Black tailed buff marans

[Bill Grover]

I was using a genotype from two authors. They said the Black Tailed Red was: eWh/eWh, Db/Db, Di/Di, Mh/Mh. After more than 7 years trying that the hens were *STILL* Not coloring up well. I have seen how Columbian will, so I'm adding that fourth gene. The first generation looks real promising.

 

[Bill Grover]

I really doubt Db is in any line of Marans, Db has a remarkable effect on the females. Db on females will show a pattern, not as crisp as Autosomal brring(combined effect of Db and Pg as in buttercup hens), but very visible, for example the Ginger Old English Bantam hens, they are e+, Db/Db pg+/pg+ and Db alone makes the pattern

Db is in my line of Black Tailed Red. I was breeding using Db, Di & Mh. The hens were not coloring up uniformly. I added Co from a Light project I'm working on. The black hackles are coming in nicely. The Co allows hackle marking, the Db removes it. Dark Brown seems *MUCH* more powerful in the males and removes most of the hackle marks. It doesn't work as well on females, and you'll see much more hackle markings.

 

[Bill Grover]

Co/Co, Mh/Mh and Di/Di will do that on a wheaten base, for example:

eWh/eWh + Co/Co mh+/mh+ = Co alone will turn the gold tone to a buff color and will leave neck pattern, Wheaten being the least of the melanized e allele will not allow for saddle pattern on columbian base for example this delaware rooster(eWh/eWh Co/Co, I know its a silver based but the black and white contrast help us see the lack of pattern on the saddle, the lack of pattern on saddle is due to wheaten as opposed to columbian based on eb like wyandottes)

View attachment 2030499

New Hampshires males lack the neck pattern they are also wheaten and Columbian restrictor so I suspect Mahogany(inherited from RIR ancestor) and Di not only cancel each other to make it buff instead of red but since both are columbian restrictors they remove/restric the neck pattern

NH rooster
View attachment 2030500


But I must again go back to the point of not using the males as basis for detecting if its Co or Db as both have about the same effect on males, its the females/hens/pullets that we must focus on this subject, here are Bevs Maran hens, you can clearly see the neck pattern, Db does not produce such pattern

View attachment 2030501

Db females should not have any pattern on the hackle but on the main body as shown by the Ginger OEG females(perhaps less pronounced or all together gone due to wheaten)


Any pictures of the American lines of BTB Marans Females?

You're absolutely right about males coloring just as well with Co-vs-Db! It is the hens that were not. I have since started adding Co, and it's making a world of difference.