Breeding to get Silked EE

[HollyParks]

I have one Silked EE hen and two Silked EE roosters. Given how expensive these chickens are becoming I was wondering if I could hatch my own. I do already hatch beautiful chicks from the hen I have now, but I have friends wanting some as well.
My question is can I hatch my own Silked EE by crossing the rooster with any Silkie hen? Is it possible make a sex-linked chick if the Silkie hen had cuckoo barring?

 

[Rose the Legbar]

@NatJ I think you’ll be able to help with genetic things here.

 

[NatJ]

My question is can I hatch my own Silked EE by crossing the rooster with any Silkie hen? Is it possible make a sex-linked chick if the Silkie hen had cuckoo barring?

Probably, and yes.

The yes is about sexlinks-- yes you can cross a not-barred rooster with any hen that has the barring gene (including cuckoo), to get sons with barring and daughters with no barring. Depending on the color of the rooster, the barring on the chicks might be easier or harder to spot. (Easy on black chicks, almost impossible if the chicks also have Dominant White that turns black to white: white barring on a white chick! Barring on splash or buff is also hard to see.)

For producing Silkied Easter Eggers:
the "silkied" part will breed true, so crossing the rooster to Silkie hens will give 100% chicks with silkie-type feathers.

As regards egg color, if the rooster has two copies of the blue egg gene, you can cross him with any hen and get chicks that all have one copy of the blue egg gene, which means the daughters will lay blue or green eggs.

If the rooster has only one copy of the blue egg gene (like the chicks in the above paragraph), then he will give that to half his chicks, and the other half of his chicks will inherit the gene for not-blue eggs (so if their mother did not have the blue egg gene either, they cannot lay blue or green eggs.)

If the rooster has no copy of the blue egg gene, then he cannot give it to his chicks either.

Depending on the hatchery breeding program, they may be sending out chicks that are pure for the blue egg gene (2 copies), or chicks with one copy (because they're doing crosses), or even no copies (if they have been doing crosses, and reached a generation that includes some chicks with no blue egg gene.)

If you want to know for sure, you can test-mate the rooster: breed him to the Silkie hens, raise some daughters until they lay eggs, check what color eggs they lay. If you get one that lays blue or green, and one that lays cream or brown, you know the rooster has one blue egg gene and one not-blue egg gene. If you get just blue/green eggs, or just cream/brown eggs, after testing some number of daughters you can be fairly sure the rooster is pure for those genes (6-12 daughters can be a reasonable number to test in those cases.)

There is now a DNA test for the blue egg gene, which is much faster than raising a bunch of daughters and looking at their egg colors. Considering the cost of raising those daughters, the test is probably cheaper as well as faster.
https://iqbirdtesting.com/blueegg

 

[HollyParks]

Probably, and yes.

The yes is about sexlinks-- yes you can cross a not-barred rooster with any hen that has the barring gene (including cuckoo), to get sons with barring and daughters with no barring. Depending on the color of the rooster, the barring on the chicks might be easier or harder to spot. (Easy on black chicks, almost impossible if the chicks also have Dominant White that turns black to white: white barring on a white chick! Barring on splash or buff is also hard to see.)

For producing Silkied Easter Eggers:
the "silkied" part will breed true, so crossing the rooster to Silkie hens will give 100% chicks with silkie-type feathers.

As regards egg color, if the rooster has two copies of the blue egg gene, you can cross him with any hen and get chicks that all have one copy of the blue egg gene, which means the daughters will lay blue or green eggs.

If the rooster has only one copy of the blue egg gene (like the chicks in the above paragraph), then he will give that to half his chicks, and the other half of his chicks will inherit the gene for not-blue eggs (so if their mother did not have the blue egg gene either, they cannot lay blue or green eggs.)

If the rooster has no copy of the blue egg gene, then he cannot give it to his chicks either.

Depending on the hatchery breeding program, they may be sending out chicks that are pure for the blue egg gene (2 copies), or chicks with one copy (because they're doing crosses), or even no copies (if they have been doing crosses, and reached a generation that includes some chicks with no blue egg gene.)

If you want to know for sure, you can test-mate the rooster: breed him to the Silkie hens, raise some daughters until they lay eggs, check what color eggs they lay. If you get one that lays blue or green, and one that lays cream or brown, you know the rooster has one blue egg gene and one not-blue egg gene. If you get just blue/green eggs, or just cream/brown eggs, after testing some number of daughters you can be fairly sure the rooster is pure for those genes (6-12 daughters can be a reasonable number to test in those cases.)

There is now a DNA test for the blue egg gene, which is much faster than raising a bunch of daughters and looking at their egg colors. Considering the cost of raising those daughters, the test is probably cheaper as well as faster.
https://iqbirdtesting.com/blueegg

Thank you for this insightful response. I had always assumed my rooster carried the blue gene since the hen of the same generation laid little blue eggs. I have some young hens (offspring of rooster) that should start laying soon. I was anticipating green eggs from them since their mothers are brown eggers. I guess that’ll tell for sure. I am very interested in that DNA test though. I’ll probably do that to make sure that the chicks I sell are what I assumed they would be.

 

[NatJ]

Thank you for this insightful response. I had always assumed my rooster carried the blue gene since the hen of the same generation laid little blue eggs.

It is a reasonable thing to assume, but sometimes the assumption will be wrong.

I have some young hens (offspring of rooster) that should start laying soon. I was anticipating green eggs from them since their mothers are brown eggers. I guess that’ll tell for sure.

Yes, that should answer the question.

I am very interested in that DNA test though. I’ll probably do that to make sure that the chicks I sell are what I assumed they would be.

I'm not sure if you are talking about testing the rooster or testing the chicks you would sell.

If you think the rooster has two copies of the blue egg gene, you could test him to be extra-sure. Once you know he has two copies of the blue egg gene, there would be no need to test his chicks, because they are all certain to inherit it from him.

But if the rooster has 1 copy of the blue egg gene, you could test each chick (gets expensive very quickly!) Or you could just tell the buyers that some will lay green eggs and some will lay brown eggs, but you don't know which are which.

If the rooster does have just one blue egg gene, breeding him to your blue-laying hen should produce some chicks that have 2 blue egg genes (along with some that have one, and maybe some with none). You could test one male chick after another until you find one with two blue egg genes, then raise him to use for breeding guaranteed Easter Eggers in the future.

 

[nuthatched]

I think Meyers has silkied ee, that might save you some time.

 

[HollyParks]

It is a reasonable thing to assume, but sometimes the assumption will be wrong.


Yes, that should answer the question.


I'm not sure if you are talking about testing the rooster or testing the chicks you would sell.

If you think the rooster has two copies of the blue egg gene, you could test him to be extra-sure. Once you know he has two copies of the blue egg gene, there would be no need to test his chicks, because they are all certain to inherit it from him.

But if the rooster has 1 copy of the blue egg gene, you could test each chick (gets expensive very quickly!) Or you could just tell the buyers that some will lay green eggs and some will lay brown eggs, but you don't know which are which.

If the rooster does have just one blue egg gene, breeding him to your blue-laying hen should produce some chicks that have 2 blue egg genes (along with some that have one, and maybe some with none). You could test one male chick after another until you find one with two blue egg genes, then raise him to use for breeding guaranteed Easter Eggers in the future.

Yes, I meant testing the rooster.

 

[HollyParks]

It is a reasonable thing to assume, but sometimes the assumption will be wrong.


Yes, that should answer the question.


I'm not sure if you are talking about testing the rooster or testing the chicks you would sell.

If you think the rooster has two copies of the blue egg gene, you could test him to be extra-sure. Once you know he has two copies of the blue egg gene, there would be no need to test his chicks, because they are all certain to inherit it from him.

But if the rooster has 1 copy of the blue egg gene, you could test each chick (gets expensive very quickly!) Or you could just tell the buyers that some will lay green eggs and some will lay brown eggs, but you don't know which are which.

If the rooster does have just one blue egg gene, breeding him to your blue-laying hen should produce some chicks that have 2 blue egg genes (along with some that have one, and maybe some with none). You could test one male chick after another until you find one with two blue egg genes, then raise him to use for breeding guaranteed Easter Eggers in the future.

The description of these chickens online claims that 95% of the hens will lay blue eggs, and assuming that would also mean that 95% of the roosters would also carry it? Both my hen and rooster are second generation of this breeding line and my hen does lay sweet little blue eggs.

 

[NatJ]

The description of these chickens online claims that 95% of the hens will lay blue eggs, and assuming that would also mean that 95% of the roosters would also carry it? Both my hen and rooster are second generation of this breeding line and my hen does lay sweet little blue eggs.

Yes, that should mean 95% of the roosters having at least one copy of the blue egg gene, no clue how many have two copies.

They are probably trying to have a true-breeding flock (2 blue egg genes in each bird), but didn't quite manage (5% of pullets with no blue egg gene, plus an unknown percent with 1 copy of the blue egg gene).

 

[HollyParks]

Yes, that should mean 95% of the roosters having at least one copy of the blue egg gene, no clue how many have two copies.

They are probably trying to have a true-breeding flock (2 blue egg genes in each bird), but didn't quite manage (5% of pullets with no blue egg gene, plus an unknown percent with 1 copy of the blue egg gene).

Does this make the blue gene recessive if they only had one part? So if my rooster only has one part blue and crosses with a white egg-layer that would make half blue-layer chicks and half white, or would that only mean they carry a recessive blue trait?