Breeding to improve comb and add tufts - Aracauna breeders

[smoothmule]

I just got a pair of very nice Aracauna's. The rooster is just gorgeous other than no tufts and his comb isn't a perfect pea comb. I'd like to know how the genetics work to improve the pea comb and since neither of the pair has the tufts, is it even possible any of their brood will have tufts or do I need a tufted hen to my clean faced rooster to even hope to see some tufts?

I know breeding the best to the best is the "best" but for someone interested in starting with what I have, I would appreciate some advice for breeding to improve. Even breeding the best to the best, I feel that there is no perfection and we're always working to do better.

I'm looking forward to spring and my first blue eggs. I also have some bantam Aracauna's, rumpless and lovely but too young to see potential yet.

 

[evonne]

the tufted gene is a deadly gene... if you have smooth faces you want to dreed to a tufted.. but don't breed tufted to tufted.. it's getting 2 tufted genes that causes the death in shell.... i think even with 1 smooth and 1 tufted they say you'll get on average 25% dis, 50 tufted and 25% smooth.. or something like that..

not an expert, just did a lot of reading when i was sold arcauna's that were actually EE's... i love them though and i only wanted color eggs so no big deal.. i might get more into the trues for breeding later down the road

 

[broodfowl100]

cut it off!

he well look better and the girls well like him more

 

[amazondoc]

Quote:
There's two schools of thought on breeding tufted to tufted or not.

If you breed tuft (1 copy of the tufting gene) to clean:

Tuft-no x no-no = 1/2 tufted (1 copy of tufting gene), 1/2 clean

If you breed tuft to tuft:

tuft-no x tuft-no = 1/4 tuft-tuft (dead in shell), 1/2 tufted, 1/4 clean

So -- when you breed tufted bird to tufted bird, you'll have fewer chicks hatch -- BUT you'll also have fewer clean-faced chicks to worry about placing/selling/giving away. Overall you'll get a higher *percentage* of tufted chicks than you would if you breed tufted to clean-faced. Since clean faced chicks are rather like cockerels in that they can be hard to get rid of, it can be a good thing to minimize the numbers you get!

 

[hinkjc]

You need a tufted bird to get tufted chicks.

As for the comb, I have found this to be an issue with araucana when we started with them as well. We hold cockerels as long as possible to see the comb growth before making final selections, as I find this an important part of the breed. The smaller pea combs are not hard to get to if you take your time in proper selections.

 

[smoothmule]

So, breeding smooth to smooth you can never get tufted? Then it's a "dominant" gene?

 

[hinkjc]

It is autosomal dominant. You can read more about tufts here.

http://www.araucana.net/Araucana_ by_Rosalyn_Upson.htm

 

[Krys109uk]

Ear tufts (Et) is an autosomal dominant lethal gene. With wide variability of expression. All homozygous chicks die in shell around the 19th day, if my memory serves. There is also increased percentage of dead in shell in the heterozygotes & tufted offspring have increased mortaility. There is also reduced penetration which means that the effects of the Et gene is not always apparent or does not fully express.

 

[amazondoc]

Quote:
I sure agree with you here, Jody. I have been distressed at all the bad combs I see on the web -- even in shows -- and at how many bad combs have popped up in the eggs I've hatched over the past year. IMHO people need to pay more attention to combs!

 

[Krys109uk]

What do the bad combs look like?