Bright red chickens?

[The Kooky Kiwi]

Is is possible to breed a chicken that is the true red of a cardinal and not just the brilliant orange-red of a well bred New Hampshire rooster?

Absolutely!

Just not by a hatchery or backyard breeder.

The genetics for the true red pigment do not exist in chickens. So getting there by selective breeding isn't going to happen. That doesn't mean it can't be inserted into the chicken genome by some "mad scientist" type who could go through the trouble of isolating the color gene sequence in cardinals and insert it into chickens using CRISPR or something similar.

If you've been to a PetCo recently, you've seen GloFIsh. They are transgenic; they carry a gene sequence for fluorescence isolated from jellyfish. Actually, a similar thing happened in chickens, though naturally, when a retrovirus brought the blue egg gene into the chicken genome where it didn't exist before. That is kind of a thing with retroviruses, and is how some genes get modified, mixed up, or added throughout evolutionary history.

I can't imagine anyone going to the trouble of making true red chickens, though. With all the push back against GMO, I doubt there would be a market for transgenic red chickens! So who would buy them?

I don't know that I'd want "red" chickens myself, but that's only because I'm not overly fussed about Red. But I'd have no qualms about purchasing a transgenic chicken that was a beautiful cobalt blue!

Imagine if you could get the beautiful blues and teals in the chickens! I'd be in looooooove <3

 

[Windrider]

I'm with you on loving blues!

My cousin is the geneticist, not me, but I think a true blue chicken would be a more difficult feat for our theoretical "mad scientist" than a red or yellow one. For goldfinch yellow or cardinal red, you'd just have to replace the genetic sequence for what pigment the feather-forming cells produce when it is time to lay down the pigment. So you program them to lay down a the proper carotenoid for red or yellow instead of the xanthin or whatever pigment makes chickens buff or rusty brown. The brilliance carotenoids are highly dependent on diet, though, as canary owners know. But at least the compounds involved in the gene switch are related.

Blue pigments don't exist in bird feathers. Instead, it is the structure of the feather itself that scatters or refracts light so that the light bouncing off them appears shades of blue, for the same reason the sky appears blue. Programing feather-forming cells to make a totally different feather structure seems like a much more complicated gene-teasing exercise. I can imagine things that could go wrong with this switcharoo if not well-researched, from feather fraying as seen in lavender birds, to feather breaking, or even balding chickens!

Fun to think about, though.

 

[sdm111]

I don't know that I'd want "red" chickens myself, but that's only because I'm not overly fussed about Red. But I'd have no qualms about purchasing a transgenic chicken that was a beautiful cobalt blue!

Imagine if you could get the beautiful blues and teals in the chickens! I'd be in looooooove <3

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This fella has alot of the iridescent blue and green you speak of but the pic is bad lighting. When he turns and the sun hits he shines in the light. His tail turns a beautiful green in the right light

Not as cobalt but brilliant nonetheless

 

[The Moonshiner]

I'm with you on loving blues!

My cousin is the geneticist, not me, but I think a true blue chicken would be a more difficult feat for our theoretical "mad scientist" than a red or yellow one. For goldfinch yellow or cardinal red, you'd just have to replace the genetic sequence for what pigment the feather-forming cells produce when it is time to lay down the pigment. So you program them to lay down a the proper carotenoid for red or yellow instead of the xanthin or whatever pigment makes chickens buff or rusty brown. The brilliance carotenoids are highly dependent on diet, though, as canary owners know. But at least the compounds involved in the gene switch are related.

Blue pigments don't exist in bird feathers. Instead, it is the structure of the feather itself that scatters or refracts light so that the light bouncing off them appears shades of blue, for the same reason the sky appears blue. Programing feather-forming cells to make a totally different feather structure seems like a much more complicated gene-teasing exercise. I can imagine things that could go wrong with this switcharoo if not well-researched, from feather fraying as seen in lavender birds, to feather breaking, or even balding chickens!

Fun to think about, though.

Psst, there are plenty of blue chickens already out there.

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

I'm with you on loving blues!

My cousin is the geneticist, not me, but I think a true blue chicken would be a more difficult feat for our theoretical "mad scientist" than a red or yellow one. For goldfinch yellow or cardinal red, you'd just have to replace the genetic sequence for what pigment the feather-forming cells produce when it is time to lay down the pigment. So you program them to lay down a the proper carotenoid for red or yellow instead of the xanthin or whatever pigment makes chickens buff or rusty brown. The brilliance carotenoids are highly dependent on diet, though, as canary owners know. But at least the compounds involved in the gene switch are related.

Blue pigments don't exist in bird feathers. Instead, it is the structure of the feather itself that scatters or refracts light so that the light bouncing off them appears shades of blue, for the same reason the sky appears blue. Programing feather-forming cells to make a totally different feather structure seems like a much more complicated gene-teasing exercise. I can imagine things that could go wrong with this switcharoo if not well-researched, from feather fraying as seen in lavender birds, to feather breaking, or even balding chickens!

Fun to think about, though.

I'm 100% completely in agreement (and understanding) of your comment. Science is <3 <3 <3

We do have basic iridescence in chickens now - you see it on the black feathers. Some birds show a purply iridescence and others have the (more desired) green.

So while I agree it may be a challenge to achieve those truly stunning colors, it's more a case of developing or increasing those existing traits rather than having to introduce completely new ones.

And there are many other birds we can study for help. I suspect, even between bird species, the feather structure genes may look similar in the genome sequencing lab. So we do have a wee bit of a step ladder there already

But back to the original posters query - I think a substantially bright red bird might just be achievable with a good deal of patience and selective breeding. Definitely worth a try anyway!

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

Psst, there are plenty of blue chickens already out there.

Hey Moonshiner

I wasn't really referring to blues (as in diluted blacks). I was drooling over the idea of having those lovely irridescent blues <3

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

I'm with you on loving blues!

My cousin is the geneticist.....

Sooooo..... What's your cousin doing on their weekends off hmm?? Do they fancy a project?

 

[Windrider]

Psst, there are plenty of blue chickens already out there.

Psst, hey Moonshiner. When you put those "blue chickens" next to a bluebird or jay, you see them chickens are really gray, not blue!

(note that I said "true blue", not just blue)

 

[Windrider]

Sooooo..... What's your cousin doing on their weekends off hmm?? Do they fancy a project?

My cousin works with bacteria.

 

[MeowthLover_ThatsRight]

Is this sort of what you're wanting?
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whoa beautiful rooster