirondacks of NY
I bred my red EE cock to my black EE hen and successfully got 5 black chicks. They are now 4 months old and I've noticed that only one of them has not developed a beard nor muffs. She has a pea comb, but lacks a beard and muffs. Both her parents were hatchery stock EEs but both had full beards and muffs and all their other offspring are properly filled out. I thought beards and muffs were dominate traits, so is this a mutation or just a genetic possibility when working with the mutts that are EEs? I find this especially strange since I also bred a white EE cock (hatchery stock, again) to a RSL/non-muffed EE mixed hen (she has a large pea comb, tiny wattles, no bearding nor muffs, lays a green egg) and all 4 of their chicks are bearded and muffed. Though, their son (he's huge!) happened to develop some leg feathers which I also find odd since I know his lineage up to his grandparents and none of them had leg feathers.
 
I agree.
While I don't know the genetics behind the muffs, often there are 2 genes that control a feature. The chick inherits one gene from each parent.

In the case of egg color, another factor of your EE's, they likely only carry 1 blue shell gene as they are mixed, not pure (Ameraucana have 2 blue shell genes).

An Ameraucana parent is designated OO for 2 blue shell genes.
Breed that to a non-blue shell parent, and the offspring are Oo, 1 blue shell gene.

Breed 2 hybrids with only 1 gene together, and you get, by Punnett square math,
OO,Oo, oO, oo
So 25% 2 blue shell gene offspring
50% 1 blue shell gene offspring
25% no blue shell gene offspring

I suspicion your muffs are similar.

It's not a recessive traits but merely the mathematical mixing of 2 gene traits.

Combs are similar, only they have 2 pea comb slots and 2 rose comb slots.
If one of the pea comb slots is filled (with a gene) you have a pea comb
If two are filled, you get a pure pea comb
This assume the rose comb slots are empty.
If there is a pea comb gene and a rose comb gene, you get walnut.
No pea or rose filled, you get a single comb.

You can work the math out for combs
Pprr or PPrr (pea comb)
ppRr or ppRR (rose)
any combination of p's and r's, walnut
empty slots, single comb

For non-pure, single gene types, bred to non-pure single gene types, you typical get 25% pure, 50% single gene, 25% no gene.
LofMc
 

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