black cochins breeding question

[tiki244]

I am wondering if anyone could tell me how to get my cochins legs yellower and their eyes redder.?

Also, if I bred a blue cochin to a black would that ruin the black color?

Thank You

 

[tiki244]

OOPS!

O still wondering about the original question. Thanks I just messed up on this one

 

[Ms. Lewis Rich]

Go to www.PekinBantams.co.uk go to Pekin menu click on Breeding Pekins it will explain. Are you showing your cochins?
Let me know if that helps.
Karen

 

[tadkerson]

The problem with many standards is that when a standard is developed it is based upon hypothetical physical attributes and not the genetics behind an attribute. The standard usually does not take into account the effects of male or female hormones upon color in a bird. One major exception being the dimorphic colors associated with male and female primary color patterns. That is one reason why individuals have a breeding pen for males and another breeding pen for females.

In order to get specific traits in a bird, the birds need to be heterozygous (split) for certain genes. Another aspect that a person must take into account is that one gene can effect the expression of another gene, this is called epistasis. There is a relationship between eye color and shank color. There is also a relationship between under color and shank color depending on the the E locus alleles (extended black (E), birchen (ER), brown (eb ) one uses to make a black bird. Here is how it works.

A person has a black bird that is homozygous or pure for brown (eb/eb) this would allow for yellow shanks and feet, a lighter colored eye and the feather under color will be white. The breeder decides that the under color needs to be gray and not white. The breeder breeds into his flock the birchen gene (ER) so that his birds are now ER/eb the under color is much darker but now some black pigment is showing in the legs and the eye is darker. These things happen because of genetics and how the genes are going to interact. The standard of perfection may not be obtainable because the genetics will not allow for the perfect standard. I think a breeder has to pick which perfect characteristics they want in their birds and will except a lesser standard in other characteristics.

There may be genes out there in the great gene pool of chickens that will make a standard perfect but the problem is that it is in another breed or variety that the breeder will never use to improve their stock- so it may not as well exist.


That is my opinion.

Tim

 

[LilPeeps]

Quote:
Breeding a blue to a black will produce 50% black, 50% blue. Blue and black (as well as splash) are often bred together.

 

[tiki244]

Quote:
Breeding a blue to a black will produce 50% black, 50% blue. Blue and black (as well as splash) are often bred together.

I am wondering if mixing them would ruin the original black stock. In the ones that are black. Thanks

Karen Thanks for the link, yes I have been there on occasion and I like that site. I do not show my birds very much, but they are show birds and would like to show more next year. Mostly just regional though. See I dont have any black cochins with any lighter colored under fluff and was wondering if I bred a blue to it what would happen. This would be in order to get redder eye and maybe improve type. I dont want to ruin the blacks though by mixing colors if it is not kosher to do that.